Said, one million years from today I'm going all along the Waterfront Princes kept the view While all the women came and went Barefoot servants too Outside, in the distance A wildcat did growl Two riders were approaching The wind began to howl Come in, come out of the rain apologies to Bob Dylan. Simple Minds however can get lost.
Just opposite that part is Raven’s Ait, which back then was Kingston Rowing Club who you still see rowing up and down the river. I’ve only been there once when it was squatted in 2009, a very nice bunch of people. This is a study of my favourite trees during a windy day, with my then new Kaweco Sport. I seem to prefer drawing when it’s windy.
Queen’s Promenade is so-called because William Woods a local developer tricked Queen Victoria in ‘opening’ it by driving along the new Portsmouth Road in August 1856, she had no idea what was going on apparently. Such was the ‘Wild South’ of development in the 1850’s – see also the sad tale of Thomas Pooley! It was designed as a private walk for the owners of his villas across the road, but became public when he agreed with the Kingston Corporation he’d lease it if they built the upper bit from St Raphael’s.
The next one is a rare watercolour in my normal A4 sketchbook – I usually avoid this as unless you are really careful the watercolour or ink can go straight through with wet washes. I suspect I also used my parallel pen or marker – these are rather thick lines. Maybe I used my calligraphic nib? I like the use of ink and watercolour here, very moody and part of the Night Work series.
Very little survives from the original promenade, such as the bandstand, fountains etc. Neglect and successive ‘revamps’ – the most contentious being the expensive recent one which killed many of the trees and left weeds in place of plants…but a few original benches and fences survive. This is one of the new benches though! You can see the original cast iron fence behind though. I make an accidental habit of drawing and painting benches but this is part of my desperate attempts during lockdown to draw anything that’s not the river.
The new walls in the aforementioned development aren’t damp proofed – when it rains you see the damp running down the wall, hence the drips on the left hand side. I’m fascinated by that, but also fascinated at how badly this was done. Doubt these walls will survive long….
Leave a Comment! Be nice….