Olympic Sightseeing Road Race ...and Box Hill

All of two week’s ago practicalities reigned and ‘the sure fire gold' had been shot down by other teams’ tactics – such is life ... and for a while the lonely face of defeat shone out ...

The peloton passes down The Mall at the start of the
Men's Cycling Road Race on day 1 of the Games

... now however the tone has changed as Rio 2016  is ahead – amazing dedication ... but probably more so the importance of support by team members and the fact British cycling is so successful ... the success is being heralded, the defeat forgotten .... Brazil lies ahead.

Regardless of that - let’s take a blog tour of those London and Surrey landmarks – ancient sights mostly – along the road race route ... 156 miles (250 km) for the men, 87 miles (140 km) for the women ...

Surrey countryside

... we used to live further west in Surrey, but would travel into London through some of these areas, or slightly further south in the London environs to see my father’s sister, or further east to see my father’s elder brother on the Surrey/Kent borders.

But now to catch up on some of the history of the area; remember after the War – Heathrow was not a commercial airport, or even called that; there was no M3, M4 or M25 (motorways) ... it is now all conurbanised (if that’s a word!).

Putney Bridge, 1793, by J Farington.  This
view shows a square-rigged 'West Country'
barge, fishermen netting for salmon and (note)
erosion of the riverbank.

The Race starts at The Mall and Buckingham Palace proceeding into Constitution Hill – so called from King Charles II’s habit of taking  “constitutional” walks along it.

Through South Kensington past Harrods and over Putney Bridge – George II, as a Prince, was inconvenienced too often on his return from hunting in Richmond Park – the ferryman was often drinking in the pub on the north bank – a bridge was requried! 

The first bridge was built in 1729 – it was a toll bridge and was at that time the only bridge between London Bridge and Kingston Bridge.

Isabella Plantation,
Royal Richmond Park

Richmond Park comes next and is a National Nature Reserve as well as a Site of Special Scientific Interest ... created by Charles 1 in 1634 ... and is still home to red and fallow deer. 

The walled Royal Park is the largest park in London being close to the wealthy suburbs of Richmond, Ham, Kingston-upon-Thames, Wimbledon, Roehampton and East Sheen.

Decorated brick chimneys at
Hampton Court Palace

Hampton Court Palace – a wonderful backdrop to the Cycling Time Trial Gold medal run a few days later – situated on the Thames ... was originally built for Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, but when he fell from favour, the Palace passed to King Henry VIII in 1529.

Finally the suburbs yielded to the green fields of Surrey – this forms part of London’s commuter belt but it also boasts some stunning countryside.  The River Mole has cut its way towards the Thames on its way creating the fabulous wildlife Mole Valley.

One of the paths up Box Hill

Box Hill at 224m (735 ft), at the south-eastern corner, rises to the summit of the Surrey North Downs – whereas I live at the bottom of the South Downs in Eastbourne, Sussex ... it’s where I go up the Downs to get anywhere.

The cyclists too went up Box Hill nine times, while the women went twice ... once would be enough for me!  It’s within an area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and takes its name from the ancient box woodland found on the steepest west-facing chalk slopes overlooking the River Mole.

St Michael and All Angels Church
mentioned in the Domesday Book

Within this setting the picturesque, scenically quintessential English village sits – Mickleham – recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086, but known to the Saxons as it sits on the old Roman road known as Stane Street.

16th century Running Horses pub

To my surprise I see we pass the village of Gomshall – I’d never heard of this before – but I went through on the train a few weeks ago on my way to Oxford – probably a lovely journey .... but the weather was atrocious.

Gomshall Granary at the Mill

Gomshall a Saxon feudal landholding also appears in the Domesday Book ... and is on the North Downs Way.  The pub looks a good place to eat – and I’m sure there must be some interesting history here.

The local industries were based on the plentiful and constant water supply of the River Tillingbourne ... and were corn milling, watercress growing, and leather tanning.

Bridge over
River Mole

Just noticed I’m going clockwise round this route – while the cyclists went anti-clockwise ... oh well backwards-forwards through ‘til we return to Hampton Court ...

... after which they all hurtled  over Kingston Bridge connecting the counties of Middlesex on the north and Surrey on the south side of the Thames ... Middlesex being the territory of the middle Saxons – derived from Anglo Saxon, i.e. Old English, ‘middel’ and ‘Seaxe’ ... and was first recorded  as Middleseaxan in 704AD.

Kingston - the Hogsmill flowing under
 Clattern Bridge.  The bridge is mentioned
in 1293 as 'Claterynbrugge'

Kingston was a medieval market town and would not have been so successful but for the bridge – described in 1318 as being in a dangerous condition ... it was constantly being rebuilt after civil strife ... but a crossing had existed since Saxon times or earlier.

The cyclists were now back riding through recognisable suburbs, if they had time to look, back through Richmond Park, across Putney and over its bridge, through South Kensington ...

... along the southern edge of Hyde Park, down Constitution Hill (though I don’t think a constitutional would be needed), round Queen Victoria’s monument,  into The Mall for the finish ... delighted to complete the course ... and all feeling like Kings or Queens of the road.

Looking down The Mall
- Union Jacks fluttering

Here too the men’s 50 km walk and women’s km walk are happening today ... while tomorrow the men’s marathon will be run ... as too are the Paralympic Games in a couple of week’s time ... The Mall has much history associated with it ... however it is not as old as those Roman roads or ways we encountered earlier.

Welcome to an area south west of London with just a little history to its countryside, which has now become one of the iconic spectacular venues that London 2012 has firmly put on the 21^st century map.

Hilary Melton-Butcher

Positive Letters Inspirational Stories

For all of you Jane Austen fans ... I am sure you'll be fascinated by this blog ... here's Vic's post on Emma -  Picknicking on Box Hill