Footsbarn!

When I saw this in Victoria Park today, (from the outside) I had to investigate. I can't remember ever seeing a travelling theatre company before, and they are in London for one more day (Sunday) only.

You can read about Footsbarn here and see the tour dates here. I've always wanted to see a company like this, and it is a great shame that I only found them today and I can't make it tomorrow. If any of you get to see them, do let me know how it was. I have to say if it is anything like as good as the smell of mulled wine wafting through the air, there's a real treat in store.

We are three

Three years, more than 1100 photos, more than 500,000 visitors. 25 Elephants. Wow.

It was this day three years ago when I poked my head out of my door and took a picture of my street with a somewhat archaic digicam. That was the start of my London journey, a journey about London, not about the photos. It was my hope at the time that I'd be able to add to the sum total of good stuff about, and I'd like to think I have done so - at least in a small way. If nothing else, at least I've been consistent.

My thanks to all of you out there, it's a two way thing. It's my job to put a daily photo on this site - it's yours to look at it. That's it.

Waltham .... Forest??

One of my local Boroughs is Waltham Forest, and while you can find nature if you look, you really do have to look. This pastoral plaque is not in a pastoral setting.

I walk the Bridge

A piece of creative graffiti spied on Blackfiars Bridge. Not a lot to say about this, so I offer you two Johnny Cash songs, 50 years apart. The first is fun, but as the second, if you haven't heard his rendition of "Hurt", you really ought to. Really.

Crisis? I see no crisis...

With banking so much in the news these days, I thought it was appropriate to visit the Old Lady of Threadneedle Street (the Bank of England). Grand though it is, this is the rear of the building.

These last two days I've been having to commute into town on public transport, which has forcibly reminded me just how much I prefer cycling. The only bright spot was that it has enabled me to pick up some of the "Credit Crunch" jokes that are doing the round like:

What is the difference between a 12" pizza and an investment banker? A 12" pizza can feed a family of 4.

Or, the definition of an optimist? An investment banker ironing 5 shirts on Sunday night.

Latest news: the Isle of Dogs Building Society has collapsed. They've called in the retrievers.

Sun? What sun?

I came across Lois Palmer in a wet and chilly Trafalgar Square. He is driving his way around the world on solar power, you can read his exploits on Solar Taxi.

On Parade

Bill, here, is one of London's great characters. Rather like the East End Elvises he will turn up at all sorts of public events. I saw him here several hours before the start of the Lord Mayor's Parade. He obviously puts a lot of effort into his appearances (he considers himself an unofficial mascot of the Welch Fusiliers) and I asked him about why he does it. "To put a bit of colour into people's lives" he told me. Well, hear hear.

A Copper Bottomed Case

For all that the UK now has decent kitchen shops in many provincial towns, the shop Divertimenti is still somewhere special. Special and expensive, but I remember it being around for many years - probably at least 30, I'm glad it is still about and hope it survives the recession. What you can't see in this photo are the kitchen ranges for upwards of £10,000.

As a point of interest, the copper bowls you can see are not just decorative - it seems that there is a scientific basis for eggs to whip better in a copper bowl - I just can't remember what it is.
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Eat Is The New West

East may one day be the new West (as the faded sign on this building in Hackney Road asserts) but to be honest, it hasn't happened yet.

The natural order of things is for the east side of any town to be poorer. Largely historic, with prevailing winds from the West as the earth spins, the stench of the city would pervade the eastern side, while the west received fresh country breeze. It's been many years since a fresh country breeze has been spotted in London, but apart from that there was always the docks, and docks needed workers. The East End is where immigrants have arrived for hundreds of years and worked to make their homes in this country; that hasn't changed.

Things are changing, and 2012 will change more than I an imagine - but we're not there yet.

(The title "Eat is the new west" was a typo - but I've decided to leave it because I kinda like the sentiment matched with the fried chicken joint)

Am I being shellfish?

I adore the magnificent displays of seafood you often find in Paris streets, much less frequently in London - the London version is far less impressive. Which is why it was such a pleasant surprise to find one outside Bibendum (who are celebrating their 21st birthday this month).

Lobster jokes welcome in the comments box.

Wellington's Camp

The Wellington Statue sits opposite No.1 London, Wellington's house. For those for whom English is not their first language, you may have missed the double entendre - which is probably all to the good. Let's just say the title jumped into my head as I approached the statue from this direction. Gave me a good laugh, anyway. I suppose it must have been a heroic pose once, but maybe not. See a wider view of the monument here.


See where on the London Daily Photo Map

Graf-floory

Mostly, anything written on the floor get worn away quickly, but these anti-car designs just off Brick Lane have been executed in road paint - the stuff they use for white and yellow lines. You can see more of them here.

See where on the London Daily Photo Map

Do you need coaching?

In these cash-strapped days, the coach is enjoying a renaissance as a mode of transport. Victoria Coach Station has been serving the London community since the 30's, and the building is landmark Art Deco (external shot here). They are really well organised, and passengers are kept behind doors until it is time to board. It is certainly an economical way to travel, but if London doesn't form part of your journey, you probably don't have the choice.

I thought it was a joke

What I thought was a joke turns out on closer examination not only to be real, but also of potential use in the gift department.

London firm Suck UK have a range of idiosyncratic gifts and novelties a cut above the "USB Missile" level. Anyone who smokes might well be grateful to receive one of these in their Christmas stocking. And it would be very uncharitable to say I don't care if smokers freeze - if they read this blog, I do care - I don't want to lose readers.

Churchill & London

I couldn't leave the Guildhall (yes, still there, sorry!) without including some of their fine statues. This one of Churchill appealed to me particularly, especially because of the London connection.

