Post Office Alley in Chiswick, London

In Thames Rd aka Strand On The Green, just west of the railway bridge is an
alley called Post Office Alley which contains a small old floodgate at the
river end. Set into one wall of this alleyway is a line of solid metal knobs
which are shaped like carpentry dovetails. The line is level (i.e. level
with a spirit level rather than level with the rather sloping ground). There
is nothing in the other side of the alley. I presume they serve some flood
defence purpose but I can't figure it out. Any clues?

John Rowland wrote:
> In Thames Rd aka Strand On The Green, just west of the railway bridge
> is an alley called Post Office Alley which contains a small old
> floodgate at the river end. Set into one wall of this alleyway is a
> line of solid metal knobs which are shaped like carpentry dovetails.
> The line is level (i.e. level with a spirit level rather than level
> with the rather sloping ground). There is nothing in the other side
> of the alley. I presume they serve some flood defence purpose but I
> can't figure it out. Any clues?

I can't help with your question, but just to correct one point in your post:

Thames Road is not "aka" Strand on the Green. The name Strand on the Green
is applied both to (a) the riverside village just downstream from Kew
Bridge, and (b) within that village the highway along the river bank. That
highway starts as a road but the road soon veers away from the river at
which point it becomes Thames Road. Strand on the Green (the highway)
continues along the river bank as a mere towpath, but still has houses
fronting on to it (with postal addresses of xx Strand on the Green) whose
land reaches back as far as Thames Road, sometimes with separate buildings
fronting on to Thames Road.

Buildings or gates on the south side of Thames Road may therefore carry
either Thames Road numbers or Strand on the Green numbers, usually without
specifying which. As far as I remember, the situation is not helped by the
numbers on the two roads running in different directions.

Finding house number X in Thames Road can be difficult!
--
Richard J.
(to email me, swap 'uk' and 'yon' in address)

Richard J. wrote:
> John Rowland wrote:
>> In Thames Rd aka Strand On The Green, just west of the railway bridge
>> is an alley called Post Office Alley which contains a small old
>> floodgate at the river end. Set into one wall of this alleyway is a
>> line of solid metal knobs which are shaped like carpentry dovetails.
>> The line is level (i.e. level with a spirit level rather than level
>> with the rather sloping ground). There is nothing in the other side
>> of the alley. I presume they serve some flood defence purpose but I
>> can't figure it out. Any clues?
>
> I can't help with your question, but just to correct one point in
> your post:
> Thames Road is not "aka" Strand on the Green. The name Strand on the
> Green is applied both to (a) the riverside village just downstream
> from Kew Bridge, and (b) within that village the highway along the
> river bank. That highway starts as a road but the road soon veers
> away from the river at which point it becomes Thames Road. Strand on
> the Green (the highway) continues along the river bank as a mere
> towpath, but still has houses fronting on to it (with postal
> addresses of xx Strand on the Green) whose land reaches back as far
> as Thames Road, sometimes with separate buildings fronting on to
> Thames Road.
> Buildings or gates on the south side of Thames Road may therefore
> carry either Thames Road numbers or Strand on the Green numbers,
> usually without specifying which. As far as I remember, the
> situation is not helped by the numbers on the two roads running in
> different directions.
> Finding house number X in Thames Road can be difficult!

"What is the name of this road" is often a surprisingly difficult question
to answer: it is not rare for the two sides of a road to have different
names, although this is a particularly unusual example, because there are
Thames Road properties on both sides of the road, and there are Strand On
The Green properties on both sides of the road, and the experience of
someone driving along the road is that both sides of the road are changing
name back and forth. In particular, there are some properties numbered as
Strand On The Green on the north side of the road east of the point where
Thames Road starts, which defeats your argument. Therefore I don't consider
my original post to be in need of correction.

