Rickmansworth

 

A bright. blue sky but cold morning saw me setting off for my next station at 'Ricky' or to give it its full title, Rickmansworth. It seems that trains on this branch line of the Metropolitan line are not as frequent and I had to change trains at Harrow -on -the-Hill.

The station had a run down feel to it with flower beds that hadn't been cared for this Summer.

The waiting room needed a good coat of paint but I'm glad I popped in because there on the wall was the labyrinth print.

This one is 5/270.

The name Rickmansworth comes from a Saxon landowner named 'Ryckmer' and 'worth' meaning a farm. It is situated 17 miles north-west of central London.

The staircase leading to the exit. Both sides  displayed artwork using the Underground roundel as the focus.

There is always the feeling of nervous excitement as I step outside a new station. Nervous because I have absolutely no idea what kind of an area I am venturing into and excited about the possibility of finding a gem.

Outside the station was a notice board showing the route of a local walk and giving information about a river running alongside the walk. I now know that I am close to the open countryside.

The walk sounded interesting and one that I would enjoy but that wasn't what I was here for today and I wouldn't have enough time for such a long walk anyway. It is a walk to bear in mind though for the longer Summer days, as there is a railway station at the beginning and one at the end of the walk.

I followed signs to the High Street. I had already noticed a Waitrose supermarket  and here is a M and S foodstore so I knew this was an upmarket town. Cobbled streets were still in evidence.

But even in an affluent area like this I noticed that a few of the shops had closed down.

At the end of the High Street is the 'Watermeet' theatre. A community arts centre for theatre as well as art exhibitions and other art related events. 

Next to it was the Three Rivers Museum. The name refers to the district: 'Three Rivers District Council'. So named because of the confluence of the River Chess and the River Gade with the Colne. The River Colne flows south to become a major tributary of the River Thames. In its former life this building was home to William Penn (1644-1718), founder of Pennsylvania.

Although a small museum there were a number of interesting artefacts.

I remember my mother wringing  out the washing using a mangle just like this one. This one was manufactured in Rickmansworth c 1914

There was a display of copies of posters advertising Metroland with the following information

 The Museum is run by volunteers and today I was lucky enough to be educated about the area by a couple who were very informative and gave me directions to a few places of interest both at this station and the next. I was even offered a guided walk on my next visit to the area. Unbelievably I lost the leaflet where the lady had written down her email address.

I went from the museum round the corner to the community rose garden and orchard with a Lion's statue.

This statue was sculptured in 1920 by Sir William Reid Dick and was  part of the original First World War memorial.

I then followed Church Street which had a number of older properties to St Mary's Church which was open.

This public house, the Feathers, has parts dating back to the 15th and 16th century.

The tower of St Mary's church dates from 1630 and houses a ring of ten bells. The rest of the church  was rebuilt in 1890.

A decoratively carved memorial to Sir Thomas Fotherley who died in 1649. He was a Privy Counsellor to Prince Charles, the future Charles II. Fotherley purchased the lordship of the manor of Rickmansworth in 1632.

These modern  windows in the sanctuary incorporate stained glass from the old Rickmansworth High Street Methodist church.

From there it was just a short walk to Batchford Lock and the canal museum.  This part of the Grand Union canal was opened in 1796. It was built to provide a short cut between Braunston on the Oxford canal in Northamptonshire and Brentford on the River Thames.

I popped into the tiny museum/shop to ask about places to visit along the canal. It turned out that if I wanted I could have a 40 min trip down the canal for £5. Even though I was the only passenger they were willing to take me. I was thrilled as I had watched the narrowboats on the canal on my visit to Croxley.

It was gloriously peaceful as I sat at the front of the boat with Brian, driver controlling it from the back.

Canada geese, swans, moorhens, coots were all out on the canal. 
I even spotted a heron amongst the tree roots by the side of the canal.

A swan taking to the air just in front of the boat.

My time on the boat passed far too quickly. I loved the beauty, the sounds, the wildlife and the sheer joy of travelling on a narrow boat.

The journey had taken me passed the Aquadrome so once off the boat,  I walked back along the canal to take a closer look.

The main features of Rickmansworth Aquadrome are Batchworth Lake and Bury Lake, The lakes were formed through gravel extraction which ceased in the 1920s. Some of the extracted gravel was used to build the original Wembley Stadium. Now they are part of a nature reserve and water sports centre.

I retraced my steps back into the town stopping at the Cafe 122 for a warming bowl of soup.

As the station services both the underground and national rail trains I was able  to jump on a fast train to Marylebone station and enjoyed a very speedy journey back to London.