City Churches

One of the features of the Celebrate the City weekend was that most of the churches were open, with the opportunity to go in and find out more. Here, we are at St Lawrence Jewry a Wren Church, rebuilt after the fire, and then after the Blitz

The Guildhall Art Gallery

For lovers of London, this place is a "must see", the pictures that take you through the history of London bring it to life in the way art can. This image, by the staircase down is one of my very favourites. It is by William Logsdail and depicts the Lord Mayor's procession in 1888. The quality of the image created is astonishing, you could spend all day looking at the hundreds of characters in the background, the quality is nigh on photographic. I've posted a small section of detail here, I would urge you to examine it closely. Unfortunately, although cameras are allowed this painting is behind glass and was almost impossible to get a usable image without reflection, I couldn't get the whole scene.

A Sporting Arena

While excavating for improvements In the Guildhall Art Gallery, they discovered teh remains of a Roman Amphitheatre. This discovery is quite thrilling, providing as it does a direct link to London's lost past, and the significance of London for thousands of years. The remains themselves aren't as awe inspiring as, say, those at Cesarea, but the Gallery has done a great job of bringing them to life, as here.

Dressing Up

Still with Celebrate the City, I love how some people just have "old" faces and look so right in period clothes. Doesn't she look at home?

Monging your Coster

The Guildhall yard turned itself over to stalls mostly manned by the city companies, like the master painter and decorators, or here, the fruiterers. It was fascinating to look at them, used to markets as we are, and realise that their ancestors in spirit had plied their trades in London for over 2,000 years. Pretty good display of fruit and veg, as well.

The Legacy

It's interesting that the Olympic legacy has a much wider brief than people expect. Over the last couple of years money has been pouring into the east end in lots of small ways. This green space just off the Roman Road is less than a mile from teh main stadium. No vistors are ever likely to get here, but in common with many other similar spaces it has had a makeover.

Celebrate the City

This weekend was the Celebrate the City festival. I got out and about but nothing much summed it up as much as this picture outside the Guildhall.

More Alms

This is another Alms House, Trinity House in Mile End Road, the inscription is worth repeating here:

wherein 28 decayed Masters and Commanders of Ships or ye widows of such are maintain'd' were built by the Corporation of Trinity House in 1695. The ground was given by Captain Henry Mudd of Ratcliff, an elder brother whose widow did also contribute

You're looking at the chapel, the houses are much less grand and mostly restored from being bombed in the war.

Almshouses

They must exist in other capitals, but London's Almshouses stand out for me. Those we see were mostly built from the early 18th Century onwards, like these, Mercer Cottages, in the East End. Small but perfectly proportioned, they are a lot more pleasing on the eye than much social housing these days.

Is Banksy Back?

I appear to have missed seeing this for a while, even though on the junction of New Oxford and Museum Streets it is on my commute. It feels a lot like Banksy, and it looks a lot like Banksy, but he has been mostly notable by his absence over recent years. I'd like to think it is.

Bow Church

You do need to look at Google Maps to see how isolated this 700 year old church is amongst the traffic on the busy A11 Bow Road. This is right at the heart of Diamond Geezer' stamping ground, so it no surprise he wrote an excellent précis of its history.

Traffic in the Future

There are a number of schemes around the place which look to make streets a better place for all, the way forward seems to be to bring down barriers. Street, pavement, it's all one space. The idea being that people take more notice when you force them to take responsibility. I'm all for that, part of why I don't like cycle lanes. This in Poplar is one such. However, deep in the East London badlands, it loses effectiveness, and people don't seem to take a blind bit of notice.

Graffiti

Been a while since I've posted a bit of graffiti, there's a story here but I'm not sure what. Found around Brick Lane.

Sunday Market

It's been a few years since you could buy that many Petticoats in Petticoat Lane, but it is still a place to head for cheap clothes.

The Alternative Heron in the Water

There is a heron in the water here, in Spitalfields, can you see it? That's right, that is the Heron Building you can see there.

Stratford Badlands

Not all of Stratford has been gentrified. Here, less than half a mile from the main site is a building who had the bad luck to be in the wrong place at the right time. It lies derelict, waiting for the rising tide to wash it away.

A Sandwich Course

London businesses have moved to the outskirts of London, here in Bow I found the barn like building for Greencore who apparently make sandwiches here. Don't know about you, it's not very pretty but my mind boggled.

