Exploring The River Brent

Well it did take a while for our Summer to finally show it's face after that

miserable month of May. So by early June I was finally able to get out and

about with the camera for some new picture projects.

And although my main dominant blogging project involved several visits to the

North London Village of Mill Hill (post below),  four visits in fact. It was on

my way back from Mill Hill that I discovered this curious little hidden place

just by the junction of Brent Street and the busy North Circular Road.

It's part of the River Brent that passes what was once The Brent Bridge Hotel,

an establishment that was demolished back in 1974, making way for a new

residential block of flats called Brook Lodge.

And although I first explored this little area on a Tuesday the other week, I

knew that I would have to return the following day armed with a camera

tripod and my trusted green Wellington boots. There was no access to the

other side of the Bridge so I needed to wade through almost two feet of water

to get the shots I was after. And as I walked under that Bridge to get to the

other side, the water predictably came into my boots and I was well and

truly soaked up to my thighs. But I happily carried on.

Below is a short video I made on that very warm Wednesday. Yet it was

amazingly much cooler down by that shady stretch of River.

Below:  The Brent Street Bridge just by The North Circular Road.

The River Brent is one of London's longest Rivers at over 16 miles long. It starts at

the Junction of Dollis Brook and Mutton Brook in Hendon, and joins the River Thames

at Brentford.

I was fascinated to discover that these two old abandoned gothic looking towers

were once part of the grounds of the once Brent Bridge Hotel (demolished in 1974).

In fact they were originally joined by a footbridge that was was washed away in a flood

in 1927.

The footbridge and the River became a sort of leisure spot for the Hotel guests.

Below: An archive image of the Brent Bridge Hotel footbridge.

Source:  The Barnet Local Studies and Archives

and The Jack Richardson Image Collection.

After giving it a great deal of thought and with some advice, I finally decided to turn

off the Blog Comments. It's not as if we're deluged with them. And far too many

comments can be hurried and not very well thought out. It seems like people online

have very little attention span these days. And the less said about Blog Networkers, then the better. 

An interesting Youtube by Blogger (since 2006) Spencer Haws, explains his six

reasons why he finally turned off his Blog Comments, be it for slightly different reasons to

mine. That video can be found Here.

So yes, if you feel inclined to leave a comment (by e-mail) as a couple of my friends prefer

to do, then feel free to do so.

Exploring Mill Hill Village

This month saw me pay not one, but four visits to the North London Village of Mill Hill.

And yet being only 10 miles from Central London and the hustle and bustle of our busy

City, being there really felt like I was out in the middle of the countryside. And so

it came as no surprise to learn that Mill Hill was once part of the historic County of

Middlesex up until 1965 when it then became part of Greater London.

The area's name was first recorded as Myllehill in 1563 and appears to mean "Hill

with a Windmill." And although many local residents claim that the whole area 

is made up of four distinctive communities and identities, it was the Old part 

of Mill Hill that captured my interest, particularly around the area of the Village and

the Village Pond known as Angel Pond (top image above). The Pond was named

after a Pub that once stood nearby. And the red brick Church by the Pond was once a

Methodist Chapel, first built in 1892, and is now occupied by The Brotherhood of

The Cross and Star.

And it was on my final visit there during that hot week in early June that I had planned to

film a video around the Pond area, just a day after filming in The Brent River, but

alas the clouds moved in. So I thought I'd come back another day during the Summer

and try again.

The Mill Hill Preservation Society

Serving the Community since 1949

Above is the cottage once known as the Old General Store. A Grade II Listed three bedroom

detached Cottage that dates back to 1695. Situated right next to The Village Pond, it once served

as the local Post Office as well as the General Store. And when this property last came up 

For Sale, it's asking price was £779,950.

Above and below is the picturesque Rosebank Cottage. A late 17th century house

that became a Meeting place for the Quakers and was often visited by George Fox,

founder of the Quakers.

Above:  One of the pretty Cottages in The Ridgeway next door

to St Paul's Church. The Cottages date back to the 16th century.

This old vintage 1932 Black Ford car seems to be a permanent fixture

in the Village. It can often be seen in videos and pictures of Mill Hill.

Above: The Ridgeway. An old medieval route that goes through the heart

of Mill Hill.

Scenes like these make you feel like you're right out in the English countryside.

But let's not forget that all this was once part of the County of Middlesex. And it only

became part of Greater London in 1965.

Above: The Sheepwash Pond next to Belmont Farm which was once regularly used

by drovers as an animal rest and wagon wash on the long sheep and cattle drive

to Smithfield Market in London.

Above:  The Belmont Mill Hill Preparatory School

Above: The rather grand frontage of The Mill Hill School which was built

in 1807.  And in 1924 an added construction was built at the front of the building

called The Memorial Gateway - The Gate of Honour. Built in memory of the lives lost

in The First World War. And annual ceremonies are held here on Remembrance Sunday. 

The Arch entrance is almost reminiscent of the once famous Euston Station Arch

which was demolished back in 1962 in order to make way for the new Euston

Underground Station.

Above and below:  The Three Hammers Pub. And along with 'The Rising Sun' a 16th century

Mill Hill Pub as well as 'The Adam and Eve' the Three Hammers is one of the oldest

Pubs in the Village.

Above:  An archive image of The Three Hammers Public House

in 1938.

Above: St Paul's Church on The Ridgeway. A Blue Plaque on the West Wall

commemorates the building of the Church in 1883, by the Evangelical

Christian politician William Wilberforce, who was one of the leaders of

the campaign to abolish the Slave Trade.

Adjoining the Church is St Paul's Primary School. And behind the Church is the 

Church Cemetery.