John Rowland wrote:
> Richard J. wrote:
>> John Rowland wrote:
>>> In Thames Rd aka Strand On The Green, just west of the railway
>>> bridge is an alley called Post Office Alley which contains a small
>>> old floodgate at the river end. Set into one wall of this alleyway
>>> is a line of solid metal knobs which are shaped like carpentry
>>> dovetails. The line is level (i.e. level with a spirit level rather
>>> than level with the rather sloping ground). There is nothing in the
>>> other side of the alley. I presume they serve some flood defence
>>> purpose but I can't figure it out. Any clues?
>>
>> I can't help with your question, but just to correct one point in
>> your post:
>> Thames Road is not "aka" Strand on the Green. The name Strand on the
>> Green is applied both to (a) the riverside village just downstream
>> from Kew Bridge, and (b) within that village the highway along the
>> river bank. That highway starts as a road but the road soon veers
>> away from the river at which point it becomes Thames Road. Strand on
>> the Green (the highway) continues along the river bank as a mere
>> towpath, but still has houses fronting on to it (with postal
>> addresses of xx Strand on the Green) whose land reaches back as far
>> as Thames Road, sometimes with separate buildings fronting on to
>> Thames Road.
>> Buildings or gates on the south side of Thames Road may therefore
>> carry either Thames Road numbers or Strand on the Green numbers,
>> usually without specifying which. As far as I remember, the
>> situation is not helped by the numbers on the two roads running in
>> different directions.
>> Finding house number X in Thames Road can be difficult!
>
> "What is the name of this road" is often a surprisingly difficult
> question to answer: it is not rare for the two sides of a road to
> have different names, although this is a particularly unusual
> example, because there are Thames Road properties on both sides of
> the road, and there are Strand On The Green properties on both sides
> of the road, and the experience of someone driving along the road is
> that both sides of the road are changing name back and forth. In
> particular, there are some properties numbered as Strand On The Green
> on the north side of the road east of the point where Thames Road
> starts, which defeats your argument.

Oh, didn't realise that. It's worse than I thought.
--
Richard J.
(to email me, swap 'uk' and 'yon' in address)

michael adams wrote:
> "Richard J." <rjnews0811@blueukder.co.yon> wrote in message
> news:LPkjk.34067$E41.10954@text.news.virginmedia.c om...
>> michael adams wrote:

>>> Just a thought.
>>>
>>> What you see on Strand on The Green are the backs of the houses.
>>> Same as the top end of Park Lane whose "actual address" is far less
>>> prestigeous.
>>> So possibly in both cases the owners have taken advantage of the
>>> fact that their houses stand on two thoroughfares and have chosed
>>> the better one - even fitting a letter box if necessary.
>>
>> As you say, "just a thought". If you'd actually been there,
>
> I've been there any number of times.
>
> The houses with the oriel windows are similar in style
> to those in Park Lane. The rear of the house was intended to
> provide a view - Park Lane into Hyde Park[,] Strand on The Green
> onto the River.
>
> Weren't you aware of that?

Well, of course the river side of the house was intended to provide a view
of the river. That's why it was built in that location. Not sure why you
think that's the back of the house, though.

> Zoffanys House faces the River IIRR. At the time
> the various houses were built there was no thoroughfare
> only the Green behind, and houses were built facing in
> either direction. All were identified simply as Mr X's Hse
> on the Strand on the Green.

If there was only the Green behind, the only thoroughfare was the towpath,
so why are you denying that the natural "front" was on the towpath?

[snip]

>> ... you would realise that your thought doesn't match the
>> architecture and position of most of the buildings. Was your
>> previous post pure conjecture as well?

> Are you denying that some houses on the river side of River Road were
> originally built facing in opposite directions ? Some facing
> the river and some backing onto it ?

Ah, so not all of them backing on to it, as you previously suggested. Since
the houses we are talking about mostly pre-date River Road, I'm not sure how
you define "facing" and "backing on to" the river and its towpath when those
were the only thoroughfares.
--
Richard J.
(to email me, swap 'uk' and 'yon' in address)

