You can see Bus 11 coming from along New Kings Road. I took the picture on the way from the Octavia shop near World's End. I had some interesting encounters: a Polish lady who has lived in London for over four decades. She revealed to me that her daughter considers herself English.
A biker came into the shop to look at a guitar in the window. He played a few tunes and told me it was a good instrument, but didn't mean to buy it just then. It turned out that he has a book shop not far from the place Octavia Hill lived. The eminent woman who gave name to the charity I work for appeared in another conversation with a customer. This young woman came in to ask if we would accept donations of clothes and wanted to know what cause Octavia Foundation supports. How amazed she was to hear that we continue the work of this 19th century philanthropist. Why? Apparently, she happened to be a descendant of Octavia Hill's equally amazing brother: Rolland Hill! You can go and see his statue in King Edward Street, London and learn about him and a very special school he helped his father with at Bruce Castle in North London! I suppose that The National Postal Museum can be another place to learn about this man. It's been a few years since I went there, actually. And my attempts to visit Bruce Castle haven't yet succeeded.
Well, let me get back to my short and unexpected placement at the Chelsea shop. The manager emerged from the office and all excited I told him about a visit from Octavia Hill's descendant. He commented: 'It is amazing who comes to this shop. This morning Bob Geldof came in to look at the guitar.' I didn't tell him that if he came when I was on the shop floor, I wouldn't probably even know it was him....
from a bike:
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