The Rolling English Road
 
Before the Roman came to Rye or out to Severn strode,
The rolling English drunkard made the rolling English road.
A reeling road, a rolling road, that rambles round the shire,
And after him the parson ran, the sexton and the squire;
A merry road, a mazy road, and such as we did tread
The night we went to Birmingham by way of Beachy Head.
I knew no harm of Bonaparte and plenty of the Squire,
And for to fight the Frenchman I did not much desire;
But I did bash their baggonets because they came arrayed
To straighten out the crooked road an English drunkard made,
Where you and I went down the lane with ale-mugs in our hands,
The night we went to Glastonbury by way of Goodwin Sands.
His sins they were forgiven him; or why do flowers run
Behind him; and the hedges all strengthening in the sun?
The wild thing went from left to right and knew not which was which,
But the wild rose was above him when they found him in the ditch.
God pardon us, nor harden us; we did not see so clear
The night we went to Bannockburn by way of Brighton Pier.
My friends, we will not go again or ape an ancient rage,
Or stretch the folly of our youth to be the shame of age,
But walk with clearer eyes and ears this path that wandereth,
And see undrugged in evening light the decent inn of death;
For there is good news yet to hear and fine things to be seen,
Before we go to Paradise by way of Kensal Green.

       G K Chesterton

 

The cemetery has much historical interest (e.g. kensalgreen ) and limited wildlife interest (e.g. bbc ).

Next station down the line is Queens Park - which has a park managed by the City of London - but is most famous for giving its name to one of London's more eclectic football clubs (see nutters ). How did QPR get their name?

Queens Park Rangers were formed in 1882 by the Old Boys of Droop Street Board School. The boys were members of the St.Jude's Institute as they used this as the club headquarters, and in the early days were known as St. Judes. They obtained the name Queens Park Rangers when they merged with a team called Christchurch Rangers in 1886. They called themselves Queens Park Rangers because most of the players came from the district of Queens Park!

 

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