I started with Francis Terrace as it's a cul-de-sac with no choice but to finish back where you started. Stuart had considered such streets when he set out his "rules of engagement" at the start of his walks.
"For one thing there were culs-de-sac and dead ends. In order to walk along them at all he'd obviously have to walk along them in both directions." (p.80) (Curious, I've never really thought about how to form a plural from a hyphenated word. If I'd been writing the sentence above I would have written 'cul-de-sacs'.)
For a little road it is certainly well-endowed with streetname signs; three together at the top on the right - the original old painted sign partially obscured by a newer metal sign and a later sign that must have been put up when Francis Mews was built.
It's a street of four storey Victorian terraced houses, many converted into flats. A two-bedroom maisonette on the left of the street with For Sale board outside is currently on the market for £650,000. So in view of the value of property in this street it was a great surprise to find that the one at the top end of the street on the right was derelict and decaying. In fact, it was as if all of the rubbish gradually found its way down to the end of the street from where there was no escape.
And what of Francis Terrace Mews? It's a private gated development and, as Stuart said, "If roads claimed to be private he was quite prepared to accept their privacy." I'm quite happy follow along with this but I couldn't resist taking a photo of the name and entrance!
View all pictures from Francis Terrace

Back at the top I turned right into Junction Road, along and right into Pemberton Gardens and then right again into...

Pemberton Terrace
The street slopes down to the bus garage at the bottom giving a stepped effect to the windows of the houses as you look along.
On a windowsill there was what looked like a dead bird made of some sort of rafia which was much larger than the stone dog who was staring at a diminutive lion who was guarding the front door. Perhaps he'd had a dose of Alice's 'Drink Me' potion?
The bus garage is an old brick-built industrial building that somehow seems out of place in this predominantly residential area. I've never been inside and don't know anything about its history. Perhaps I should go and ask if I can visit. As I stood there a bus headed out. It's a Boris bus so probably it was a 390. Why is it that bus numbers never come out in photos (or at least they never seem to in ones I take)? Maybe something to do with the way pixels work.
I followed the bus up...

Monnery Road


A street of tidy terraced houses.

With a little mews with a workshop, Monnery Works, at the top.


Opposite that was a gated entrance to what must be one of the flats over the shops on Junction Road.
View all pictures from Monnery Road
At the top of Monnery Road I turned right back into Junction Road, walked back past Francis Terrace and turned into...
Pemberton Gardens


...again. But this time I walked straight down.
On the right, the street is dominated by a long terrace of white-shuttered mansions.
On the left, substantial terraced houses eventually giving way to a playground adjacent to the school which has entrances both on this road and St John's Grove. The playground was closed "due to emergency repairs".
"We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause and appreciate your Co-operation." Why the capital 'C'? To emphasise how important it was to co-operate?


As it joins St John's Grove, Pemberton Gardens doubles back on itself wehre it terminates with the entrance to the bus garage.


On the corner an Iceland home delivery van pulled up just missing the toes of the two girls who were sitting on the edge of the pavement.
View all pictures from Pemberton Gardens

I turned left up the fork into...
St John's Grove

Which I was pleased to note was correctly apostrophised. It even had a full-stop after the St. although the spacing didn't seem quite right.

I saw that News had been tagging again, defying the danger of death.


And the school was campaigning for clean air.


Research by the Campaign for Clean Air found that 1,148 schools in London are within 150 metres of roads carrying 10,000 or more vehicles per day, and a total of 2,270 schools are within 400 metres of such roads, according to this report by Jenny Jones (Green Party member of London Assembly). The map shows schools within 150 metres and doesn't include St John's but possibly it comes within the 400 metre category as it's not all that far from Holloway Road.
After the school, tall terraced houses on both sides; some well-kept, others untidy with rubbish filling the front gardens.

Finally a block of lock-ups just before the top of the street.
View all pictures from St John's Grove

Back in Junction Road again, I decided I'd mop up another couple of streets before calling it a day so I turned right and then right again into...

Brookside Road leading to Bovingdon Close


There are no houses in Brookside Road. Its sole purpose seems to be to give access to the lock-ups behind the shops...


... and lead to Bovingdon Close.


A street of diminutive, modern two-storey houses with three-storey flats toward the end. After a close encounter with superman...


... I went under the arch through the flats and out into Hargrave Road.
View all pictures from Brookside Road/Bovingdon Close

Hargrave Road is an L-shaped road leading between Junction Road and Holloway Road. As I emerged about half way along and would have had to walk backwards and forwards to cover the whole street I decided to leave it for another day.
< Part 2