SOUTH CAMDEN

 There isn't actually any such place. Properly, this is the area of the Borough of Camden which lies south of the Euston Road.

The most interesting places have sections to themselves, but this is a random selection of buildings and things that I couldn't justify a lot of space.

Of course, that might change if I discover more and take more pictures. Meanwhile....

The Bloomsbury Group—or Bloomsbury Set—was a group of associated English writers, intellectuals, philosophers and artists in the first half of the 20th century. They ended up at Charleston Farmhouse in Sussex, which is on my 'to do' list. I will then be able to expand my knowledge of them. BTW, the nearby pub is called the 'Woolf and Whistle'

Above is the London Plane tree in Brunswick Square Gardens, which were re-landscaped in 2002/3 and given new railings, paths and seating. The gardens’ Brunswick Plane is reputed to be the capital’s second oldest London plane and was designated a Great Tree of London in 2009. 

There's a couple of these London Planes in Canterbury, and they really do grow in a grotesque manner. It seems to be a hybrid between two varieties of oriental plane, and can grow to 35m and live for several hundred years.

Sarah Parker Remond was an American lecturer, activist and abolitionist campaigner. Born a free woman in the state of Massachusetts, she became an international activist for human rights and women's suffrage. She was educated at Bedford College, University of London, which is why we've given her a blue plaque

Marchmont Street is in quite a heavily built up area, and so coming across this pretty little community garden was a treasure. Even this early in Spring, it was bursting with blossom and spring flowers

No idea what this building was, but it's Art Deco, and seems to having been connected to industry, going by the carved plaques. It is now the University College London Faculty of Laws

Very gothic building for a Waterstones. Wouldn't look out of place near St. Pancras Hotel

Now, this is a cabbie's shelter. There's several scattered around the city. This one, erected in 1897, is on the corner of Russell Square. They were built as a refuge for Hansom/Hackney cab drivers, a chance to get out of the poor weather, have a rest and get a hot meal. 

One particularly cold and unpleasant night, George Armstrong, editor of the Globe Newspaper, was looking for a cab. There were no cabs in sight and instead he discovered all the drivers huddled in the nearby pub. 

When parked up at the cabstand, a cabby was not allowed to leave his vehicle unattended, and, if he were to head to a pub to get some food and use the facilities, he would have to pay somebody to mind his cab, or else run the risk of having his cab - and, therefore, his livelihood - stolen.

Armstrong enlisted the help of the Globe newspaper, MP’s and philanthropists. Within days, donations were being offered by various readers of The Globe and, by the 19th December, 1874, £100 had been pledged by readers; and the newspaper was able to report the setting up of the "Cabmen's Shelter Fund", with the Earl of Shaftesbury as its president.

By the end of the 1874, the fund had reached more than £200; sufficient to commission the construction of the first Cabmen's Shelter, which opened in Acacia Road, St. John's Wood on Saturday, 6th February, 1875.The idea was to provide huts across London, located by cab ranks. Not only were they to offer shelter but also food and hot drinks (strictly no alcohol!). 

Each structure is about seventeen feet by six feet, and ten feet six inches high, They were designed to be the same width as a horse and cart, as per Metropolitan Police rules, to ensure that they could sit by the side of the road. The distinctive green colour made them instantly recognisable and easy to spot. . Each has a stove for cooking, and is under the charge of an attendant, who supplies tea, coffee, etc. at fixed rates to those who use the shelter, and whose duty it is to preserve order.
The payment of one penny per day, or fourpence per week, secured the right to use any and every shelter in London, and it was intended that eventually they should all be open continuously day and night, though initially the first one, in Acacia Road, was only available from 8 A.M. to 12 P.M.
It is thought 61 of the wooden shelters were constructed from 1875-1914, with the simple and elegant design the work of architect Maximilian Clarke. It has a small kitchen: you can see the chimneys at the top for ventilation.
The inside can seat around 10-13 cabbies usually. No alcohol, card-playing or gambling is allowed inside them. 

Today there are only 13 left. Lots were lost during the bombing campaigns of both the First and Second World Wars. Lots of cabbies were also sent off to fight in the First World War and the cab industry went into a period of decline. Now, of course, the modern black cabs offer the drivers protection from the weather and more choice of eating establishments, so there is less need for the shelters. Traffic, vandalism and demolition for street widening also played a part.  Of the 13, most still operate as Cabbie’s shelters, the inside still strictly for black cab license holders. Anyone however can grab a hot drink or a bacon sandwich from the hatch. They are all still managed by the Cabmen’s Shelter Fund to this day. They are now Grade II listed by Historic England to protect them.

This is London's attempt at a New York style Art Deco skyscraper! It's actually the central library tower of the Senate Building at the University of London.

Sir William Beveridge had a vision for the new home of the University of London, that it “gave London at its heart not just more streets and shops, but a great architectural feature” and became known around the world. The University had previously been situated in a number of campuses around London since 1836, each of which it quickly outgrew.

To realise this vision, Beveridge convinced The Rockefeller Foundation to donate £400,000 to build a new site. A large plot of land located behind the British Museum in Bloomsbury was purchased from the Duke of Bedford’s estate.

Charles Holden, who had made his name designing London Underground stations, was commissioned to design the new building. His brief required Senate House to harmonise with the surrounding buildings, including the British Museum, UCL and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Construction began in 1932 and the ceremonial foundation stone was laid by King George V on 26 June 1933. Holden’s Art Deco, Portland Stone-clad building stood at 210 feet high, with 19 floors and was the epitome of 1930s modernity. Senate House and library were completed in 1937.

The building was taken over by the Ministry of Information during the Second World War, and is said to have inspired George Orwell's sinister Ministry of Truth in his dystopian novel, 1984.

I took a stroll around the University campus - most of it lines public roads. I didn't bother to photograph them, but the place is littered with old once-red telephone boxes, now painted black, which now serve as wifi hot-spots.  I like to see them being re-purposed, rather than scrapped.