please empty your brain below

I really hope that the statue of Spike Milligan gets made. Pity about the house at 127 Holden Road.
Thanks again DG for blazing the trail to another London borough.

If I'd known you were in my road you could have popped in for a cuppa - and no, sadly, we don't reside on the Ridegway!

Whenever I think of Spike Milligan's London homes, I think of two things: first, his regular references to Lewisham and Catford, in his "Q" tv programmes, following his time living at nearby Honor Oak (all relevant to me because my Dad and Uncle had also lived in times past in Riseldine Road); second - and this is the one that would presumably relate to when he lived north of the river, I've got some obscure memory of a programme like 'London Tonight' running a feature about a park with a special tree, which was supposedly enchanted. Certainly, the image I remember was of a tree decorated with gnomes and fairies. Apparently, it was somehow at risk, and, so the commentary went, "Spike Milligan was leading a campaign for its preservation..."
I never did hear the actual location: I'd still love to know where it is (was?), if anyone knows

The Elfin Oak in Hyde Park. It's difficult to see the figures very clearly now, because they have to be protected from vandals, but it's still worth a visit, especially if you can bring a child or two, because of the fantastic (Diana) playground behind it. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elfin_Oak


Hey, many thanks Bob - you don't know how long I've waited to know that!

As one who grew up in "the urban sprawl round Mill Hill Broadway" I am ashamed to say I am one of those who didn't know what I was missing up there in the Village, having never really got any further than the Three Hammers!!
This will be rectified on my very next visit. Thank you

Thank you very much Bob, the grandchildren will love to see that tree. ;-D

A couple of afterthoughts:-
1) I actually passed the NIMR building a while back. Not long before, I'd been reading That Hideous Strength by C S Lewis. The place looked like it could've just as easily have been made for the 'National Institute for Coordinated Experiments' (NICE)!
2) Udimore possibly has the unique distinction, in Britain, of having a road called Dumb Woman's Lane.

Nice words about Mill Hill. In my youf I used to cycle a lot and this part of my ride was, despite the fearsome grind up Bittacy Hill, always my favourite.











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