Sitting on a Bennet
The last time I sat on a wooden seat in a football ground was at Crystal Palace. That was the day I got a splinter in the palm of my hand.
No such incident happened at Fulham, as the original 1905 Bennet seats are still in good condition. And they are comfortable too.
Can there be many places, where you sit on a wooden seat over a hundred years old? Perhaps a few churches maybe! There is more on the stand here in Wikipedia.
I shall return to the Cottage and hopefully the result will be better.
It was also good to hear the rumble of rythmic foot stamping in a wooden stand. The old stand at White Hart Lane could be made to make a fearsome noise.
A Trip To Leitch’s Gem By the Thames
Archibald Leitch has appeared in this blog before, with respect to his first building, the Sentinel Works in Glasgow, and two football stadia; White Hart Lane and Fratton Park.
Today though I went to see Fulham host Bolton in Leitch’s gem-by-the-Thames, Craven Cottage.
I had started my journey from Oxford Street, so I took the Central line to Notting Hill Gate station, where I changed to the District line for Putney Bridge, which is the most convenient station for the Cottage.
Notting Hill Gate Station
As you can see from the picture, it is another example of Victorian architecture worth visiting.
Putney Bridge station is an impressive one about ten minutes walk away from Craven Cottage.
Putney Bridge Station
But whereas many walks from stations to football grounds are boring, this one is through the Bishop’s Park by Fulham Palace alongside the River Thames.
Walking to Craven Cottage
So very different to the approach to say Middlesbrough or Scunthorpe.
Johnny Haynes Stand at Craven Cottage
This picture shows the restored Stevenage Road Stand at Craven Cottage. It was built in the first few years of the 20th Century and has now been renamed after one of Fulham’s most famous players; Johnny Haynes.
The Tragedy of Belarus
They were talking on the BBC about the state of Belarus. I don’t know whether they read it out, but I sent in this e-mail.
I went to Belarus to see England play two years ago. Minsk was a friendly city, with lots of things to see. After experiences of Moscow, supporting Ipswich, Minsk was totally different. Even the police were complicit in exchange of banners, tokens and signatures between fans.
The visit left me with the optimistic impression, that Belarus would eventually be part of mainstream Europe, but time has shown me wrong. On the other hand, the history of the country has shown, that they are resilient and sort themselves out in the end, usually without great violence.
I do hope my optimism was not misplaced and one day I’ll return to the country. By train of course!
Who’s Going to be the Next Chelski Manager?
Chelski seem to be trying hard to prove the old adage that money can’t buy success, especially after their defeat by Everton in the cup yesterday.
I can’t see Carlo Ancelotti surviving very long, unless Chelski win the Champions League. But remember the year ends in one!
Another One-one Draw for Ipswich
Town played well today and I’ll let their manager, Paul Jewell, do the talking.
We were terrific and it was the best performance football wise since I have been here. Passed well and created chances. Drury outstanding debut.
Roll on the Rangers on Tuesday.
Hurrying to Portman Road
The weather today was awful and I didn’t take my time or any detours from the station to Portman Road. I also needed the toilet urgently. But at least the latter are very good compared to some grounds I’ve visited.
Surprising Barnsley
Some of the places I’ve visited on my travels like Scunthorpe and Middlesbrough could not be described as places that make the most of what they’ve got.
What I would find, as I went north on my train from St. Pancras, I did not know.
I actually travelled north with three young Millwall supporters, who were supporting their team at Sheffield. When I said, that I’d had a stroke, one of them said his brother had too. At just 16 too! So we can’t all be too careful, can we?
But the Interchange station at Barnsley was a surprise.
Barnsley Interchange
Very often, stations are badly designed and in the wrong place in the town, with poor interchanges to other modes of transport.
Cambridge is a classic example, in that it’s some way from the city centre, the buses to get aren’t obvious and also for the amount of trains that call at it, it isn’t big enough. I suspect too, that the ill-fated busway will have a terrible interchange, when surely one of the reasons for the busway, should have been to get passengers to the trains. But trains and buses operate under different budgets and compete with each other, when they should be complimentary.
There is no such problem in Barnsley in that the station lies alongside the town centre and contains not only the train station, but the bus station as well. The football ground, Oakwell, is a ten minute walk the other way.
Barnsley Signs
Signage, as so often could be better and more numerous, but then it’s difficult to miss Oakwell. But at least in Barnsley the signage is there, which can’t be said for Edinburgh, which is supposed to be a tourist destination.
You actually walk up a hill to the ground and then approach it downhill, through what is a grassed car park.
Walking Down to Oakwell
In some ways the approach is more like one you find at small non-league stadia, rather than one that incoprates 23,000 spectators.
The football was a bit disappointing in that Ipswich gave away a winning lead in the last minute.
But all-in-all, it was a good day out! I felt especially good as I walked up the hill towards the station without a hint of being out of breath. Perhaps it was the sun, that we’d enjoyed all day.
Living on a 30 Bus
One of my friends has commented that I always seem to be on a 30 bus. It’s just that it’s so useful to get to and from the Angel, Islington, Kings Cross, St. Pancras, Euston and the Selfridges end of Oxford Street, especially as the stop is just around the corner and has one of those displays which tell which buses will arrive soon.
Yesterday on my trip to see Ipswich at Barnsley, the journey didn’t start with a small step, but it started and finished on a 30 bus.
A 30 bus was involved in the London bombings and 13 passengers tragically died in Tavistock Square. But it isn’t the only tragedy connected with the route.
Memorial Garden at Highbury Corner
This picture shows the memorial garden at Highbury Corner. The plaque commemorates the 26 people who died in a V1 attack on June 27th, 1944.
But the route isn’t all about sadness, as at Islington Green, you pass the statue of Hugh Myddelton, one of those who shaped our city.
Statue of Hugh Myddelton on Islington Green
Every time, you use water in the city, there is a chance that some of that water has arrived courtesy of the New River; Myddelton’s project from the early seventeenth century that transformed London’s water supply.
From the Angel, I then travelled down Pentonville Road to Kings Cross, getting off just before the station and crossing the maze of roads into Kings Cross.
Arriving at Kings Cross on a 30 Bus
Hopefully, when they create the new public square in front of King’s Cross station they’ll make this pedestrian access a lot better.
At least though work inside the station seems to be progressing well, with the pedestrian bridge and the associated lifts seeming to be taking shape under a newly restored roof.
Coming home too, I was lucky in that I walked through the station after buying a Cod Mornay for my supper from Marks and Spencer in St. Pancras and had to wait just two minutes before a 30 bus appeared to take me home.
There’s Only One F in Shefki
The news this morning is that one-time Ipswich favourite, Shefki Kuqi, has joined Newcastle until the end of the season.
West Ham Appear to Have Got the Use of the Olympic Stadium
But the arguments will continue, as I indicated here. I said this in an e-mail to BBC Breakfast.
I’ve watched football in Moscow and it didn’t work there.
But as we have some of the best architects in the world and engineering and methods are getting better all the time, I’m sure that we can come up with a well-executed British compromise, of which we can all be proud.
Every difficulty should be looked upon as an opportunity, not a defeat.
The Anonymous Widower 