Kingston’s Coronation Stone stands slightly ignored outside the Guildhall.
In The Daily Telegraph Philip Johnson compares it to the Stone of Scone which fits under the Coronation Chair at Westminster Abbey but is kept in Scotland.
He suggests that, should the Scots vote yes, the Kingston stone should get a higher profile.
What he does not mention is that this Saxon stone is soon to be moved back to its original site within the area now occupied by Kingston parish church.
Thursday 18 September has long been in the calendar as Scotland’s Referendum Day.
But is also the start the much-planned 104 mile Thames Pilgrim Way walk being undertaken by the soon to retire Bishop of Oxford.
Over ten days there will be a lot of people walking downstream with the Bishop through the Oxford Diocese.
Bishop John Pritchard starts out from remote Radcot Bridge on Thursday morning. Here the water is flowing into the Oxford Diocese from the Gloucester Diocese.
Radcot has the river’s oldest bridge. It dates from 1393 and is the work of monks from Normandy.
The intention is that the Thames Path within the diocese should be followed in the future by others aware of the historic parishes they pass through.
The first church seen is tiny Shifford Church on a spot where King Alfred is said to have held a very early version of an English parliament.
On pilgrimage’s the last day, Sunday 28 September, the party will reach Wraysbury parish which has deep associations with Magna Carta agreed on the Runnymede riverside in 1215.
The Rt Revd Paul Williams, Area Bishop of Kensington, will greet the walkers at the London boundary.
Piers Plowright’s delightful Thames Crossings series can be heard this week daily at 1.45pm on BBC Radio 4.
Today he explores Port Meadow.
Here are some pictures of the Richmond area towpath this month.
My weekend in Richmond allowed me time to find some places to include in the Thames Path refreshment list.
KEW
First, there is of course the wonderful Maids of Honour teashop in Kew which is well worth a visit. This is a real teashop with the additional attraction of its tarts made to a secret Tudor recipe. Jamie Oliver visited recently and praised the original Maids of Honour tart.
A new attraction I did not know about is the bed and breakfast in the old family rooms upstairs. What a perfect overnight stop on the Thames Path -have tea and stay the night.
RICHMOND
Step out of the station and you find several food outlets.
For a good healthy sandwich and drink there is Cook & Garcia across the road. The Coronation chicken version is delicious and generous.
Almost opposite is Pizzeria Rustica which offers a £7 set lunch. The service is quick without being rushed. In the evening the restaurant is crowded with an informal atmosphere indicating good value and quality.
PETERSHAM
Petersham Nurseries is hard to find but it’s worth it. From the towpath walk up River Lane and at the Old Stables (left) go left down a very narrow alley.
Inside the nursery there not only a cafe (meaning table service restaurant) but The Tea House. Here there are filling salades for under a tenner as well as tempting cakes. You take your food into a greenhouse where there are antique tables and chairs amongst lemon trees bearing fruit at this time of the year and olive trees.
Unlimited tap water is available which is the best drink for walkers.
Should you stay in a comfortable hotel or the nearest bed and breakfast when walking the Thames Path?
There is a trend for people to want luxury after a long day of walking although walking need not always be a hardship.
Thanks to a surprise win in a Britain magazine competition I have just spent two nights in the four star Richmond Hill Hotel. It has been an interesting experience.
The great attraction of the Thames Path is that it is a flat waterside route except for one diversion up a hill west of Reading.
So does the walker want a hotel at the top of the hill when the Thames Path is below with the river?
The Richmond Hill Hotel stands across the road from a glorious view up the Thames. This is the view reproduced by many artists including Constable and Turner. Sir Joshua Reynolds enjoyed the view daily from his home opposite the hotel. Richmond in the USA, the capital of Virginia, owes its name to this view seen by a tobacco farmer who was reminded of the River James.
It’s England’s only view to be protected by an Act of Parliament so stepping out to see this view is a good start to the day you are due to start walking out of (or into) Greater London.
Opposite the hotel a path runs alongside Wick House, Reynolds home, and down steep Petersham Common towards the Thames. But if a steep climb up on your arrival seems too much after a long walk there is always a very handy and frequent bus 371 from Richmond Station which takes you up the back of the hill.
I often say never swim in the river even on a hot day. It is too dangerous. The hotel has a swimming pool which is open in the evening and before breakfast.
A man has been saved by Chiswick RNLI lifeboat crew who pulled him from the River Thames at Battersea where he was clinging onto a houseboat mooring chain.
The lifeboat was led by a beam from a police helicopter to the man who was placed on board and handed to ambulance staff waiting on the slipway by St Mary’s Church.
The man’s injuries are not thought to be life threatening.
The film from on board can be seen here.