“In 1807, London was the first city in the world to light its streets by gas, which was much cheaper and produced brighter lights than the previously used candles or oil lamps. More than 200 years later, there are still about 1,300 gas-fuelled street lights left, bathing their surroundings in a markedly warmer, yellower glow than electric lights. About 270 of those are in the City of Westminster, preserved after a campaign to stop the Council from replacing them all on cost grounds.
This meandering route through the Royal Parks of the West End, St. James’s, Westminster, Whitehall, Covent Garden, St. Giles and the Embankment passes a fair few of those gaslights, while leading through parks, squares and courtyards and along alleyways, secret passages, lanes, paths and (mainly) residential streets, while also passing numerous well-known and not so well-known sites of historical, architectural or political interest, many of which will be new even to born Londoners.
The route is rewarding in light as well as in darkness, as some of the parks and alleyways are closed at night, while some of the gaslights in those areas are on even during the day.”
Eat/Drink: Numerous options en route and at the end. Check the pdf for
details.
For walk directions , map, photos and gpx/kml files click here. t=short.68.b
1 comment:
5 walkers convened at the start point on a w=warm evening. The pubs around St. James's and all through the route were heaving with punters standing around outside and enjoying what feels like the start of spring, but we marched on, following the warm glow of the gas lights.
At some point after Westminster Cathedral, in those very atmospheric side streets with just gaslights and hardly any electric light pollution from residential buildings (they're almost all offices), we overtook a mini-group of 3, who turned out to be SWC as well. Having arrived late, they chose a slightly straighter route. n=8
1 left on Long Acre in Covent Garden, the rest stayed together to the end at Gordon's Wine Bar, where 4 others said their farewell and 2 were convinced by their just-returned Antipodean company that only inside tables would do for dinner (despite the overhead heaters at Gordon's). So, L'Olivo around the corner it was.
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