Thursday 16 April 2015

Clapham

Well bits around Clapham Junction, if not all of Clapham.

This first clock is one I've seen a few times from the train leaving Clapham Junction on the route to Richmond and the like.


On foot it is quite hard to find as your geographical perspective goes all squiffy as you step out of the railway station. I walked right past a non-descript modern building by railway, totally failing to spot the obvious clue of the building's name - Time Flats. However from the perspective of Grant Road there is no other clue that there is a massive clock on the other side.


It is only after I'd turned into Plough Road and gone under the railway line that I got a proper sight of the clock.




 
Continuing up Plough Road, a left turn onto St John's Hill brings you back towards the centre of activity, and opens up the following view onto the clock tower on the Debenhams store:



 

But before you get there, turn left into the shop stop shopping arcade which leads into Clapham Junction station. Here I was thanked for shopping even though I never bought anything - this retail therapy thing can be very cheap.





If you look carefully you will see that the clock is mounted on a mirrored wall rather than just floating in space (which in my experience they don't tend to do). The other side of the wall looks rather different, and here the clock promotes Rotary International.



Onwards now to Debenhams at the junction of St Johns Road with Lavender Hill.


The building dates from 1910, and was originally Arding and Hobbs. It certainly makes an impressive site in this busy shopping and socialising area.





Walking up St John's Road brings you past the Marks and Spencer store. As I have remarked many times before, M&S (or, as officially known on this blog, good old M&S) can often be relied on for a nice clock in good condition (and sometimes a good clock in nice condition). And this store is no exception - which is not surprising as I wouldn't be talking about it if it was (I wonder if there is an M&S blog - an unofficial one that is, with someone trying to visit all the M&S shops in the country?).




And if you keep walking in the same direction (which is not easy on a sunny Saturday afternoon as this is a very popular street for pedestrians), St John's Road magically turns into Northcote Road. Which is the home of Marsh & Parsons estate agents.






Feeling energetic? Right, time to turn round, retrace our steps past good old M&S, back to Debenhams, turn right into Lavender Hill (taking care to avoid the mob) and soon you will arrive at Asda (just how many retail giants can I get in one sentence? [if that wasn't a rhetorical question I would have answered "three", but it was so I won't]).


 
Ok seen that. Back to Clapham Junction to get the train home.

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