#ealing

Career of Evil

Hastings Road to ???

Part One

Any lingering hope that no-one would die horribly in Career of Evil disappears as the opening line announces, "He had not managed to scrub off all her blood." We hear the thoughts of a madman who leans against a wall in Hastings Road, Ealing, observing a house opposite.

In due course Robin Ellacott and Matthew Cunliffe emerge from the house and the madman follows them. And this Strike Walk follows him.

I couldn't find a candidate for Robin and Matt's flat, which should've had

... a small front garden, black railings and a lawn in need of mowing. Two white front doors had been crammed together side by side, showing that the three-storey building has been converted into upper and lower flats ...

There were houses with railings -

and one house with a lawn (this lawn doesn't count as it'll never need mowing) -

but no doors crammed side by side, not even once. Nevertheless, out of the right-hand door they come and

... walk up the street side-by-side ...

which is quite difficult on these narrow pavements, unless you're feeling very friendly which we know isn't the case because Robin loves Strike the madman observes

... a slight reserve between the couple ...

We don't know which way Robin and Matt turn, left or right, but the options are east towards Ealing Broadway station or west towards West Ealing station.

We only know

... At the end of the street the pair ahead turned left into a wide, busy thoroughfare lined with offices ...

and apparently without taking any other turns they pass the Ealing Council building.

That doesn't happen if you turn left at the West Ealing end, where it's still mostly residential -

and if you turn left at the Ealing Broadway end you're heading out of Ealing to the north towards Perivale. So I think we missed a turn somewhere, and it's really right at the Ealing Broadway end of Hastings Road into St Leonard's Road (which is quite officey)

and left into Uxbridge Road, which does bring us to the borough council building -

Quite a brutalist contrast to the town council which is next door -

Nice to have all schools of architecture represented! 😁

Part Two is here:

They Came to a City (1944) Basil Dearden