On Wednesday 16th August, 13 members met at Tonbridge station to catch the 9.31 train to Charing Cross. Leaving the station we made our way to the bus stop for the No. 9 bus to Philimore Gardens, Kensington. Our coffee stop was at Café Phillies – an artisan coffee shop with large windows open onto the street. Some members sat at the tables outside while 6 of us went inside. Jan was looking at the cakes and pastries when the waiter came to take our order. He realised what Jan was doing and said we should try the flourless orange cake which was still slightly warm from the oven. Carole even flirted with the waiter, touching his arm while saying she would have whatever he suggested! All 6 of us decided to take his recommendation and the cake was served with Greek yogurt – absolutely delicious. Phyllis did ask him for the recipe but we think he forgot! They were very busy. Should someone order a bottle of wine from the top of the wine rack they must have to get a ladder to reach it!

Tony with his harem! He was the only male on our walk this time

From our coffee stop there was a short walk to the Design Museum, arriving at about 11.45. Entry is free to the main museum. The museum is a continually evolving subject, which it explores through its exhibitions programme. Design is a way to understand the world and how you can change it. Following a long search for larger premises to expand the museum’s activities, in 2008 the Design Museum selected the former 1960’s building in Kensington High Street, West London, as its new home. This unique landmark from the 1960’s, a Grade II listed building, completed in 1962, which had stood vacant for over a decade, was transformed by a design team led by John Lawson whose aim was to make the building fit for a 21st century museum, whilst at the same time retaining its unique special quality. The original was described as a “striking tent-like building” or as “the tent in the park”, i.e. Holland Park. The roof of the exhibition hall was the complex’s most spectacular feature and is an impressive feat of engineering, with a concrete shell that is just 75mm thick at its thinnest part. One of the reasons that the saddle-shaped double paraboloid curved form was chosen was because it required only two

LONDON WALK No. 103 – DESIGN MUSEUM LED BY JULIE WATKINS AND IRENE SWAIN

internal columns, allowing virtually unbroken views across the exhibition galleries. The use of pre-cast concrete beams had not previously been attempted in Britain, so it was a very innovative construction. This year designers will be able to use the museum’s dedicated Designers in Residence studio to create their works. Located on the museum’s top floor, visitors will be able to see the designers at work and interact with them during allocated times slots each day. Once each designer has completed their residency of 7 months, they will collectively form a showcase of their work within the studio. The roof is a ‘Hyperbollic Paraboloid’ grade 2 listed building.

"All the floor structure of the building is new, so there was an extraordinary temporary structure holding up this roof while the old structure was knocked out to create the new building," added Chris Masson of Pawson's studio. "It was quite a feat of engineering." The floors are connected by flights of wooden steps, which are surrounded by tall balustrades and double as impromptu seating. Hanging rails are integrated into the wood-lined walkways surrounding the atrium, giving the museum the opportunity to use the circulation space as an extra exhibition area.

Floors throughout are covered in pale grey terrazzo, and the underside of the building's impressive roof form is left exposed. Our group photo taken on

the stairs up to the mezzanine floors

Designer Maker User For the first time in its history, the museum is able to offer a free taster of its collection - featuring over 1,000 objects. Designer Maker User tells the story of contemporary design through these three interconnected roles. The MAKER sign changes continually to read DESIGNER, MAKER or USER.

There were some very interesting exhibits and some that were a bit puzzling – what was the “roller” used for? Suggestions were: for smoothing the joins in wallpaper; a printing roller; for removing fluff from clothes. There were some other items in the large display that we were unsure of. One exhibit involved a visitor (in our case both Julie and Marion had a try) holding an item such as a handbag, tiara, etc., putting their hands on their hips and standing on the footprints on the floor. When looking at a screen in front of them it shows a picture of the person wearing appropriate clothes to what they are holding. Unfortunately the photographs are not very clear but I have included them to give an idea of how they looked.

Following our tour of the museum we met in the lobby to continue the walk to the Scarsdale Tavern where we had a very enjoyable lunch. They had laid a table for us tucked away from the rest of the pub, probably to keep our chatter away from the “locals”. While taking our seats Marion, trying to be of help, suggested that Tony moved to the end of the table rather than squash in at the side, and was accused of being “bossy”. This caused a bit of laughter. The recommended dish of the day was the Madras Beef Curry which several of

us chose. A very good recommendation as the beef was so tender it almost melted in the mouth. During lunch, some of the talk was about the design museum and how fascinating it all was, especially the large 3D printing machine. We would have liked to hang around to see the end result but would probably still have been there at closing time! After lunch we walked along Kensington High Street and turned into Derry Street, arriving at Kensington Square. This is probably the finest square in the area, and was first developed in the 1680’s. It became a popular residence for courtiers after Kensington Palace became home to the Royal Family. It is the oldest such square in Kensington.

The philosopher, political economist and MP John Stuart Mill (1860-1873) lived at No. 18 between 1837 and 1851. It was here that one of the literary history’s great disasters almost happened during the 1830s when Mill’s maid accidently used the only manuscript copy of Thomas Carlyle’s book ‘The French Revolution, A History’ to help make a fire. The composer Sir Charles Hubert Parry (1848-1918) lived next door at number 17. Parry is probably best known for the choral song ‘Jerusalem’, which is based on Blake’s 1804 poem Milton. Many of our group are known to sing it at WI meetings.

On the south-west corner of the Square is the Convent of the Assumption, a religious order of nuns that has been based her since 1869 as has its origins in a French order founded in Paris in the 19 th century. Hidden behind the convent is a large garden that is about the same size as the private garden at the centre of Kensington Square. Barbara Ryan was keen to take a photograph of the church as her parents were married there. Her mother was in service there. Walking round the square, we headed up Young Street. On the left is a Georgian house that is now part of an American college but which was once home to the great William Makepeace Thackeray (1811-1863). He wrote part of his most famous work ‘Vanity Fair’ (1848) while living here between 1846 and 1853.

We continued onto Kensington High Street and crossed over to Kensington Church Street. From there we strolled to St Mary Abbots Church. The current building dates from 1872 and its architect was Sir George Gilbert Scott (1811-1878), whose other works include the Albert Memorial in Kensington Gardens and the Midland Grand Hotel at St Pancras railway station. A walk through Kensington Gardens to see the flowering borders brought us to the Serpentine Gallery.

Did Julie get

overheated by being

our leader?

Serpentine Gallery This houses an exhibition by Grayson Perry, one of the most astute commentators on contemporary British society and culture. The exhibition presents new work that touches on popularity and art, masculinity and the current landscape. Working in a variety of traditional media, such as ceramics, cast iron, bronze, printmaking and tapestry, Perry is best known for his ability to combine delicately crafted objects with scenes of contemporary life.

The Serpentine Pavilion was designed by Francis Kere and was inspired by the tree that serves as a central meeting point for life in his home village of Gando, Burkina Faso. Berin-based architect Francis Kere has designed a Pavilion that seeks to connect its visitors to nature – and each other. An expansive roof, supported by a central steel framework, mimics a tree’s canopy, allowing air to circulate freely while offering shelter against London rain and summer heat. After viewing the exhibits in the gallery, several of us stopped in the Pavilion for a cup of tea and sit for a short while.

The end of our walk took us back to Kensington High Street to get the No 9 bus back to Charing Cross.

Once again a most interesting and enjoyable day. Thank you to Julie and Irene for being our guides for the day.