Fortnum & Mason

This is the side entrance for Fortnum & Masons, you can just imagine her maj scurrying in here to pick up that pint of milk she forgot, can't you?

The Beat Generation

Brewer Street in Soho plays host to the Vintage Magazine Shop, a fantastic, eclectic collection of stuff that reminds you of another age not so long ago. Always worth remembering if you are looking for a hard-to-choose-present.

Quis Separbit?

Yes, who will separate (Quis Separbit) bankers from their bonuses? Apparently, nobody. How on earth can they get away with it? The L'Oreal defence (because we're worth it) makes me foam at the mouth. The picture? that's in Pall Mall, by Cockspur Street.

Memento Mori

You never knew him, he was a work colleague of mine, a friend. Dependable, helpful, one of the good guys. At least ten years younger than me with a wife, children and family. Yesterday he went to sleep, and never woke up.

The photo is from one of London's Victorian cemeteries, from an age when they thought appearances were all important.

In the words of someone much older and wiser than I - there is never a right time.

Boy's Toys

I dare say that England, and London specially, are one of the very few places that you will find a business that has been operating for 330 years. is one such, and it probably comes as no surprise that they supply masonic regalia.

London's Elephants - No 33 in a Series

It's been a while, but the frieze on the Prudential building from yesterday is next in that long line of elephants. The first was over four years ago now, there still are some more....


The elephant series is here.

More Goth than Gothic?

Gothic perpendicular, It's a fantastic building, with gargoyles vying with cctv cameras for the high ground, the Prudential Building always seems as if it is newer than it is (late 19th century) while it is trying to be older than it is (14th Century) but I'd dare day everyone who knows it is fond of it. And, it has special relevance to London Daily Photo - more tomorrow.

Refined Lions

The lions to the rear of the British Museum always struck me as being particularly refined, snooty almost, but I like them. Dignified.

Checkout Londonist's Leonine London series if you want to find out more about London's pride of lions.

Bunnyfields

Spitalfields has its Bunnyfields. For all the rather strange public art that has popped up round here, something kids can play with and on makes it my favourite.

On holiday - back soon.

Goodness Gracious, Great Balls of Scaffolding!

The Spitalfields complex has been sprouting bits of art lately, like this. No information around it, and while it does depend on the fascinating way straight lines can turn into curves, it seems to me to be sub-Quantum Cloud. Still, a bit of fun. My favourite of the Spitalfields crop tomorrow.

On holiday - back soon.

Gee, it's a big one...

From the sheer size of this drinking trough you could guess that it is in Smithfield. Very difficult to imagine what the city of London must have looked like at the time, to need a trough this big, and I'm sure they had to queue to get there. There's another large one at Mornington Crescent, but I'm not aware of any other giant ones - anyone?

On holiday - back soon.

The Evolution of White Van Man

In the East End, there have been a number of white vans appearing, clearly voluntarily decorated by graffiti artists. I rather like the idea, but can't report if their standard of driving is better than the average White Van Man.

On holiday - back soon.

Marketing Culture

Seeing this, you would have to find out more, wouldn't you? It's a marketing campaign, cashing in on Facebook, Flickr etc. Turns out that it is a frozen yoghurt, sounds quite nice actually and I am amused by the marketing savvy and the opportunities the name presents - fancy a snog?

On holiday - back soon.

Olympics - Tarred with a commercial brush

Alerted to this event by Diamond Geezer, and being in the area at the time (OK it's true, I'd forgotten about it before I got there) I thought I'd go and see. And yes, it was worse than I thought it would be, even with this Olympic Ice Sculpture. However, a protesting group did highlight a cause I had heard nothing about: saving Canadian Tar Sands. Without taking sides, check it out and see what you think.

On holiday - back soon.

Tell Someone You Love Them - Today!

I thought I'd use Valentine's Day to highlight the British Heart Foundation campaign. Plus, it's a damn fine idea.

Cell Phone!!!

The old Magistrates Court in Great Marlborough Street, is now a hotel and bar. In a fit of fin de siecle decadence, they have retained some of the original features, including some cells complete with (no longer functioning) lavatory.

Free Wheel

It was over a year ago I got a free pair of tickets to the London Eye, and it was high time I took advantage of it, a Night Flight seemed in order.

County Hall

These days, County Hall is a Hotel and at night it's bathed in red for publicity. Ironic that it used to be (London) County Hall and filled with red, which was its downfall.

London's Changing Scene

These days the Intrepid Fox is a posh burger bar with flats above, it used to be one of the oldest pubs in London. At the bottom end of Wardour Street, the clientelle used to be eclectic - film workers, office workers, market workers, sex workers, rock'nroll workers, even people that didn't have to work. Read the story from the Beeb here.

Trendy or what?

I'd love to think this sign in a converted warehouse/trendy Covent Garden shop was ironic but I'm afraid they were just being trendy.

Can I also bring to your attention No Bonus for RBS campaign spearheaded by Bily Bragg? I've always had a lot of time for him, these days he's even making sense. Listen to the whole of his speech he made at Speakers Corner on the obb here. It's really worth listening to: "that...these masters of the universe can do their financial wizardry wherever they are is simply not borne out by the facts". Facebook group is here.

7 BILLION pounds losses, 1.5 BILLION bonuses. Ever get the feeling you are in the wrong job?

Larger Than Life

This huge, spangly shoe certainly grabs your attention, it is advertising the musical Priscilla Queen of the Desert. While it is popular and no doubt entertaining, it's one of those shows lower on my list to visit, given there is so much on the London stage at the moment.

The Arcade Less Travelled

Full points if you recognise this place which may look like other arcades, but I'd be surprised if very many of you have been here. It's Royal Opera Arcade, just behind Pall Mall and not somewhere you are likely to end up by accident. Some interesting shops and galleries there, most notably Stephen Wiltshire. No, the name won't be familiar, but if you saw him in 1987 on the BBC program "The Foolish Wise Ones", you won't have forgotten him. Autistic, at 13, he could draw perfectly detailed architectural drawings from memory. He still can.

On London Streets

You do sometimes see the oddest things on London streets, this was a publicity stunt by Diesel. I was all set to ignore them, but then I found their "Be Stupid" website and rather enjoyed playing with their do-your-own-poem front page. Here's my own stupid effort.

Maharaja Ranjit Singh

My commute to work these days is just short of 30 miles each way, one side of London to another. Train aided in this rough weather (most days) I do get to cycle the western 8 miles. Leaving shortly after six, returning after eight, I've been keeping my eyes open for photo ops as I roll through a particularly bleak part of town but there is little to make me want to stop. It doesn't help it is dark both ways, too. That is, until finding this outside Guru Nanak School. Maharaja Ranjit Singh appears to have been a colourful character in Sikh history, worthy of standing high in the pantheon of a warrior nation. The school has an impressive record conquering exams and Ofsted.

Freeze! You're on Camera!

The frieze around the Odeon in Shaftesbury Avenue is fascinating when you start to look at the detail - just what is going on here? Read some more background of some lesser seen parts of this frieze here, visit the excellent blog on London detail here

Looking into the future

The third generation owning the shop - Staffords Gallery of yesterday - and almost certainly the last. He was telling me that the owners of the land, a housing trust, have been more than doubling the rents asked of the small shops at review. As a result, one by one they are all packing their bags - like "Murder One" and around half a dozen others in the last few years. He expects his demand to arrive in the next year, and that'll be it. Reckons they're going to make the block into a chinese superstore. Just what we need.

Oh, and I've photoshopped Marilyn here