Think of London's spirit, and you think of the Blitz, and Churchill was always there, always seen as part of the indomitable spirit that carried us through that war. Here he is in the ruins of the bit of the Guildhall that was bombed.

Building on the past

If you are wondering why the Guildhall is featuring so strongly these last few days, it's because I got to explore it for free on the London Maze.

The London centred Art Gallery and museum is small, but perfectly formed. Not only are there odd bits of London History - like this trowel with magnificent ivory (!!) handle, but also fascinating information. I particularly enjoyed finding out how bit of old buildings get reused in other places. I would say it is worth the modest entrance fee, or it appears you can see a lot more for free on Fridays.

The Guildhall

I've always felt that is London had a heart, the Guildhall is where it beats. The word itself is probably Saxon in origin, and excavation has uncovered a Roman amphitheatre, showing this has been an important site for at least two thousand years.

This shot is of the vaulted arches around the Great Hall that probably date from the 15th Century - the Guildhall was the only non-church stone building to survive the great fire in 1666.

Gog & Magog

Neatly tying together recent events and commemorations, here is the statue of Magog in the Guildhall. Gog & Magog were two giants that were defeated by Brutus, the first king of Britain, and chained where the Guildhall stands. They make the rounds with the Lord Mayor's parade each year, and have done for hundreds of years. These carvings are modern replacements, as the more ancient versions went up in flames in the Blitz.

Read about Gog & Magog's story here.

What makes life meaningful?

This week, the dome of St Paul's Cathedral is being used as a canvas for an artwork commissioned by the Dean called The Question Mark Inside.

"The project seeks to answer the question: ‘what are the things that make modern life meaningful and what does St Paul’s mean in that contemporary context?to us in 2008?'. A stream of possible answers will appear as text projections onto the South elevation of the cathedral dome, the West Front at Ludgate Hill and inside onto the Whispering Gallery. The Question Mark Inside marks the 300th anniversary of the topping out of the Cathedral."

(Don't read anything into my selection of this word - one among many in several languages - I was having great difficulty with my little Canon, this one has the least camera shake)

The Battle of Britain Monument

On the 11th hour, of the 11th day, of the eleventh month, the guns of the First World War fell silent. We forget or ignore this day at our peril.

So today, I bring you the most exceptional Battle of Britain monument. It is unusual in the way that it depicts a very real war, and the lives and experiences of the civilians as well as the military. It is a comparatively new (2005) monument and one which repays close examination. I'd urge you to visit and also to read their website, and in particular the page where the sculptor, Paul Day, describes the work.

Other Daily Photo blogs and others also remember this week.

See where on the London Daily Photo Map

Taxi, anyone?

The London Taxi Drivers' Fund for Underprivileged Children has featured here before, and each year they join in the Lord Mayor's Parade. This year, on the charity's 80th birthday, I reckon they outdid themselves. They had a second cab done up as well as this, too. Well done, them.

The Scent of the Street

Wandering around watching the preparations for the Lord Mayor's Show I came across Wood Street, where a lot of the carriages and horses were getting ready. I caught a whiff of what London must have smelled like a hundred years ago. Fruity, it the best I can say.

Do you measure up?

This is a GOOD story. If you know about London, you may have known about the standards of length to be found in Trafalgar Square and the Greenwich Observatory but did you know about this one in the Great Hall in the Guildhall? You did? OK. But do you know how they came to be there? Let me tell you.

The UK Accounting System until 1782 was tally sticks. That's right, sticks with notches cut in them. So tax records were quite bulky, and kept in the Houses of Parliament along with a few forests representing the accounts. In 1834, they decided they weren't needed any more and gave the job of destroying them to two not very bright caretakers. Who fed them into the boilers. All at once. And did the job Guy Fawkes couldn't manage and burnt down the houses of Parliament. Quite a pretty sight by all accounts, and one that Turner immortalised. But the fire also destroyed the official Imperial Standards of Length, Weight etc so these secondary references were eventually put up in the places we now see.

If you are looking for something to do today, it's the Lord Mayor's Parade, centred on the Guildhall - but you won't be able to go in and see this.

Who you gonna call? Vampire-Busters!!!

I was going to use this picture for October the 31st, when you might have forgiven the quality of the picture when balanced against the potential vampire protection. But what with me being away and all, it didn't work out. But I couldn't ignore it.

This must qualify as one of London's craziest bar & restaurants, with more than a touch of "Fin de Siecle" about it. Garlic with everything. Garlic beer. Garlic shots. Garlic ice cream. They boast of having 101 garlic flavoured shots. I've never been bored enough with life to visit it, the reviews here are varied, to say the least. Their website is here and their menu here. Anyone goes, do let me know.

Before anyone accuses me of being anti-garlic, one of my favourite dishes of all time is a plate of good pasta, with half a dozen or more raw garlic cloves chopped in it, some nice parmigiana, loads of black pepper, and a glass of good red wine to accompany. Can only cook it when I'm on my own, though, and think I will remain that way for a day or so. Not the most social dish.

A bit of Hoxton

This jolly group stand on top of a roundabout in Pitfield Street in Hackney and I have to tell you, it is the most cheerful thing about Hoxton Market. For some interesting and timely stuff about Hoxton, try Diamond Geezer.

Waiting for......

Godot? By the time you read this, the waiting may be over. The 44th President of the USA might be a person who could have been owned as an object by the 16th, (Abraham Lincoln). Wow.

So here is my photo to accompany the moment, it is of the statue of George Washington in Trafalgar Square. What you might not realise is that the statue was given to us by the state of Virginia and out of consideration for George Washington (who swore never to set foot again on British soil) it stands on soil brought over from the USA. And you definitely won't know that was the favourite bit of London of PHX-CDG, a frequent commenter on Paris Daily Photo.