London's Better by Bike - Hovis Freewheel 2007

On Sunday, motorised traffic was banned for 14Km of roads in the centre of London and over 30,000 38,000 cyclists of all ages piled in to enjoy the experience. It is the first time this has been done - Hovis sponsored it and gave away sandwiches to everyone, lots of other stuff being handed out too, the favourite objects of munificence were cycle water bottles, all gratefully received. I laughed out loud when I got one from Thames Water. It leaked. So did the second. You couldn't have made it up.

There was a real party atmosphere and it showed just how many people could move about freely and safely and with no more pollution than the odd burst of methane. More photos here.

Other cyclists went too. Onionbagblog report here

Free Nelson Mandela

Can I have one please? It's funny, twenty odd years ago when I chanted the slogans along with everyone else, I didn't really know what I was saying. And now, the world has moved. The tectonic plates have shifted.The established order has changed. And Nelson Mandela has a statue in Parliament Square.

The change that we have seen in our lives is truly awesome. In years to come, I believe this period will be seen as pivotal in our history.

If you want to be transported back 23 years, click here.

Seaford House

I must squeeze in to this week the other Open House propoerty I visited. It was completely at random - I passed by and decided to drop in. Seaford House is the "Defence Acadamy" where the army learn how to fight, but the building is rather good, anyway. You can read its history here. Apart from the architecture, it uses jade where other houses use marble, and this spectacular ceiling, you also have the opportunity to sit and take tea, and make believe it's your own house.

Step Back in Time

This week, The Way We See It took me to Crown Passage, a tiny backstreet in St James, close to Clarence House. With a pub, some restaurants and a greasy spoon it's just the sort of place you could imagine Prince Charles sneaking out to buy a bacon butty. And even if he can't he probably dreams of it.

In this narrow alley, Lock & Co, hatters for 330 years, have this shop window that seems from a different age.

A Polecat

Today's photo comes from the British Wildlife Centre which is technically outside London, but it's near to London airport (Gatwick) and it was part of my birthday present so I'm entitled to.

Now I'm not normally a nature photographer, if you want the best of that you need to go to London Daily Nature Photo or one of Abraham Lincoln's blogs. But on Monday I joined in one of the Centre's photography day and came away with a great experience with the British animals you very rarely see and a bundle of pictures of wildcats, otters,red squirells and more. Some of the rest of my photos are here.

For those interested in technical info, they are mostly taken with my Olympus E510 with body based IS, using the amazingly inexpensive Sigma 55-200 which is 35mm equivalent of 400mm lens handheld at speeds as low as 1/50. No post-production, most of the shots in the gallery are just developed from RAW in Lightroom, many are full frame, some are cropped.

Aspley House - No 1 London

This naked statue of Napoleon Bonaparte, as Mars, by Canova, stands in the stairwell of the Duke of Wellington's town house. Although you can pay entrance throughout the year, on the weekend Open House it was free, so I made my way down.

It's not entirely certain whether the Duke placed the statue there in triumph or in respect. What is certain is that Napoleon's sring of victories had been brought to an end. Trivia of the day: it was this event with the statue going to Wellington that prompted Napoleon to first use the expression "from the sublime to the ridiculous".

The house itself houses the 1st Duke's fantastic art collection and has other items and memorabillia of his campaigns that actually make it well worth the entrance money. I recommend it to you.(Especially if you are a fan of Bernard Cornwell's "Sharp" novels)

Ordinary Londoners - No 9 in a series

Game on! Courtesy of London Open House I was among the first to go on a tour of the 2012 Olympics site. I also had the privilige of meeting Daley Thompson, Olympic gold athlete, all round good guy and an ordinary Londoner. He has associated himself with these games from the very beginning and has put his efforts into helping sport at the grass roots. This is a Londoner we can all be proud of.

I'd like to take this opportunity to say a few words to those who don't think these games are a good thing, First, consider whether your view makes you the sort of person who knows the price of everything and the value of nothing. Then there is one simple fact: when the games are over and done with, you are really going to look very silly. Nothing personal, but I'm sorry, it's true.

Mr Geezer has been doing some stirling Open House coverage, my small contribution will be tomorrow.

The Ordinary Londoners Series: No 1, No 2, No 3, No 4 No 5 No 6 No 7.No 8.

