London 2019

Memorial (foreground) to Reginald Brabazon, 12th Earl of Meath. Unveiled 24 May 1934. The inscription on the east face reads, "One King, One Empire, Empire Day"; that on the north, "To him the British Empire was a goodly heritage to be fashioned unto a city of God!" Lancaster Gate, Bayswater Road. Wikipedia says: The Honourable Reginald Brabazon was born into an old Anglo-Irish family in London, the second son of William Brabazon, 11th Earl of Meath and Harriot Brooke. When his father succeeded to the Earldom in 1851, Reginald, now the heir (his elder brother, Jacques, died of diphtheria in 1844), was styled Lord Brabazon. He was educated at Eton College and in 1863 joined the Foreign Office as a clerk, and later became a diplomat. In 1868 he married Lady Mary Jane Maitland, daughter of the 11th Earl of Lauderdale. On the insistence of his in-laws, Brabazon refused to accept a posting to Athens (which they considered too remote) in 1873 and was effectively suspended without pay, finally resigning from the Diplomatic Service in 1877. He and his wife decided to devote their considerable energies to "the consideration of social problems and the relief of human suffering". Both were subsequently involved in many charitable organisations. The Earl and his wife leased Ottershaw Park from 1882 to November 1883 from Sir Edward Colebrooke. In May 1887, Brabazon succeeded his father as 12th Earl of Meath. Lord Meath was also a prominent Conservative politician in the House of Lords as Baron Chaworth, and an ardent imperialist, and was responsible for the introduction in England of Empire Day, which was officially recognised by the British Government in 1916. He was a member of the London County Council, the Privy Council of Ireland and the Senate of Southern Ireland. He was also Chief Scout Commissioner for Ireland. Lord Meath was appointed Knight of the Order of St Patrick (KP) in 1902, Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE) in the 1920 civilian war honours, and Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order (GCVO) in the 1923 Birthday Honours. Memorial Cross and the spire of the former Christ Church in the background.

Wikipedia says: The Lancaster Gate Memorial Cross is a grade II listed war memorial in Lancaster Gate, London, commemorating residents of the Metropolitan Borough of Paddington who died fighting in the First World War. The memorial cross was designed by Walter Tapper in the Gothic Revival style and its sculpture was executed by Laurence Arthur Turner. It consists of a column surmounted with a golden cross, below which in eight niches are the figures of Saint George for England, Saint Louis for France, and six of the warrior saints of Christendom: Maurice, Longinus, Victor, Adrian, Florian and Eustace. The memorial was originally sited on the footpath outside Christ Church and was unveiled on 27 March 1921 by John Maud, the Bishop of Kensington. It was seriously damaged in the Great Storm of 1987 but restored and moved to Lancaster Gate in 2002 as part of the Lancaster Gate street improvement scheme. The restored memorial was unveiled on 11 November (Armistice Day) 2002. In 2016, the first memorial service since then was held at the cross. Christ Church was demolished but for the spire, which is now residential housing.

Lancaster Gate, Bayswater Road, near the Meath Memorial and the Memorial Cross.

Lancaster Gate, Bayswater Road, near the Meath Memorial and the Memorial Cross.

Lancaster Gate, Bayswater Road, near the Meath Memorial and the Memorial Cross.

Lancaster Gate, Bayswater Road, near the Meath Memorial and the Memorial Cross.

Lancaster Gate, Bayswater Road, near the Meath Memorial and the Memorial Cross.

Hyde Park near Lancaster Gate. The Pump House used to hold the machinery that operated the fountains.

Hyde Park near Lancaster Gate.

Italian Gardens, Hyde Park near Lancaster Gate.

Junya Ishigami’s design takes inspiration from roofs, the most common architectural feature used around the world. The design of the 2019 Serpentine Pavilion was made by arranging slates to create a single canopy roof that appeared to emerge from the ground of the surrounding park. Within, the interior of the Pavilion was an enclosed cave-like space, a refuge for contemplation. For Ishigami, the Pavilion articulated his ‘free space’ philosophy in which he seeks harmony between man-made structures and those that already exist in nature.

Junya Ishigami’s design takes inspiration from roofs, the most common architectural feature used around the world. The design of the 2019 Serpentine Pavilion was made by arranging slates to create a single canopy roof that appeared to emerge from the ground of the surrounding park. Within, the interior of the Pavilion was an enclosed cave-like space, a refuge for contemplation. For Ishigami, the Pavilion articulated his ‘free space’ philosophy in which he seeks harmony between man-made structures and those that already exist in nature.

Junya Ishigami’s design takes inspiration from roofs, the most common architectural feature used around the world. The design of the 2019 Serpentine Pavilion was made by arranging slates to create a single canopy roof that appeared to emerge from the ground of the surrounding park. Within, the interior of the Pavilion was an enclosed cave-like space, a refuge for contemplation. For Ishigami, the Pavilion articulated his ‘free space’ philosophy in which he seeks harmony between man-made structures and those that already exist in nature.

Junya Ishigami’s design takes inspiration from roofs, the most common architectural feature used around the world. The design of the 2019 Serpentine Pavilion was made by arranging slates to create a single canopy roof that appeared to emerge from the ground of the surrounding park. Within, the interior of the Pavilion was an enclosed cave-like space, a refuge for contemplation. For Ishigami, the Pavilion articulated his ‘free space’ philosophy in which he seeks harmony between man-made structures and those that already exist in nature.

Junya Ishigami’s design takes inspiration from roofs, the most common architectural feature used around the world. The design of the 2019 Serpentine Pavilion was made by arranging slates to create a single canopy roof that appeared to emerge from the ground of the surrounding park. Within, the interior of the Pavilion was an enclosed cave-like space, a refuge for contemplation. For Ishigami, the Pavilion articulated his ‘free space’ philosophy in which he seeks harmony between man-made structures and those that already exist in nature.

Junya Ishigami’s design takes inspiration from roofs, the most common architectural feature used around the world. The design of the 2019 Serpentine Pavilion was made by arranging slates to create a single canopy roof that appeared to emerge from the ground of the surrounding park. Within, the interior of the Pavilion was an enclosed cave-like space, a refuge for contemplation. For Ishigami, the Pavilion articulated his ‘free space’ philosophy in which he seeks harmony between man-made structures and those that already exist in nature.

The street where I stayed. This is the only street named Celia in Britain.

My AirBnB was in this charming, quiet Victorian terrace block. I had a room, kitchenette and private toilet/shower room on the garden level.