It’s a Bank Holiday and while this one isn’t as big as others in the calendar, there’s still plenty to do in an around Putney today. Here’s three ways to spend the day depending on what you are after.
What’s closed and what’s reduced
Most of Putney is open on Monday, but a few things aren’t. Libraries are all closed for the day. So is Putney Arts Theatre. M&S and Putney Exchange are running Sunday hours, somewhere around 11am to 5pm; check if you’re planning a specific trip.
Getting around and weather
Trains and buses are also running a Sunday service. The District Line is operating normally; there is no strike on Monday, although the next confirmed RMT strike days are later in May. South Western Railway is on a bank-holiday timetable.
Monday looks dry through the morning, with sunny spells, and up to 18°C. Scattered showers are expected to develop from the afternoon, possibly heavy. So plan outdoor activities for the morning if you can; the Half Moon’s doors open at 2pm, which is roughly when the forecast turns. The cinemas, Wimbledon Windmill Museum and Fulham Palace’s museum rooms are the indoor fallbacks if it does come in.
Plan one: out and about
The headline event in SW15 is the Half Moon’s New Moon All-Dayer on Lower Richmond Road, doors at 2pm and running late. £2.50 either online or at the door. The format (short slots from a long bill of singer-songwriters and bands) has form: previous New Moon nights have featured Lola Young, Cat Burns and Jalen Ngonda before they were Lola Young, Cat Burns and Jalen Ngonda. It is the most distinctive in-postcode event of the day. Monday’s bill runs to nine acts; the full lineup is on the event page. Food served upstairs until 10pm.
There’s nothing wrong with a lazy pub-outside crawl: the Duke’s Head terrace, Coat & Badge garden, Spotted Horse “Putney Beach Club”; all three are walkable and all are running Sunday-style hours. Check on the morning for any changes.
The Embankment itself is worth the walk. Expect training outings from London Rowing Club, Vesta and Thames RC on the river from mid-morning. Free, atmospheric.
If you’re looking for more action and a wet-weather or group option, Boom Battle Bar in Wandsworth covers axe throwing, shuffleboard and boozy bingo. Good for groups of six or more; booking recommended on bank holidays. Adults only.
Both local cinemas, the Odeon Luxe Putney and Cineworld Wandsworth, are open with full programmes. Though we should note that the Odeon’s food hygiene rating had been downgraded to 1 of 5, after a confirmed mouse problem. Cineworld Wandsworth is currently rated 2. Maybe a stroll to Barnes and the former recording studio-turned-cinema, The Olympic.
Plan two: a day with kids
The biggest local-edge event of the bank holiday is the WWT London Wetland Centre’s first Migration Festival, three days of West African-themed programming that runs alongside the real thing: the wetlands in early May are at their most active for migratory birds.
Monday’s bill includes drumming and dance workshops, the “Guardian of the Wild” family puppet show, jollof rice cooking demonstrations, and guided migratory-bird walks. Open 9.30am to 5.30pm, last entry 4.30pm. Adults £18.85 online, children £11.40, under-3s free, WWT members free. Some sessions are first-come, first-served, so check the daily timetable before you go.
For the free big day out, Richmond Park is at one of its best moments of the year: the Isabella Plantation azaleas are near peak. The Tamsin Trail (a 7-mile loop suitable for buggies and bikes) is the easy way to take in most of the park. One important note: dogs must be kept on leads from 1 May to 31 July, which is deer birthing season. Vehicle gates open at 7am; pedestrians have access at all hours. On the SW15/SW19 border, Wimbledon Windmill Museum is free, open 11am to 5pm, with hands-on grain grinding and Wombles memorabilia.
Closer to home, the Putney Heath and Wimbledon Common network (1,140 acres of common, ponds and woodland trails) starts from the end of several bus routes. The Windmill Tearooms cafe does a reasonable lunch stop.
Wandsworth Park, just east along the Embankment, is a structured shorter option: Putt in the Park crazy golf (around £8 adult / £6 child) plus playing fields, a good children’s playground, and a Thames-side cafe. Compact enough to combine with a riverside walk.
Over Putney Bridge, Fulham Palace is free to enter. The museum and historic rooms are open 10.30am to 5pm, gardens dawn to 6pm, cafe from 9.30am. Family trails from the front desk; good for picnics; new play area. A lovely walk too.
As mentioned above, all the libraries are closed for the bank holiday.
Plan three: a quieter Monday
Start with the Embankment. East toward Wandsworth Park or west toward Barnes; both are flat, both are pretty, both have pubs at either end. The early May light on the river is worth the walk alone. If you want a walk with some reading attached, our Fawe Park Road nature reserve piece is worth a look before you head out – but don’t expect to get into it unless you run into an obliging neighbour whose house backs onto it.
For a long lunch, the Half Moon’s upstairs room is serving Mondays until 10pm; the Duke’s Head Coxswain Riverside Restaurant has the view; Coat & Badge has the garden.
Fulham Palace gardens are free, quiet on a Monday, and the cafe is open until 4pm. Worth the walk across the bridge.
Both cinemas are open with full programmes. As mentioned above, maybe give the Odeon and Cineworld a miss. Wimbledon Windmill Museum is free, open 11am to 5pm, and a good indoor hour if it rains.
Coming up
Polo in the Park at Hurlingham runs 5 to 7 June. The Wandsworth Heritage Festival is 23 May to 14 June and includes events across the borough. If you are planning around the District Line, the next confirmed RMT strike dates are later in May; full details here.
Further Afield: Canalway Cavalcade, Little Venice
The Inland Waterways Association has been mooring decorated canal boats in the pool at Little Venice every early May bank holiday since 1983. This year is the 42nd edition, and Monday is the last day.
More than 100 narrowboats, cruisers and widebeams line the waterways around Blomfield Road and Warwick Crescent, many dressed in bunting and competing for best-in-show. On the bank: food stalls, craft traders, live music, a real ale bar, and children’s entertainment including canal-themed crafts, puppet shows and circus skills. Free throughout. Monday hours are 10am to 5pm.
The Sunday evening illuminated procession has already happened by Monday, but the boats are still moored and the atmosphere is still there. It is one of those London events that rewards an hour as much as a full day.
Grand Designs Live is on at ExCeL; ZSL London Zoo’s Big Birthday Bash is included with admission.
If we missed something worth knowing about, tell us.
