If somebody asked me what Hammersmith is like, I would probably say I don’t spend much time there but it’s a great place from where to get to anyplace else. There’s the Piccadilly and District lines and across the road the Hammersmith and City and Circle lines (with new, spacious walk-through trains). And there is a large bus station, taking you every which way – Kensington, Chiswick, Fulham, Brompton, Barnes, Putney, Richmond, Shepherd’s Bush and ever onwards to distant, hazy pastures …
The bus station used to be outside and we got used to putting up with icy blasts and driving rain. Then a new one was built under cover. I expect it wasn’t big enough because some of us, having been welcomed into the warm, were subsequently driven outside once again – to an updated version, it must be said – but still with the same weather…
After a period of grumpiness, I decided braving the weather was preferable to the sickly smell of fat and sugar frying which percolates Hammersmith Mall and leads me to feel anxious about the obese percentage of users. I don’t know what diesel fumes are doing to me in the centre of the gyratory system … but buses are fairly frequent.
The outside part of Hammersmith bus station
… and a shiny double decker bus
Hammersmith doesn’t do glamour – it’s very workaday – but there did used to be a Palais de Danse, whose faded memory is for all to see as you board the Hammersmith and City line.
Once upon a time …
And if you look up, the old pub building on the Broadway gives a clue to a more picturesque past.
Ancient relic of old Hammersmith on the Broadway …
The Ark comes ashore in Hammersmith
I’m not sure about the modern Ark but at least it is upliftingly innovative and doesn’t look like a cheap and nasty concrete office block – there is something of an individual soul here – but it did come to rest by the Hammersmith gyratory system rather than on Mount Ararat. Probably more useful here.
The Hammersmith gyratory system, spider like, traps the traffic in a super jam from time to time, causing much frustration. When it’s moving freely it does get people from A to B. It’s not somewhere you would want to linger but one day I took this picture from the bus. Some unknown, sporty person at traffic lights bringing the glamour of Monte Carlo to Hammersmith Broadway – an almost impossible task!
Upbeat on a crisp, clear morning – Hammersmith Broadway!!
Hammersmith wasn’t always dominated by the gyratory system and the arching flyover, leading to the M4. Even now, along the river, there are quiet spots with beautiful houses (and some nice pubs), which look out onto barges and rowers – and sometimes get flooded at high tides. The views from Hammersmith Bridge, both up and down the Thames, are quite lovely. And here, it’s herons that dominate both banks. The Oxford and Cambridge Boat Race, amongst many others, pass underneath the bridge.
Houses bordering the Thames at Hammersmith
Heron on the bank of the river, taken from Hammersmith bridge
Green and gold – Hammersmith Bridge detail
Looking downriver towards north Barnes and onwards to Fulham, Putney and ultimately the city …
In his book, “London Under”, Peter Ackroyd talks about ‘lost’ rivers, one of which is Stamford Brook, which makes its way via Wormwood Scrubs underneath the streets and pavements to fall into the Thames at Hammersmith.
But all things taken into account, the hub of Hammersmith today remains a useful rather than an attractive or romantic venue.
Here’s a picture done by Eric Ravilious in 1933 called “River Thames at Hammersmith”. So there did used to be some kind of poetry in the air … bucolic, romantic … and a little of it remains.
River Thames at Hammersmith, 1933 by Eric Ravilious
Times change!
POSTSCRIPT
Current news. Hammersmith Bridge is to be closed to traffic from January 2016 for at least six months. Pedestrians will be able to use it – we can enjoy the river views, come rain or shine! Probably best to have a spare umbrella. My last one collapsed spectacularly while crossing the bridge on foot, battling driving rain and wind. Even the handle fell off. I bought a new one, covered in red roses, which keeps my spirits up.
View of Hammersmith Bridge in driving rain from 209 bus …
On the 209 bus from Hammersmith to Barnes …
POSTSCRIPT 2
This is a photo of the flower shop, still in driving rain, on the Barnes side of the bridge. I thought it looked rather like an abstract painting with a mix of colours that appealed to me. Somebody said I should put it in for the Turner prize. ‘Art in Transit’ – ‘Transitory Art’ – ‘Flowers from the Bus’? I didn’t expect anything to come from pressing the button on my camera but even though I say it myself – ‘It’s really quite impressive’?! The camera is old but serves me well.
Impression …
END