"Richard J." <rjnews0811@blueukder.co.yon> wrote in message
news:dusjk.34293$E41.23864@text.news.virginmedia.c om...
> michael adams wrote:
> > "Richard J." <rjnews0811@blueukder.co.yon> wrote in message
> > news:LPkjk.34067$E41.10954@text.news.virginmedia.c om...
> >> michael adams wrote:
>
> >>> Just a thought.
> >>>
> >>> What you see on Strand on The Green are the backs of the houses.
> >>> Same as the top end of Park Lane whose "actual address" is far less
> >>> prestigeous.
> >>> So possibly in both cases the owners have taken advantage of the
> >>> fact that their houses stand on two thoroughfares and have chosed
> >>> the better one - even fitting a letter box if necessary.
> >>
> >> As you say, "just a thought". If you'd actually been there,
> >
> > I've been there any number of times.
> >
> > The houses with the oriel windows are similar in style
> > to those in Park Lane. The rear of the house was intended to
> > provide a view - Park Lane into Hyde Park[,] Strand on The Green
> > onto the River.
> >
> > Weren't you aware of that?
>
> Well, of course the river side of the house was intended to provide a view
> of the river. That's why it was built in that location. Not sure why you
> think that's the back of the house, though.
>
> > Zoffanys House faces the River IIRR. At the time
> > the various houses were built there was no thoroughfare
> > only the Green behind, and houses were built facing in
> > either direction. All were identified simply as Mr X's Hse
> > on the Strand on the Green.
>
> If there was only the Green behind, the only thoroughfare was the towpath,

....

What I meant was a named thoroughfare. Obviously the residents will have
used horses and horsedrawn transport in addition, using an unnamed
roadway or pathway around the actual Green. When the houses were built,
the whole thing, towpath, houses, and any road or pathway between the green
and houses were all known as Strand on the Green.

....

> so why are you denying that the natural "front" was on the towpath?

....

Because as in the City and Westminster, the watergates amd water stairs were
at the backs of buildings not at the front. As in Somerset House and all
the other large houses which fronted onto the er Strand. Before the
Embankment was built.

....

>
> [snip]
>
> >> ... you would realise that your thought doesn't match the
> >> architecture and position of most of the buildings. Was your
> >> previous post pure conjecture as well?
>
> > Are you denying that some houses on the river side of River Road were
> > originally built facing in opposite directions ? Some facing
> > the river and some backing onto it ?
>
> Ah, so not all of them backing on to it, as you previously suggested.

....

I was in a rush. And anyway the subsequent influence of Estate agents and the
example of Park Lane certainly come into it somewhere.


....

> Since
> the houses we are talking about mostly pre-date River Road, I'm not sure how
> you define "facing" and "backing on to" the river and its towpath when those
> were the only thoroughfares.

....

There was access around the Green. In fact most Greens are deliniated
by having a path or roadway running around them. Otherwise they wouldn't
be Greens.

There are no front doors on the river side of a number of the houses
which means that they're backing onto the river. Others have flood
barriers and smaller doors. In the houses such as Zoffany's which
definitely are facing the river, and even with the smaller artisans
cottages further along, the doors are at the top of a flight of steps.
It might be found thet a number of the houses still have impressive
front doors on their north side, which would formerly have faced
the Green.


michael adams



> --
> Richard J.
> (to email me, swap 'uk' and 'yon' in address)
>
>

Tom Anderson wrote:
>
> Here's another thought: if you had a letterbox on both sides, could
> you have two addresses? Do addresses in fact belong to letterboxes,
> and not houses?

I take it you know about Baarle-Nassau?

I've just noticed that the Westbury Hotel gives its address as
The Westbury Hotel
Bond Street,
Mayfair,
London, W1S 2YF

I was aware that estate agents have grown Hampstead and Cla'am to cover all
London between them, but I was surprised to find that merely sounding like
it might be a prestigious address is enough to summon "Bond Street" into
existence.

On Sat, 9 Aug 2008, John Rowland wrote:

> Tom Anderson wrote:
>
>> Here's another thought: if you had a letterbox on both sides, could
>> you have two addresses? Do addresses in fact belong to letterboxes,
>> and not houses?
>
> I take it you know about Baarle-Nassau?

Oh yes. Surely everybody knows about Baarle-Nassau?

> I've just noticed that the Westbury Hotel gives its address as
> The Westbury Hotel
> Bond Street,
> Mayfair,
> London, W1S 2YF
>
> I was aware that estate agents have grown Hampstead and Cla'am to cover
> all London between them, but I was surprised to find that merely
> sounding like it might be a prestigious address is enough to summon
> "Bond Street" into existence.

The only question is whether it's the Bond Street in Ealing or the one in
Stratford!

tom

--
Everyone has to die sooner or later, whether they be killed by germs,
crushed by a collapsing house, or blown to smithereens by an atom bomb. --
Mao Zedong