A real coke-head

This statue, on a scrappy piece of grass hidden behind the gasometers is of Sir Corbet Woodall, who ran the Gas Light & Coke Company around the turn of the 20th Century, but it makes a pleasant feature for the Eastern European workers who gather round for a smoke and natter. There is another famous coke head, Thomas Coke who built Holkham Hall in Norfolk, well worth a visit if you are thereabouts.

Not Quite London

I have a tradition of sharing a holiday photo; this is where I have been all the last week, walking in Mallorca. A sublime experience I recommend entirely, you only have to move a kilometre from the tourist centres to find unsullied, unspoiled, inspiring countryside, here is the trail and geotagged photos, the other days walks are on my Everytrail, too. Oh, and it is heaven for cycling, too.

Stratford Past & Present - the Gasometers

These Gasometers are now unused but listed, I recommend reading Diamond Geezer on the subject. Gas used to be stored in the massive tanks which would rise and fall with usage. Sunday afternoons, you could watch them drop.

Stratford Past & Present - Old Meets New

In this shot, you can see the new path come to an abrupt end and the old gasometers across the way, be back to show you more of that tomorrow.

If you were expecting Jubilee photos, I apologise - I managed to book a holiday away before realising quite when. In the meantime, photos continue in my absence if Blogger behaves.

Stratford Past & Present - Stratford Skyline

Well, here's something new - a decent skyline. In the past, there were some tower blocks - 60's built council accommodation that were desperate to improve their image. They've done it now.

If you were expecting Jubilee photos, I apologise - I managed to book a holiday away before realising quite when. In the meantime, photos continue in my absence if Blogger behaves.

Stratford Past & Present - Landscaping

This area here was a flat, barren, desolate space. Using some of the soil from teh Olympics build, the area has been transformed. With a scattering of wild flower seeds, it is even quite pretty.

If you were expecting Jubilee photos, I apologise - I managed to book a holiday away before realising quite when. In the meantime, photos continue in my absence if Blogger behaves.

Stratford Past & Present - Unseen Transport

The canals weren't used as much as I thought they might be, but they still took a welcome amount of traffic off the roads during construction. They had to upgrade the lock facilities, though.

If you were expecting Jubilee photos, I apologise - I managed to book a holiday away before realising quite when. In the meantime, photos continue in my absence if Blogger behaves.

Stratford Past & Present - Gentrification

Another of the benefits of the Olympics can be seen with what has been done with the dock here. It was always pleasant, but much more of a backwater.

If you were expecting Jubilee photos, I apologise - I managed to book a holiday away before realising quite when. In the meantime, photos continue in my absence if Blogger behaves.

Stratford Past & Present - The Wastebasket

I believe this wooden sculpture is sponsored by Ikea, if you have an idle moment you might enjoy the Punks Not Dad video (keep an eye out for the product names).

Part of the changes wrought by the Olympics can be seen here - the path on the left was completely overgrown and unpassable for a long while.

If you were expecting Jubilee photos, I apologise - I managed to book a holiday away before realising quite when. In the meantime, photos continue in my absence if Blogger behaves.

Stratford Past & Present - Seat of Learning

I thought I'd have a wander through Stratford and the surrounding area and see some of the old, the new and how it has changed. This building is now part of the University of East London, started life in 1892 as "West Ham Technical Institute".

The institute was to be a “people’s university” in the words of John Passmore Edwards, speaking at the building’s opening ceremony. The college provided courses in science, engineering and art and also established its own internal degree courses in science and engineering, which were ratified by the University of London. In addition, it had a Women's Department.

If you were expecting Jubilee photos, I apologise - I managed to book a holiday away before realising quite when. In the meantime, photos continue in my absence if Blogger behaves.

The Changing Face of Stratford

Five years ago, I cycled up to the top of Stratford Centre car park and took a photo and thought "wouldn't it be good to come back here regularly?" and of course I haven't been back since. If you would like to see the change over a series of 45 photos, Diamond Geezer did it here.

If you were expecting Jubilee photos, I apologise - I managed to book a holiday away before realising quite when. In the meantime, photos continue in my absence if Blogger behaves.

Oysters, anyone?

Again around Columbia Road, you can even find one of London's only oyster stalls. I love an oyster but they used to be "poor man's food" in days gone by. As you can see from the limited availability, we in London aren't as enthusiastic over these bivalve molluscs as they are in France, for example.

June Thene Day - Tranquil-a-tree

Another month another worldwide city photo theme day, and this theme is Tranquillity, and I offer for your edification one of the most tranquil and grand of trees, the London Plane, the tree that more than any other shapes London streets and parks.

To find out how others have interpreted the theme, click here to view thumbnails for all participants