As well as visiting the 1km×1km grid squares I've never visited before, I'm also visiting squares I've never set foot in. Usually I've been through on a bus so they're not entirely unfamiliar, or I've been through on a train so have at least seen them from the window, but now finally I'm alighting to see what I've missed. And once again these squares are getting minimal bloggage, so my apologies if you live in any of the following seven.
TQ2068: New Malden(Kingston) Where's the square? Along the Kingston Road between New Malden and Kingston. (click on the map reference and have a look if you're really interested) What's here? A railway viaduct. Quite a big Aldi. Green Lane Recreation Ground. Local streets include the confusingly named South Lane West and the amusingly named Dickerage Lane (which leads to Donkeys Alley). Point of marginal interest I spotted a hair salon called Curl Up And Dye. I got quite excited when I saw it because this punny business always seems to end up in lists of "amusing hairdresser names', indeed I think I first heard about it last century. I got less excited when I found out there are also Curl Up And Dyes in Caterham, Detroit and Springfield.
TQ2662: Carshalton Beeches(Sutton) Where's the square? South of Carshalton, very nearly in Surrey. What's here? The London Cancer Hub. The northern tip of Oaks Park. Serious suburban piles with back gardens so large you could squeeze an entire extra road in there. Needly avenues (the equivalent of leafy avenues but for areas where the majority of trees are conifers). It's all within ideal commuting distance of HMP Highdown and HMP Downview (but entirely unattainable on a prison officer's salary). Point of marginal interest The pillarbox on Pine Walk has a jaunty crocheted boxtopper created by Emma Billin featuring two fish and a seagull.
TQ3261: Purley Downs(Croydon) Where is it? Unsurprisingly, east of Purley. What's here? Half the grid square is golf course (alas they don't believe in public footpaths). Most of the rest is lovely houses. Trains to East Grinstead stop at Riddlesdown station not very often. And you already know what the local shopping parade looks like because that was the answer in last week's quiz. Point of marginal interest Riddlesdown Tennis Club is sponsored by Cleankill environmental services.
TQ3460: Sanderstead(Croydon) Where's the square? Much further south than Sanderstead station. A bit further south than the medieval parish church. What's here? A long Tudorbethan parade of quite nice shops that save having to drive into Croydon. A big Waitrose (ditto). The small but much-loved Priscilla's Tea Room. An old smithy called The Old Smithy. Several places to play ball sports. One suspects the Leadbetters would have felt very at home. Point of marginal interest: My favouritesection of the London Loop starts 500m down the road in Hamsey Green.
TQ4067: Hayes(Bromley) Where's the square? Off Hayes Lane, due south of Bromley. What's here? The housing estate the 246 bus dawdles round. The home ground of Bromley FC (which yesterday hosted a tense nil nil draw against Altrincham). Quite an unloved-looking athletics circuit. Two of Norman Park's four utilitarian sports pavilions. Some very dead-looking grass pitches. Point of marginal interest: I'd have been to this square before if only I'd blogged a walk along the River Ravensbourne, which I somehow never have, although at the moment there isn't much of a river in the ditch opposite Scrogginhall Wood.
TQ4265: Keston Mark(Bromley) Where's the square? Between Keston and Locksbottom, if that helps. South of Bromley if it doesn't. What's here? Essentially it's an old crossroads where the Croydon Road crosses the Westerham Road. The local landmark is a pub called The Keston Mark, except it closed in 2008 and is now flats. Originally it was called The Red Cross but they changed the name to avoid confusion with the international welfare organisation. Other sights around the crossroads include two car showrooms, a Shell garage and a mosque that used to be the local Methodist church. If you want a decent pub these days you need the Two Doves up Oakley Road. Point of marginal interest A smallholding up the road is selling 'DIY Horse Manure' at 50p a bag.
TQ5986: Clay Tye Road(Havering) Where's the square? Beyond the M25 in the sub-agricultural wilds of almost-Thurrock. Only one Greater London grid square is further from Charing Cross. What's here? Just one road, Clay Tye Road, which is intermittently lined by bungalows, characterful cottages and patriotic fortresses. House names include Braeside, Wisteria, Hillview and Chubs Nook (the latter has two piglets on its gateposts). Puddleduck Farm Fishery, home to 100-peg Snake Lake, is home to a lot of silent Essex anglers at weekends. Pylons feed out of the starkly menacing Warley substation. I didn't risk the two supposedly public footpaths. Point of marginal interest: Clay Tye Road is served by London's least frequent bus, the 347, and also by the similarly infrequent 269, a NIBSbuses route linking Grays to Brentwood.
And yay, the only squares I have yet to visit are all in just three boroughs - Bromley, Hillingdon and Hounslow.
