Words Can Burn

Just outside the Museum of London is the Aldersgate Flame, a sculpture commemorating John Wesley's conversion experience.


I'm off on holiday now, so automatic posting for a while. As long as it works. I will be out of Internet contact for most of the time, have a good time without me.

Museum of London Treasures - 5

A few days on the riches of the Museum of London, especially for those who can't make it themselves for whatever reason. The rest of you - get down here!

The phoenix rising from the flame is a modern sculpture, and captures something of the true essence of London.

The Museum website lets you wander about. This is the last museum photo.


I'm off on holiday now, so automatic posting for a while. As long as it works. I will be out of Internet contact for most of the time, have a good time without me.

Museum of London Treasures - 4

A few days on the riches of the Museum of London, especially for those who can't make it themselves for whatever reason. The rest of you - get down here!

It's a little frightening but I just about remember Lyons Tea Houses, great to see it recreated. The Museum website lets you wander about, too.


I'm off on holiday now, so automatic posting for a while. As long as it works. I will be out of Internet contact for most of the time, have a good time without me.

Museum of London Treasures - 3

A few days on the riches of the Museum of London, especially for those who can't make it themselves for whatever reason. The rest of you - get down here!

There's a lot about the museum to involve everyone including children, this interactive display has no obvious buttons, and the image is projected. The Museum website lets you wander about, too.


I'm off on holiday now, so automatic posting for a while. As long as it works. I will be out of Internet contact for most of the time, have a good time without me.

Museum of London Treasures - 2

A few days on the riches of the Museum of London, especially for those who can't make it themselves for whatever reason. The rest of you - get down here!

These boots are fantastic in the detail, from a time when you would sit near enough to see them. The Museum website lets you wander about, too.


I'm off on holiday now, so automatic posting for a while. As long as it works. I will be out of Internet contact for most of the time, have a good time without me.

Museum of London Treasures - 1

A few days on the riches of the Museum of London, especially for those who can't make it themselves for whatever reason. The rest of you - get down here!

This is a detail of the lift installed in Selfridges in 1928, how grand must it have been then. The Museum website lets you wander about, too.


I'm off on holiday now, so automatic posting for a while. As long as it works. I will be out of Internet contact for most of the time, have a good time without me.

Perseverance Works

Perseverance works, or so I am told. Well, it is coming up to five years on this blog, so who am I to argue? The old factory site is now the "Creative Hub of Shoreditch", shame there is no info on their site about the history.


I'm off on holiday now, so automatic posting for a while. As long as it works. I will be out of Internet contact for most of the time, have a good time without me.

Outdoor Bathing

Just behind the church is a strange open space with a stranger water feature. While I was there it was being appreciated by London's pigeons.

I'm off on holiday now, so automatic posting for a while. As long as it works. I will be out of Internet contact for most of the time, have a good time without me.

Grave Tidings

Sat in a corner of Hackney is one of London's older churches, the Church of St John at Hackney, which can trace its history back to the 13th century. The churchyard graveyard has particular fine examples of Victorian florid, though. Like this one: "...leaving an affectionate husband and twelve children to deplore their irreparable loss"

A Cup Runneth Over

Call me old fashioned but paying £2.50 for a fairy cake, just because you call it a cupcake doesn't seem very attractive to me. Peggy's Cupcakes claim to be London's best cupcakes, I am in no position to argue. They are pretty, though.

Blackfriars Bridge on Blackfriars Bridge

We are now used to scaffolding covering up major buildings carrying an image of the building they are hiding, but this is a little different. Blackfriars Bridge is currently part of a major rebuilding project, transforming Canon Street Blackfriars Station, So, over the hoardings they have installed paintings of what you might see if they weren't there.

Cycle Superhighway

The Cycle Superhighways are open for business! Huzzah! or maybe not. I'm not sure how to write the noise of a damp squib, but that is certainly more appropriate. I do welcome anything that increases awareness of cyclists and encourages more onto their bikes so for that score, I think it succeeds in part. However, the general consensus appears mostly negative, even from those who don't actually cycle.

Carnival

No, not the Notting Hill one, but the one. I was roped in to photograph the event for one of the schools participating and it was great to see so many having a good time. Waltham Forest is one of the more diverse communities, things like this must be good to help fuse them together.

One Has a Telephone

Now you might not expect to see a "By Royal Appointment" crest on a telephone exchange, but this is Belgravia. I can't help thinking how much fun it might have been to live around here and get a crossed line....

Perspective

At first glance this Trompe l'Oeil feature on the side of Wilbrahim house is interesting but unexceptional. That is, until you notice that the wall has been constructed for it. Wilbrahim house if full of little visual jokes and is one of those places I would dearly love to see the inside of.

Specialist Bookshops

Part of the beauty of a city the size of London is that it supports a myriad of more eclectic interests. I have no interest in acquiring one, but I am very happy that anyone who wants can get a copy of Monorails of the World, or BR Diesels (Volume 1). Ian Allan has been around for almost 70 years, I hope they are here for at least 70 more.

Greensmiths

So what can you do to improve the provenance of the food you eat? Easy, just choose what you buy carefully, there are more places like this every day, Greensmiths in Lower Marsh, selling responsibly produced food. This shop is a little different, in that it sells all manner of food, and serves rather good food, too.

