My London Workplaces - No 7

A series of photos from the places I have worked over the years, allowing me to reminisce and chart the changes to London over the years.

We now move to Bedford Row, just behind Holborn. I had moved from the firm of accountants to a client company as their accountant; the building was a bonus with wonderful architectural detail and a sense of place and history. Bedford Row is one of the best preserved streets from the 17th Century in London, and is virtually untouched since I worked there in the early eighties. The names on the doors have changed, that's about it.

My London Workplaces - No 6

A series of photos from the places I have worked over the years, allowing me to reminisce and chart the changes to London over the years.

This pleasant little alley sits behind Regent Street, just by Saville Row. After doing some other stuff, I ended up working for a firm of accountants here. The shabby offices are now long gone, as are almost all the little tailoring workshops, spilling out from Saville Row. A very smart address, but I wasn't there long.

My London Workplaces - No 5

A series of photos from the places I have worked over the years, allowing me to reminisce and chart the changes to London over the years.

Well, it is 1978 and I'm still with EMI, but I've moved to EMI Dancing - the bit that did nightclubs - and the company has moved to Tottenham Court Road. And we were right in the middle of Saturday Night Fever fever.

The new building was part of the renovation of Tottenham Court Road, and a mixed bag for me.The street itself used to be full of odd shops, electrical and ex-WD, and a wonderful treasure trove to trawl through when you had little money. Also, the old building (and the ABC cinema in shot here) was where the Open Space Theatre was housed, the most fantastic London discovery I ewer made, and one that made me a lifelong theatre addict. Losing it was the beginning of the end for the theatre.

But, right at the heart of the disco scene and the World Disco Dancing Championships was a good place for a young lad to be. OK, you know you want the video.

My London Workplaces - No 4

A series of photos from the places I have worked over the years, allowing me to reminisce and chart the changes to London over the years.

Here we are in Golden Square, once the home to EMI, one of the mighty British companies of the sixties (who said, "Beatles"?). Flushed with their success and off the back of their chains of ABC Cinemas and Bingo Halls, they spread their wings into "leisure" - pubs, sports clubs, dance halls. Which meant that they needed accountants, which is where I came in. Living the dream, this was also when I lived in the West End (here). Thinking back, this is really the period when I found the heartbeat of London from which this blog descends.

My London Worlkplaces - No 3

A series of photos from the places I have worked over the years, allowing me to reminisce and chart the changes to London over the years.

After these odd jobs, my first "real" job, not only that, but probably the grandest London location to work in, in Gresham Street just in front of the Guildhall. When I joined Cork Gully, the insolvency accountants, they owned the whole building (which didn't have the tasteless granite front) and Kenneth Cork was not yet the Lord Mayor of London (that was 1978). That was an organisation where standards meant something... typists had to retype a whole page if they made a single mistake, and English had to be perfect. Oh, and one of the (elderly) partners ran off with his secretary.

(I must take more care with my typing
I must take more care with my typing
I must take more care with my typing
I must take more care with my typing
I must take more care with my typing)

My London Workplaces - No 2

A series of photos from the places I have worked over the years, allowing me to reminisce and chart the changes to London over the years.

I suppose the biggest difference between then and now was that all you used to have to do to get a job was to rock up to an employment agency (of which there were hundreds) and say "Gi'us a job". I spent a while doing that : small jobs for about £20 - £30 a week, staying for a while then moving on. This job was as a warehouse clerk at Rose & Hubble of Worship Street in the City, a wholesaler of a fantastic range of fabrics. They are still about, but I doubt that most of their fabrics are still made in the UK. My memories? Climbing on top of the racks of fabric to have a crafty snooze, playing cards during lunchtime with Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon in the background, and dubious substances in the air. Hard to imagine a warehouse in this prime office territory, now.

My London Workplaces - No 1

A series of photos from the places I have worked over the years, allowing me to reminisce and chart the changes to London over the years.

Appropriately enough my first two job locations were the hardest to photograph as the buildings have disappeared completely. My first job was helping out in a sheet metal factory. Back in the early 70's this part of the East End, Shoreditch, was full of small workshops and factories. There are still one or two, but they are very much the exception. There were also a number of "stripper" pubs that provided workers with entertainment, this photo shows two that were both pubs then, now one calls itself a "Gentleman's Bar" the other a "Table Dancing Venue". The second job was selling sticky tape over the telephone, from a little garret office in teh Shoreditch High Street.

