Browns Hotel

Forget about Claridges, Browns Hotel has always been the disreet, luxury hotel to stay in London. With rooms from £235 to £1,900 per night, you may not choose to stay but afternoon tea (at £35 a head) is an experience not to be missed.

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London's Elephants - No.22 in the series

It had to arrive, sooner or later - the London Elephant that everyone knows - in fact mostly just referred to as "The Elephant" - The Elephant and Castle. It's still one of the less salubrious areas of town; if you want to read about it, local authority blurb is here, a summary is here and interminable Wikipedia stuff here.

See where on the London Daily Photo Map

The elephant series is here.

Salt of the earth

"Salt seasons everything" - so says the the inscription on the coat of arms from the Worshipful Company of Salters. Supposedly, this refers not to Sodium Chloride but "sparkling thought well expressed, or to some good conversation when eating". I heartily concur with that.

The Salters are one of the "big twelve" livery companies, with a history dating back to 1394. These gates date from 1861 and were added to their hall in 1887. When that was bombed out, the gates were put in storage to emerge in 1991. A more general view is here.

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Cutting Edge

Looking at this photo, and the cost of the haircut, you would be forgiven for thinking that I either took it a long time ago, or in the suburbs. But no, I took it on Sunday in Greek Street, the heart of Soho. My confession: I don't know how good the haricuts are because, these days, I do my own with a set of clippers, which gives me a perverse pleasure.

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It's a relief

It used to be one of the more quirky, Gallic manifestations that there were open gents urinals in the Parisian streets. Civilisation has washed them away in Paris, but here in London they have returned.

In an attempt to fight the rising tide (sorry!) of men peeing in the street, Westminster council have opted for the return of the urinal. Rather stylish, these, and I suppose they are relatively vandal proof. This one is in Soho Square, a more general view is here.

Getting Away From It All

Well hello, I'm back.

Getting away from it all is part of what living in London is all about. Over the last week Mrs Ham and I have been doing just that - in the Lake District and also in one of the UK's best kept secrets, the Forest of Bowland. The equal of any region for beauty, it has one great thing to be said for it - astonishingly few tourists. Walking in the Lake District, everywhere we went we were almost trampled by the hordes walking the same paths. In the Forest of Bowland, we saw three other walkers in two day's walking.

We stayed at the Red Pump Inn, and its welcoming fire is today's image. I would thoroughly recommend them - excellent food and comfortable rooms. You'd have to go a long way to find better.

Two other images are here and here.

The Kennigton Oval

For today, I offer you the external view of the Oval cricket ground, which may well rank as one of the largest stadia ajacent to a city centre. It is set in the midst of what is now a veritable no-mans-land and is dedicated to cricket only.

I am on holiday for the next week, daily photos continue but you won't get much response from me.

A different perspective

The car on the left is the G-Wiz, the smallest car on the road, an electric car with a range of 40 miles, free to park in Westminster, free of congestion charge. The one on the right isn't.

I am on holiday for the next week, daily photos continue but you won't get much response from me.

Docklands Architecture

Every once in a while, I post a photo just because of the image it makes. This one is from docklands, and the way the curves and the rectangles fuse please me.

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Private Dancer

This charming statue of a young dancer is just opposite the Royal Opera house. Lifelike in its reflection of emotion, people are often moved to leave flowers with it, as here.

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Railway Maps

This old, tiled map of the London Boroughs and Southern Counties is tucked away in one of the arches in the entry to Victoria Station. It's quite entertaining to look at - there were probably as many stations in this small section then as there are in the whole network now. The sense of discovery on finding it is half the fun, so I'll leave you to do that on your own.

I am on holiday for the next week, daily photos continue but you won't get much response from me.

Looking for Lunch?

I don't know about you, but I'm always on the lookout for new ideas for lunch. So I was rather pleased to find this in Southampton Row - Hummus Bros, a wholesome and entertaining change. Check out their "how it works" directions ont he website.


I am on holiday for the next week, daily photos continue but you won't get much response from me.

A Freudian Slip?

I am happy nailing my colours to the mast - I am an Olympic enthusiast, I believe that pretty much come what may the legacy will be good and that on balance that good will outweigh the bad. Part of the scheme is that all the miles of hoardings around the site will carry pictures and adverts. I have to confess, I think this message is a bit of a Freudian slip. But it still probably reflect the true order things will be done.

Read the backstory of the Olympics here and updates here.

I am on holiday for the next week, daily photos continue but you won't get much response from me.

Could it be magic?

Staying with the fashion show for one more day, I'd just like to introduce you to a bit of a genius, Guy Hills of Dashing Tweeds. What's so special, you may ask? What he has done is incorporate reflective strips into tweed fabric. To see the result, click on the image. I've prepared an animation showing how it appears under normal light, and what happens when you shine a light on it (in this case a flash). Here is their blog.


I am on holiday for the next week, daily photos continue but you won't get much response from me.

London Fashion Week or You Don't Have to Wear Lycra

The London Fashion week is hot news at the moment, and I was invited to photograph at one of the events, Wheels & Heels.

Wheels and Heels was a showcase of designers, showing how to cycle without looking like a refugee from a man-made fabric hegemony. There's a growing movement in cycling towards the mainstream, like the excellent London Cycle Chic. It's come too late to save me, but it is very refreshing to see. You can see some of the gear on the designer's web sites 1 2 4 5 6 7 8

Kissing Lessons Given?