Not the answer for everyone, as I recognise that many can't afford the cost premium, but the more places like this, the more advantages will flow down to all.

Moove over darling

Don't get moody on me just because this isn't my photo, I herd about this event from Friends of the Earth, but I couldn't hoof it down to the tube to see it. This udderly amazing idea is the start of a fun moovement to draw attention to the deforestation impact of factory farming. Cowmooters today encowntered these bovine travellers on their whey into work. I love the way they are being ignored by the London tube travellers. A cow in the carriage? OK. I wonder if you can tell whether it is going to rain from a cow standing up in the tube?

The issue, according to FoE is:

Factory farming demands massive amounts of soy - a key ingredient in animal feed. Most of this comes from huge soy plantations in Latin America.

Vast areas of land have to be cleared to grow the soy, causing deforestation, greenhouse gas emissions,the loss of valuable wildlife habitat.

The story is here. Personally, I always like to know that what I buy is responsibly sourced, I wouldn't want the future of the planet on my cownscience.

Picked up in Going Underground, too. And this may not be the most musical version, but it is the most amusing.

Face Up To It

Just outside Southwark Station on the Jubilee line is a display of portraits called Linear by Dryden Goodwin. It's a collection of 60 drawings of workers on the Jubilee line, On its own, it's worth a look, but the online show of the drawings being made with clips of conversation are something else - do have a click, a look and listen. The story behind the work is here.

Mansion House

Todays house is unashamedly grand. Mansion House was built in 1752 for the Lord Mayor of London to live, entertain and further the business of the City of London, it serves that purpose to this day. They do paid for tours every Tuesday (I've never been) but they do throw open their doors for the "Open Doors" festival, so I may just try to make it this time.

The Builder's House

Back in the 19th century, when today's London was being built, life was very different from today. There were no megacorp builders, instead there would be a small family business that would often buy up and develop a whole road. And, often as not, they would build their own house in the street. That would be obvious because it would be bigger and grander than the rest. You can always tell which one it was.

When the Saints Go Marching

This church, All Saints Margaret Street is a hidden gem, built in 1850, London has crept up around it so that now from the outside you pass it by in the blink of an eye. But, that's a shame because it is stupendous, a Gothic revival masterpiece. According to John Betjeman, "It was here, in the 1850s, that the revolution in architecture began". This is all you can see from the road, so next time you are in the area, do pop in and have a look.

Who Put the Nal into Arsenal?

The Arsenal Football club got its name when the workers in Woolwich Royal Arsenal, south of the river, put together a team in 1886 (yes, the people that made guns). When that fizzled out, they moved the club to Highbury in 1913 since when it has always been pretty successful. This shot is from outside their new "Emirates Stadium".

History in Motion

The walk along from Greenwich to Woolwich is one of the more interesting vistas, all the more so at the moment when the last section to Greenwich is cut off, meaing that if you find your way to it, it is much quieter than usual. Up by Greenwich Reach there is an information board which is interesting, for a change. Knowing a lot of you cannot make it there, here is an album of the trivia snippets, enjoy.

7th July

It is now five years since the 7th July London bombings ripped through our complacency, 52 people killed and 700 injured. It is probably time to move on, but never forget the events of that day. To be honest I'm not sure what the lesson is, maybe just to make us think. Which is why I chose this almost abstract photo of moonshine over London, it could be so many things. So many possibilities, all depends on the way you see it.

Well, it surprised me

Every now and again I am surprised by what I find, and Cadogan Hall is one such place. Nestled behind Sloane Square, I've never been there and never before heard of it as a venue. You can have a look inside on their video channels (the RPO looks to be a good bet). Worth a visit, I'd say.

Fishingboat Bobbing Thames

The Thames is a living river, and if you walk out past Greenwich you come across small boats, people sized. I like that. And the title? If you don't recognise the reference to Dylan Thomas, Under Milk Wood you can hear it here. And trivia of the day, Dylan Thomas talks about a place called Llareggub. "Llareggub" sounds wonderfully Welsh, but is actually "Bugger All" spelled backwards.

Streetlife

Recent days have been warm in London, and so have hte nights. Normally, we don't have much of a real street cafe culture because of our weather, but it never ceases to amaze me how quickly we adapt and come out of our shells. It's a bit like the desert blooming after the rain. On nights like these, Broadway Market in Hackney is one of the very best places to be, with a happy atmosphere that you can almost eat. And here's the ten minute version.

Hang on In There

Today's location is the same as yesterdays, but it made me smile. And also, suggests they don't tak art too seriously which has to be a good thing.

The Saatchi Gallery

I suspect that people think that because the Saatchi Gallery is private, that it either costs money to enter or it is their to sell art. But it isn't, it is entirely free and has an amazing collection of modern art, including a lot of the stuff that you have to see just to wonder at why people (at least, Charles Saatchi) pay money for it. This was the first time I'd wandered in, but I will go back when I have more time.

Well, blow me. I lined this post up two days ago (for yesterday, before I realised it was a theme day) and what happens? He only goes and hits the news.

July Theme Day - Reflections

Another month, another theme day. This time the theme is Reflections, which in this instance can make even the Dome appear glamourous. If you would like to see how this has been interpreted in other cities around the world, click here to view thumbnails for all participants