IMAGES TAKEN NEAR TO
Portobello Way, WARWICK, CV34 5GJ

The A445 approaching the bridge over the River Avon.

It was a shock to see this A4 sheet blutacked to the front door of our GP surgery. They had acted fast and severely in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The arrangements are still in place at mid-December 2020.

The health centre, four years old at the time of the photo, and unoccupied Portobello House, right, were built on the site of the offices of Potterton's, the boiler manufacturer. Portobello Way, upgraded from a track, serves the rear of Greville Road, new social housing, allotments and other sites. A reverse view, in snow, is Image

Avonside has been in use for about five years. The GP practice was formerly in two houses in Emscote Road Image

Faced by coronavirus, Avonside Health Centre promptly changed its way of working to protect patients and staff. All communication with patients is via a website or by phone as explained in a notice Image Here, a patient with an appointment is identifying himself through the intercom before being let in, having assured reception staff that he is free of Covid-19 symptoms.

Snow fell on the 10th December, followed by a freeze. The sun came out on the 12th after which came a slow thaw. Behind the camera is the Avonside Health Centre Image

I've sometimes wondered why this tree has never been felled. Although something of a landmark it is close to three roads and a bus stop and has a history of shedding big branches. It occurred to me recently that it might be an example of the uncommon native black poplar, Populus nigra ssp. betulifolia. Some detective work is called for. Its size can be judged in this photo from 2009: Image

The view from Royal Leamington Spa.

The Health Centre opened in 2009. It is part of a development on the site of Potterton's offices and works, where they made boilers. Portobello Bridge over the River Avon marks the boundary between Warwick and Leamington. The view is from the riverside open space

The River Cross been operating for several years and was last photographed in 2014 Image Judging by the building's alignment it was planned as the pub to serve the Bridge Street housing estate seen in the background. The estate first appears on a map of 1968-70, replacing streets of terraced houses (Sanders Street and Chapman Street) and some allotments. When we came to Warwick in the 1980s the pub was called The Greyhound, a reference to the dog-racing track up the river by Potterton's allotments. Sadly we have no photo of the stylish illuminated pub sign in the form of a greyhound: where did that go? The view is across Emscote Road during a fleeting gap in the traffic.