Ping London

Ping London has placed numbers of ping pong tables all around London, all part of an effort to get 1,000,000 to take up sports in the run up to 2012. Dunno if it will work, but it looks fun. This one is in the Broadgate Centre.

London Damplands

Appropriately for a damp Monday morning, I'd like to draw your attention to the way an ordinary fountain just by Guildhall has been transformed into a mini wetland, complete with bullrushes and fish. Well worth a look if you are in the area.

Cineroleum

London is the sort of city where anything can happen, including a derelict petrol station turning into a cinema. The Cineroleum website is here, I quite fancy .Metropolis

The Boris Bike

One major event I missed while I was away was the launch of London's Cycle Hire Scheme. Dubbed the Boris Bike (Lumbering, heavy, and more corporate sponsorship than you can believe) - even though it was Ken wot did it - they get my unreserved thumbs up. It's good that London has finally joined the increasing number of major cities that provide this, it is good that more people are likely to start using bikes and it is good that it should help move opinion away from the "them and us" that exists at the moment for cyclists and drivers in London. Find out more about the scheme here.

Mr Toad

London in summer is a great place to be, one of the advantages is the number of free outdoor performances, like that of Mr Toad at , The Scoopby City Hall. It appear there are even jokes about newts invading the corridors....


Go on, get down there, you know you want to.

Millennium Measure

Tucked under the Millennium Bridge is the Worshipful Company of Scientific Instrument Makers Millennium Measure. It is a fascinating piece, 2,000mm tall representing 2,000 years of history it has a beauty that is difficult to capture. I rather like the way it somehow echoes the buildings.

Holiday Snapshot #2 - Batumi

Stil a bit disorganised, so another holiday snap. This is in Batumi, Geoorgia's premier Black Sea resort, and shows the spirit of the new country emerging. Across the land factories from the soviet era stand derilict, and little is produced, the Georgian government is putting their effort into turning the country into a tourist destination. This square, with Jason & the Golden Fleece is a perfect representation of the new Georgia.

Here's a link to (some of) the photos, I will get around to changing the captions at some stage. However, a lot of them are geotagged, which means that the "View Map" function is kinda fun.

Show me round your snow peaked mountains way down south

Well hi there, I'm back and Georgia was astonishingly beautiful, with good food, wine and a warm welcome, what could be wrong? As ever, here is a quick holiday snap, I'm organising the rest of the photos but that might take a while. You are looking at Shkhara, (near Ushguli) at 5,200 metres one of the higher mountains you will ever get up close and personal to. We walked along the valley towards the basecamp.

Very relaxing, good to be back, but a lot of catching up to do.

Time's Arrow

This lamp was added to the front of the Armourer's Hall in the 1870's, I rather liked it.


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Arms and the Hall

This is the arms of the Armourer's Company, where the hall has been on the site since 1346 escaping the Great Fire and the Blitz. I'd rather like to have a look inside. I suspect they were the influence on the arms on the bollard yesterday.


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.

Bollards to That

I came across this odd insignia on a bollard around Cutler Street, not certain what it relates to, but I have an idea, more tomorrow.


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.

Bob's Books

Books or gold, your choice. Obvious connection.


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.

Mon Plaisir

A quick recommendation today, Mon Plaisir is one of the best, oldest French restaurants in London. You will find it in Monmouth Street.


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.

Pop Goes the Weasel

In the nursery rhyme, "Half a pound of tuppeny rice, half a pound of treacle, that's the way the money goes, pop goes the weasel", the "pop" is the pawn shop where a hard up wife might take her fur (weasel) for a short term loan. I don't think this is the same pop.


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.

Basic Building Technique

We don't always get it right, do we? These buildings behind New Oxford Street are unlikely to stand the test of time.


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Up and Over

Sorry it is so hard to see, but I was rather impressed by the fun this kid was having. You will have to look carefully at the bigger picture.



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Watching the World Go By

Is it only me that thinks these sort of pony tails make it look as if his hair is slipping off his head?

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The Building Skeleton

This is what remains of a warehouse in the City, now a car park. A curious usage.

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The New School Building Program

Says it all really.

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