The Man Who Played The Piano, Whilst Einstein Played Violin
Sadly, Sir Patrick Moore has died. This piece is the BBC’s obituary, from where the title of this post comes.
I was lucky to see him once in my last year at school, when he gave a lecture on the connection of the moon to earthquakes at the British Astronomical Association. In those days he was a large man with a booming voice. He was a naturally entertaining and infectious speaker.
This paragraph from another article on the BBC sums him up.
Queen guitarist Brian May, who published a book on astronomy written with Sir Patrick, described him as a “dear friend, and a kind of father figure to me”.
He said: “Patrick will be mourned by the many to whom he was a caring uncle, and by all who loved the delightful wit and clarity of his writings, or enjoyed his fearlessly eccentric persona in public life.
It is such a pity, that there seems to be no possible successor to someone, who may well go down in history as the last great British eccentric.
Is The New South London Line What Passengers Want?
I ask this question after the report of the demonstration last night and this piece on the South London Line’s opening today. Both reports give the impression, that most South Londoners think the routing is wrong.
I’m not from South London and therefore I have no idea what is best for Peckham and Clapham. But I do know that opening the East London Line to Crystal Palace prompted me to visit, as exploring the electric trains south of the Great Sewer, is something that North Londoners are genetically programmed not to be able to do. They always feel happy on anything that is on Harry Beck‘s iconic Underground map.
The opposition to the routing of the South London Line seems also to be led by a group of anti-Boris politicians, who tend to believe that anything Boris backs is thoroughly bad and driven by his ego, rather than common sense.
What seems to have been forgotten here, is that the new South London Line routing was proposed before Boris became Mayor and that something had to be done for a few years to create extra paths into London Bridge station, whilst it is being rebuilt. Just as I complain about buses being disrupted by Crossrail, in part the South London Line problems are a victim of the London Bridge improvements. I think it is true to say, that Transport for London has an extensive database of journeys by public transport in London, because of the Oyster Card and Freedom Pass information. So they probably know a lot more about where customers actually go, than the customers themselves.
Incidentally, I travelled part of the way this morning to Clapham Junction station with a doctor, who was going on shift at Kings College Hospital by Denmark Hill station from his home in Hoxton. It was certainly an easier journey for him than before the new line opened. So although, there will be some losers because of the changes, there will also be winners. How many other people have moved house or changed job in the last couple of years, in anticipation of the changes? We don’t know, but Transport for London will in a few months, when they analyse the journeys.
Do-It-Yourself Wheelchair Ramp At Manningtree Station
I photographed this at Manningtree station.
Do-It-Yourself Wheelchair Ramps At Manningtree Station
Does it send a message to those in wheelchairs?
A Dead Coffee Table
This table looked all sad and forlorn on its back in the City.
A Dead Coffee Table
Hopefully, it’s been disposed of humanely.
Coffee And Pretzels At Clapham Junction
Not for me the pretzels, but the coffee was good in my pit-stop at Knot Pretzels at Clapham Junction station.
I do love their innovative use of an old trunk for the sugar and stirrers.
Closing A Chapter – The New South London Line Opens
In some ways today, I closed a chapter in my life, that started when I moved back to London. Soon after, the rebuilt East London Line of the London Overground opened. I wrote about it here.
Today they opened the last section to Clapham Junction station and I was on the first train there from Highbury and Islington station.
The pictures could have been better, but it was just after seven this morning.
Not Everybody Is In Favour Of The New South London Line
This article on the BBC, shows that at the moment not everybody is in favour of the new South London Line as some of the inner suburban services will be dropped. But politicians will jump on any bandwagon however rickety to try to get one over on their rivals.
However, I think this will blow over, as partly the changes are caused by the rebuilding of London Bridge station.
I have used the inner South London line a few times to get to Victoria, by taking a bus to London Bridge station and then meandering through Peckham. The pictures of Battersea Power Station were taken on such a trip.
I’m just off to catch the first train from Highbury and Islington to Clapham Junction. It’ll take me longer to get round than this video.
The Anonymous Widower 