A palace, a family of swans and a shelter built on silver thimbles... it sounds like a fairy tale.

The red brick used to build Kensington Palace lends it a less formal appearance when compared to the official London residence adopted by the monarchy.  It is however an appropriately grand building to befit a member of Royalty.  The great Sir Christopher Wren who constructed St Paul's Cathedral was employed to convert this house once owned by the Earl of Nottingham into a home for King William III who reigned 1688 - 1702.  Today, as the sun was setting I crossed the park from Kensington to Bayswater and watched the palace solemnly fade into the shadows as darkness fell.  Whilst cycling along the Broad Walk the twilight hypnotised me towards the Round Pond.  In doing so I passed one of the two wooden huts that stands near the Broad Walk.  The inscription on these simple structures reads, "Erected by the Silver Thimble Fund 1919".  For anyone caught out without an umbrella on a rainy day, these awnings offer comfort along the main thoroughfare.  The Silver Thimble Fund sounds like something out of a fantasy tale with wizards and fairies.  Its origins, however are rooted in a period of British History that was all too horrifically real.  The need for ambulances in WWI inspired Miss Hope Clarke, a resident in Wimbledon to collect silver thimbles to raise enough money to buy an ambulance.  She amassed 30,000 thimbles which paid for the vehicle.  It cost £400 and was aptly named, "The Silver Thimble".  Remarkably, the target was reached in just one month and the success inspired others around the world to adopt this method of fund raising.  Queen Alexandra became the patron and Miss Clarke's idea went on to raise enough money to pay for five ambulances, five hospital motor launches, beds in numerous hospitals and the shelters in Kensington Gardens which are memorials to veterans from WWI.  I moved on, pushing my bike to the edge of the water and watched a flotilla of swans.  Against the inky depths, their stark white feathers reflected the fading light.  Drifting as gracefully as princes and princesses waltzing on water, the swans circled one another.  With the sub zero November temperatures, perhaps the birds dream of entering the palace which lies just beyond the path, behind a set of golden gates.  If the predicted snow arrives this evening, the palace will not open its doors to the feathery family, however the unassuming shelters built on silver thimbles will offer them cover and some comfort.