We came to Victoria Coach Station recently and decided this would be our final entry into Sandy's art deco contest!
This is the side exit....
And that's the main entrance to London Victoria Coach station, the largest coach station in London!
It's rather amazing isn't it?!
The architectural partnership Wallis, Gilbert and Partners were commissioned to build it, and was completed in 1932
English Heritage designated he building as Grade 2 listed in 2014 after the freehold owner wanted to redevelop the site and relocate the station operations! Luckily that didn't happen!
On these windows, you can see a triangular motif on the divides.....
....which is repeated on the windows further down.
There's also a blue plaque on the building...
The architects office were based here until 1946!
Wallis, Gilbert and Partners also designed multiple other Art Deco buildings including multiple buildings on the Great West Road in Brentford Middlesex and also the Abbey Road Studios .... i've head of that before....!
We got up silly early this morning - we're going on an adventure!!
We're on a Coach today, because there's no trains from Brighton - track maintenance.
Which means we get Jaffa Cakes!!!
YUMMM!
YUMMM!!
We also got a Panno Shoko Lah!! Excellent!
After a while, we got to Gatwick Airport. But we didn't get off here.
Then we got to Heathrow Airport. We didn't get off here either.
Where are we going??!
It's a long way.....
There's a building with a blue dome through there, but the tree got in the way!
Oooo! Hammersmith flyover!! We're in London!
Ooooo!
Oh, there's metal birds on the top of that gate!
Christmas decorations!
AND WE'RE HERE!!!! It's Victoria Coach Station!
We've arrived!
We used the facilities and left them a CD!
Then we had to tear up the road to meet someone!
But first we made String Beanie's entry to Sandy Bear's art deco contest!!!!!
THEN we hared up the road and found our favourite sculpture
WE MET SANDY BEAR!!!!!
He's in town for a while and needed a ton of our London Bus Guides, so we did a quick back alley deal before we all skedaddled off on separate directions. But don't worry folks, we'll be catching up with him properly later on!!
We scooted back to the train station to use the facilities and left a floppy disc on the door.
Then we had to find our bus stop.
BUS BINGO ALERT!! We got the number 2!
They got a CD
And we're off!!
We went up Park Lane
And got off at Marble Arch and then got a number 13 bus!
They got a CD too!
Those things light up at night. You can stand inside them and it looks like you're inside a Christmas tree bauble!
Then we got off here at Portman Square!
We saw a fancy murial!
And a quote on the floor!
Ooo that's pretty!
Ooooo!
More oooo!!
We can see the top of the BT tower over there...
Oh wow!
There's a topiary doggy sitting by that tree!
Oh that's pretty!
We left a floppy disc here
It's Diba, a Persian restaurant! We're having lunch here!!
We got a fizzy drink
Then we got some olives and some dips
That's Joojeh!! It's chicken with saffron rice and a salad
And it was YUMTASTIC!
After lunch, we carried on walking because we're going to see something else now.
We're still in the Marylebone part of town.
It's pretty round here
There's the BT tower again!
OOoo!
we left another floppy disc here
And found a fancy manhole cover!
Oh I know where we are now!!!
It's the BBC building at Portland Place!
That building's got a funny tower thing on the top!
Oh, they've put a protective screen up over the statue!! I'll tell you why - Eric Gill, the famous sculptor that made that, was later found to have abused his daughters. On two separate occasions, someone has climbed up onto that statue on the building and started smashing it with a hammer and chisel..... so now there's a protective screen around it.
We carried on walking.....
Past here....
Oooo!
You can just about see a very pretty Indian sari!
And another manhole cover!
And we arrived here!!!
We got in completely free on our Art Pass!
Most of the cartoons were political satire, but they were funny!!
That's one of the Spitting Images puppets!
Roy Hattersley I think it is....
Oh we remember him, from the Beano!!!
Ah!!
Oo-er!!
OH!! We took one and got some rubber stamps in it! We'll show you later!
Afterwards we used the facilities and left them a CD
Before we left, we bought a few things from the gift shop (we'll show you later!) and - the best bit! - they had a "free with every purchase" lucky dip box near the till!!!
Then we scooted off back onto the street!
Not forgetting the free with ever purchase gift!!!
We spotted a church nearby....
It's a Chinese temple.....!
And here we are on Oxford Street!!
Ooo!
We found another manhole!!
And this is the bus stop we need for the last bus of the day!
BUS BINGO!!! It's the 390 - but we're going the other way, to Victoria!!
It was quite busy so we put a CD on this rail....
And then later we managed to swap seats so we were next to a window, and left a floppy disc here!!
Ooo that's fancy!
Oooooo! More Christmas decorations!!
Oooo!
We went past Constitution Hill.
And then got off here at the last stop!!
We had to walk back down to the coach station, so we left another floppy disc here on the way.
Oh!!! Toadstools!!!
Oh wow!!
We left a CD on this railing here.....
And this floppy disc here....
And here we are, ready to get our coach home!!
Oh!!! That's a Grinch christmas afternoon tea bus!!!
Here we are! That's our coach!!
And we got a window seat again!!
And we're off!
Ooooo!!
Oh wow!
That's so pretty!
That's the Hammersmith Apollo, we think....
And a brewery!
Think this is the Hammersmith flyover again!
We got caught up in traffic on the way home but it wasn't too bad, and we arrived at Heathrow soon enough!
And had some more jaffa cakes!!
Next stop was Gatwick!
And then we arrived in Brighton!!
And we got off here!! All we had to do was cross the road.....
And we're home!!! We got a badge, a zine and Something Important for Arnty Helena!
Beanie Mouse lives in the south of England and has been painting and creating artworks for many years. Some will be "lost" somewhere on the planet, some will be mailed out and on the Emporium blog, reviews are given on various stuff! Beanie also travels and blogs about that on the Beanie Mouse blog.
