Edgware - my memories including Handel's Organ

Problem
How do you spell Edgware? With an e at the start and an e at the end but no e in the middle, only e on the edges. The letter e twice is e-nough. Somehow the middle e got dropped from Edgware.

The Edgware road runs from Marble Arch north through London to Edgware. This was the old, straight, Roman Road. Watling Street, if I'm not mistaken.

Driving north from Central London you will pass Brent Cross shopping Centre and maybe get stuck in traffic in the middle section. Finally, you reach Edgware.

You pass the Premier Inn on your left and reach the crossroads.


To your left is small B & K restaurant.

Premier Inn, Edgware.

 Ahead you have some medieval timber buildings. Drive further on and you will notice some art deco blocks of flats with the flat bay windows but curved edges. An indian girl recently asked me, "What's art deco. This is art deco. parallel lines and curves. Flat rooftops. Long, flat bay windows. Strips of horizontal panes of glass. Like a ship.

Art deco flats. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

Turn right at the church and on your left is the biggest building but sadly in disrepair. It's not that old.

By car, this is what you see. What wonderful twisted brick chimneys. 

Waiting at a bus stop, with those horrid seats too narrow to sit on, and likely to tip you off, designed to discourage rough sleepers, a view of the adly descrepit old pub.

B & K is small and moderately priced. For somewhere larger, try the Aviv restaurant. Aviv means spring. 

Look more Medieval style black and white buildings in Edgware.

Edgware has a busy, too busy centre. The best parts of Edgware, the old parts, are hidden and you have to look for them.

The Pond
For example, as a child I would be taken walking along an elegant private road,  Canons Drive, past grand Tudor-style houses to watch the ducks on the pond.

My family knew the Brons, whose daughter Eleanor Bron became a well-known actress.

St Lawrence's Church and Handel's Organ

Take the bus along Whitchurch Lane, or drive, and you will reach the park leading to North London Collegiate School. Alongside is St Lawrence's church which has Handel's organ.

St Lawrence's Church, Whitchurch Lane, Edgware.

You might do a search on the church and find that it is listed as technically in Little Stanmore. However, if you measure the distance along roads, it is 1.15 km to Edgware station and 2.6 km to Stanmore station. I should know. As a child I used to live almost opposite and walked into Edgware nearly every day.

 I belong to three branches of Toastmasters International, one in Singapore and two in London. Harrovians Speakers Club meets in St Lawrence's church hall behind the church. The minister gave us a talk on the church and Handel and the school.

Do an image search and you will see lots of great pictures of the inside of the church.

My favourite place to eat is B & K, unpretentious, but filling food, chicken soup, salt beef and latkes and lokshen pudding. I have written several posts on B & K branches in Edgware and Hatch End.

B & K salt beef on rye bread with chips.

http://travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.co.uk/2016/12/handels-church-in-england-st-lawrences.html

On Handel in Edgware and central London:

http://travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.co.uk/2016/12/handel-sights-in-edgware-and-england.html

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visitbritainshop.com

Author, Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer.

Handel's Organ and St Lawrence's Church, Edgware

Problem
What is there to see in Edgware, the end of the Northern line. Lots of famous people lived there, but there's no record of where Anne Frank's father lived. Famous people went to North London Collegiate school. How do you remember the spelling of St Lawrence? It has a w, like the word Law. What can you see?



St Lawrence's Church, Whitchurch Lane, Edgware, showing the old tower. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

St Lawrence's Church is on Whitchurch Lane. All that remains of what you can imagine was the white church is a square tower, dating back to the 13the century.  The rest of the building was added later.

Answer
St Lawrence's Church has Handel's organ which you can see on tours. You can admire the outside of the church any time.

Here's the back of the church with the graves.

The cemetery at the back of St Lawrence's Church, Edgware. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

You can see the white of the modern gravestones which are easy to read.

Modern gravestones in St Lawrence's Church, where the graveyard is still in use. Photo by Angela Lansbury. Copyright.

Contrast the modern graves with the much older ones.

Older gravestones leaning in St Lawrence's Church graveyard, Edgware. Photo by Angela Lansbury.


Here's a grand monument, with the lady leaning on the cross.

The grandeur of the era. St Lawrence's Church, Edgware. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

 A modern gravestone with a bench so you can sit and contemplate at St Lawrence's Church. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

 A path leads you on.

Path through the cemetery surrounding St Lawrence' Church, Edgware. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

When you are ready to leave, an avenue of grand trees leads you back to the front gate. Photo by Angela Lansbury.

See my other posts on Handel and the church:

 On St Lawrence's church, Handel's organ and Edgware, N W London:

http://travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.co.uk/2016/12/handels-church-in-england-st-lawrences.html

On Handel in Edgware and central London:

http://travelwithangelalansbury.blogspot.co.uk/2016/12/handel-sights-in-edgware-and-england.html

 Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.

New Restaurant Melissa, and more to do in Canons Park, London

What is Ocakbasi? It is Turkish for grill. I met the owners just before they opened in the middle of March 2014l. When I made signs through the window the family rushed to the door to open up and greet me.
    They gave me their takeaway menu. I'm sure they will be delighted if I tell you about it.

• Lunch is served 12 noon until 4 pm.
• 5 vegetarian dishes,
• All the foreign terms are translated.
• Lunch wraps only £4.95.

    Several choices including Lamb shish, chicken shish, falafel, Hellim, Sucuk, all served with salad.
Two course meal £7.95, includes a mixed starter, vegetarian kebab, or adams kebab, etc.
   What about desserts? Baklava, at £2.50, tiramisu at £3.90 and chocolate fudge cake.
   If you want to treat your teeth to cheese, you can try chips and cheese, or healthier Turkish salad - £3.25 for a mixed salad with feta cheese.

2 Station Parade, Whitchurch Lane, Canons Park, Edgware HA8 6RW
Open 7 days a week 12.00 to 11.00 pm.

   I lived in this road as a child. This shopping parade is next to Canons Park Station. If you are diving from central London, it's en route to two Toastmasters International clubs, Harrovians and HOD which meet in Stanmore.
    Why would anybody else go to this area? To see Handel's organ in St Lawrence's church along the road, to visit North London Collegiate School, which has a swimming pool which members of the public can use at certain times.
  You might also go to Canons Park, as I have, to get pictures framed in the framing shop.
Picture Framing
www.deventerprise.co.uk
tel: 020 8951 1655
0800 975 4721

In the same parade there's an Indian restaurant which was good in the past. Cannons Tandoori.  I must go back.

So, to sum up, a new restaurant Melissa, an old favourite restaurant, Cannons Tandoori, a church with an interesting gravestone, Handel's organ and occasional tours, North London Collegiate school, and a picture framing shop.