Day 177 A trip around SW, SE and North London doing the No 272, No 273 and No 274.

 We left our home station on the 1000 to Victoria with the intention of reaching Kensington Palace for 1100. On arrival at Victoria there was a Pullman train waiting to depart from Platform 2 so I though it only polite to stop and take a photo. Later in the day I saw the train coming back through Petts Wood from Folkestone or Dover.

Class 67 67007 at head of Pullman train at platform 2 at Victoria

Once we had located the friend the wife was meeting at Kensington Palace I headed off to Kensington High Street to catch a No 49 to Shepherds Bush. On arrival I located where the No 272 starts from which is on the far side of Shepherds Bush Green from the railway station. This took a full ten minutes to walk and I arrived at 1155 to find the next bus was due at 1204. There was a London United single decker waiting so I assumed this would be it, but after a while it drove off to be replaced by another. Even this second one wasn't our mount as another turned up No 30339 and off we went at 1208 towards White City past the remains of The BBC TV centre.

The first No 272 laying over No 30326

Council really into spirit of no mow May

The second No 272 arrives No 30319

After passing under the Westway the bus turned left down Du Cane Road which took us past Hammersmith Hospital and then the Scrubs before reaching some slow traffic just past East Action Underground station. The holdups seemed to be due to Old Oak Common Lane being shut, presumably for HS2 works. 

Entrance to 'The Scrubs' rather blurred,
 couldn't see the exit

Signposts explaining diversions at Old Oak Lane

The bus re-crossed the Westway, this time on the flat heading south to reach the Uxbridge Road where the bus turned right to enter the London Borough of Ealing at 1228. Soon thereafter the bus turned left as sole user into Lardon Road and became a hail and ride service down this very narrow road which morphed into Emlyn Road, not helped by the numerous parked cars and some roadworks. At Stamford Brook Road the bus headed west to reach Turnham Green Underground station. Subsequently it went around the north of the green before heading under the Underground lines just where they split before Chiswick Park station. This was Fisher's Lane which took us to the Chiswick High Road. After a short while heading west the bus again went south passing Chiswick Town Hall and on to cross over the railway line to the northwest of Chiswick railway station. The bus then took Bolton Road and terminated at Cavendish Road at 1252.

The actual bus I travelled on No 30339

I walked from here back to Chiswick Railway station, just in time to catch a train to Waterloo at 1300. It stopped at all stations so took half an hour to reach this terminus and I then transferred to Waterloo East. I didn't know which end of the No 273 route I would start from as it depended on the first train to arrive at Waterloo East. Lewisham won, as that train was at 1338, and I was walking to Lewisham Tesco at 1355. I walked in to the car park and main frontage of the shop but saw no evidence of a bus stop. So walked out again and down the road to the petrol station. There was no sign of a bus stop there. I had seen one on Blackheath Hill so thought I had better check that out, but no the bus didn't reach that stop. Confused I asked a local and he assured me it was the place I first visited. So, going back by this time a stagecoach Dart had arrived no 36628.

Stagecoach 36628 waiting under what would appear to be a railway station type Port Cochiere

Without a bus stop I had no idea when the bus, which didn't have a driver would leave, or indeed how long the journey would take. Eventually he emerged and we were on our way from beneath the Port Cochiere at 1420. As with the previous journey the bus was not conducive to photographs en-route so we will have to make do with just the two. The bus initially returns through the bus rail station interchange before turning for a while towards the High Street but taking Lee High Road rather than entering the High Street proper. The bus took the right turn called Manor Park which took us over a ridge before descending to reach Staplehurst Road. Turning right into this road brought us to Hither Green station, but the opposite side of the tracks to where I had been on the No 225. Since Manor Park the bus was the only route on the road and this continued to the the case as we took Fernbrook Road and then Southbrook Road to reach Lee Green station. Here the buildings were all residential late Victorian villas but this slowly changed as we climbed up Burnt Ash Hill, crossed the South Circular and then took Horncastle Road, Woodyates Road, Senlac Road and Exford Road to return to Burnt Ash Hill. These buildings were either inter war or were post war infill developments and the No 273 was the only bus serving them as well. Taking Coopers Lane to Baring Road we reached Grove Park station before swinging left down Chinbrook Road half an hour after departure. Beyond the Chinbrook shops the bus continues for a while before turning left down Dunkery Road and entering the London Borough of Bromley. These roads are also covered by the No 124 and No 126 and as we reach Mottingham Road the three buses go three separate ways. The No 273 heads down the A208 to Chislehurst, continuing through the town and on to the Common and War Memorial. Once Petts Wood, the Wood is reached, the bus turns away from the wood down Leesons Hill to St Mary Cray. At the bottom of Station Approach there had been a recent accident with police and ambulance in attendance. From here the bus headed SW along the A224 towards the lights at Poverest and then goes up Poverest Road near my wife's first house and up the hill to a roundabout. Normally the bus would go straight on but owing to roadworks it had to deviate left down Chislehurst Road towards Orpington then right at Crofton Lane and right again to take St Johns Road. At Tudor Way the bus turned left then immediately right into Fairway and finally terminated at the Station Square at 1527.

Station Square Petts Wood with Daylight Inn in background

Business Jet inbound to Biggin Hill

I would have procured food and drink before boarding the bus but as there was a Sainsbury's local, I think where David Greig used to be, I was able to get some fortification for my trip back to London.

As I said earlier as I reached the platform the Class 67 with Pullman coaches came through from the coastal direction. A bizjet flew over on final approach to Biggin Hill and at 1544 I was on a train bound for Cannon Street. It took the train 16 minutes to get to Lewisham, albeit it didn't stop there unlike the 87 minutes that the bus took! I alighted at London Bridge and caught a Northern line train to the Angel Islington.

VMH 2458 resting prior to pick me up

Unlike at Lewisham I was pretty sure where the No 274 started from and indeed there was one lying in wait as I approached Metroline's VMH2458. It departed at 1634. The bus took us to the Chapel Market and then beared left down Tolpuddle Street past Islington Police station to reach Barnsbury Road.

Interesting pub name: Church on the Corner

 After passing the North London Line station of Caledonian Road and Barnsbury the bus turned left down Copenhagen Street so as to intercept the Caledonian Road. This road was not taken for long before we were going through the York Way Estate to reach Camden. The one way system here makes for some use of backstreets before we crossed the High Street and headed for Gloucester Place. 

York way above King's Cross

Approaching Camden Road station from south
having already crossed under the tracks from the north shortly earlier

Entrance to ZSL London Zoo

This gave access to Regent's Park Zoo and indeed it was this bus that our son used to get when he attended 'Zoo Academy', nigh on ten years ago. Running parallel with the zoo we were told to wait for three minutes at the Avenue Road stop. This happened again after we had taken Park Road and Baker Street where we were asked to wait for four minutes at Portman Square. By the time we were underway again it was 1727 and soon the bus was heading west down Oxford Street and then around Marble Arch and down the Bayswater Road. We finally terminated at Lancaster Gate Underground station at 1740 but my thoughts of catching a Central line train to Barkingside to do the next bus were thwarted by the station being closed owing to staff shortage.

Arrival at Lancaster Gate

I thus caught a No 148 'Borismaster' to Westminster Cathedral and then caught the 1820 train to Epsom Downs home