So, it's Valentine's day today. In Carnaby Street, on Saturday, I found them getting ready for the day by getting people to kiss for the camera, all in the name of lurve and an exhibition - Carnaby Kiss. You can go along today, see the exhibition, watch the action or even join in if you so choose. Here's another shot.

Broadway Market's Buskers

I couldn't leave the market without telling you about the buskers. I don't remember the last time I saw an accordion player in London - I do remember the last time I read about them, though, and that was Annie Proulx's Accordion Crimes which I would heartily recommend (the link takes you to an excerpt).

There was an interesting amalgam of busking when I was there - this accordion player, a rather good folky guitar/singer girl and a 10 or 11 year old boy playing.... violin. That put me in mind of the great Londoner, Samuel Johnson's quote "Sir, a woman's preaching is like a dog's walking on his hind legs. It is not done well; but you are surprised to find it done at all." OK, I'm being unfair, but you did have to take his age into consideration when assessing the quality. All in all, good sounds adding to a great atmosphere.

Broadway Market

I've got two discoveries to share with you today, the first is Broadway Market, quite possibly one of the best kept of London's secrets. For a p[lace to shop it ranks alongside Borough Market - Borough has more food, this has more other stuff. And, although it leans heavily to the trendy, it still has some older character places rubbing alongside the new. One piece of advice - go for lunch. Even if you don't fancy the wild mushroom sandwiches being cooked up here, there is bound to be something to your taste. Hog roast, gourmet burgers, indian veggie, west indian, fellafel ...much much more. It would be such a shame not to visit hungry (Saturdays, make a date in your diary). Here's a picture of a selection of Balsamic Vinegars and Olive oils available from one stall.

The second is a Wee Birdy, who is a serious London Shopper. This link will take you to her reviews of Broadway Market stalls and shops... the next best thing to going. If you live half way around the world, go on, give her a read - you'll find out what you are missing.

See where on the London Daily Photo Map

Ordinary Londoners - No 12 in a series

The newest Ordinary Londoner is the demure Fanny. Her story starts in California, the current chapter is several years studying History of Art in Cambridge. She has taken London to her heart and I came across her selling her own hand made valentines in a market in Hackney. Do have a look and tell me, would you not be happy to receive one of these? I do hope that she did well.

The Ordinary Londoners series is here.

Xin Nian Kuai Le

I wanted to say a very happy Chinese New Year to all, but I'm not going to be in Chinatown for the celebrations. Although I travelled through Chinatown on Saturday, I had great difficulty choosing a photo. Here's the result. Good or bad, it's London, and foreign, and Chinese, and I think that strangers we embrace make us stronger. (Although I wasn't about to give this chap a hug)

Happy New Year (any windows open- just close them using the "X")

(OK - Chinatown - do the Chinese really spend all their time eating??)

Greenwich Foot Tunnel

Here's the view inside the Greenwich Foot Tunnel, looking much as it has done 24 hours a day for the last 100 years.

You will all be familiar with research - that process where you read someone else's writing and then pass it off as your own. The Greenwich Phantom is the obvious source for all things Greenwich, but this time instead of plucking highlights, let me urge you to research their tunnel scientific experimentation, and the tunnel information is good, too.

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The O2 Dome

Turn 90 degrees from yesterday, and you get one of the best views of the O2 Dome.

It's quite funny, when I started my elephant series, I planned to include the Dome as London's largest (white) elephant but events have overtaken me and it has since been rebranded "The O2" and has staged some pretty impressive concerts. To start with, I bridled at the blatant commercialism of the branding exercise, but actually, why not? It was only mouldering beforehand, and they've breathed new life into it. Good luck, say I.

Oh, and because I couldn't find the right clip for Private Frazier's "We're all doomed" catch phrase (which comes to mind each time I think of The Dome), here is a link to more Dad's Army clips than you can shake a stick at.

Saltmarsh

Yesterday, Lynn commented that it was surprising to see London so countrified. That isn't the half of it, so today I'm taking you down to what may be one of the smallest, fragile environemnts.

On the banks of the Thames, in what used to be a hive of industry, a nature reserve and saltmarsh bird sanctuary have been created, One where proper bird watchers visit, and one where viewing is especially easy.

Of course, there is a surprising amount of nature to be found in London, as London Daily Nature Photo shows every day.


See where on the London Daily Photo Map (the satellite shot really shows it up well)

Spaniards End

At Spaniards End, Hampstead you can find the 17th Century Spaniards Inn and toll house. As you can see, the gap between is only wide enough for one car at a time, so in rush hours this piece of road becomes badly congested. As both buildings are listed, nothing can be done.

Dick Turpin the highwayman was reputed to have been born in the Inn, and stabled his horse in the toll house. There is also a tenuous but fascinating connection between this place and Berkley Square (two days ago). I'll post the answer in comments during the day.

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Londoners know how to party

What better way to celebrate a joint 25th birthday than a Monopoly pub crawl? Matt and Katrina organised it: "We had everyone dress up as something with a Monopoly theme and there were 'chance cards' to play at each pub with various dares people had to perform."

Now when I bumped into them, they'd just collected Yellow Picadilly and were on their way through St James to Purple Pall Mall and a lot more. It was only around 3pm, and I could see that there were several who appeared to be feeling little pain - I somehow doubt they got the distance to Brown Old Kent Road. What really impressed me was the effort that so many had put in. Don't they all look like they're having fun? Happy birthday, Matt & Katrina.