Soft Rock

As Dianne pointed out yesterday, on Saturday I was up very bright and very early for to take some photos, which is why there was nobody around the elephants. Nobody was up that is, except for these people queuing to get their money out of Northern Rock. As we watch the financial equivalent of panic buying bringing down a bank - that is, the crisis is caused by a lack of understanding combined with fear and heard instinct - and feel sorry for those who will now end up losers, I couldn't help but see the humour in this scene.

London's Elephants - No 19 in the series

The idea behind "Trunks Meet Trunks" in Hyde Park is to make you stop and consider the importance of wildlife corridors. The beauty is, there is not just one elephant here, but a whole herd.

These beasts are truly compelling, and they will only be here until the 18th, I would throughly recommend a visit. If you can't get there, here are a range of pachyderm connected activities you can do wherever you are.

Thanks to Dianne for bringing these to my attention.

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Dieu et mon droit

Seeing the Queen's coat of arms on the Royal Opera House, I thought how many people see it, without realising how much it is a distillation of the history and tradition of our country.

It's been around one way and another for 900 years, since Richard the Lionheart. In the centre shield, the three lions represent England, the single lion Scotland, and the harp, Ireland. Around them is the motto of the most exclusive club in the land - the Order of the Garter - Honi Soit Qui Mal y Pense - Shame to him who evil thinks. There are 26 members - the Monarch, the Prince of Wales and 24 chosen by the Monarch. These are the folks one up from the Knights Templar

And underneath it, the words that sum up the monarchy - Dieu et mon droit - God and my right.

Heavenly gates

The old, Victorian, London is never far from the surface, here is St Anne's Catholic Church in Underwood Road in the back streets of the East End. It was the amazing ironwork on the door which caught my eye.

The last butterflies of summer

As the weather in London changes and moves into autumn, the butterfiles disappear for another year so I thought you might like a last glimpse of them, courtesy of the warmer weather we've had over the last few days. I particularly like the way the butterflies have found their way into the cloth, too.

And now for something completely different

3,732 in one month is quite a lot of spam, probably because I have my email address on this page, but this is the Palace Theatre and Spamalot, part of the cornucopia of delight that is London's theatreland. Here is a short history of spamming, from the Monty Python sketch onwards.

What's the link between....

Sex Pistols, Muddy Waters, The Kinks, Jackie Wilson, The Who, Humphrey Littleton, The Clash? Yes, that's right, they've all appeared at The 100 Club, in Oxford Street. That sign and the narrow doorway is all you can see from outside, most will pass by. But for years, this has been one of the best, most intimate music venues in London.

See where on the London Daily Photo Map

One Week Left

To get down to Appearing Rooms, which has been revisiting Southbank. The idea of this water sculpture (just along from The Big Giving) is that as you walk through the ‘rooms’, you must carefully consider the patterns of rising and falling water if you are to leave the space without getting wet.

Multicultural London

The phrase "mutlicultural" alway suggests exotic, easily visible communities. But the truth is a lot more subtle. This is (one of the) Welsh chapels in London, in Eastcastle Street. Just like any other community, the Welsh in London seek to keep their identity.

A moment in time

Do you ever get the sensation of sliding past other people's lives? Like a tableau glimpsed out of the window of a speeding train? I believe that the larger the city, like London, the more intense that feeling can be.

This photo was taken in Postman's Park (see a few days ago) but it could have been almost anywhere, anytime.

You will have to make up your own story, I can't tell you any more except that I like this as a photo.

Ordinary Londoners - No 8 in a series

Akram, here, was part of a London Fire Brigade team who had just demonstrated the way they cut people out of cars. It was fascinating to see, and pretty fast, it didn't take much more than 10 minutes to do, all the while explaining what was happening. But, overheard from a lady with a few screaming brats <<"eastendaccent">> Well, you would have thought they could have prepared better and done all this beforehand <<"/eastendaccent">>

Akram really is one of my ordinary Londoners: originally from Afghanistan, now in Ilford Fire Station, he is one of the brave people who might just save your life one day. That's an Ordinary Londoner.


The Ordinary Londoners Series: No 1, No 2, No 3, No 4 No 5 No 6 No 7.

Slow but sure

L'Escargot is a London institution. It has a varied and incident filled history, dating from 1927 when it was opened with a snail farm in the basement. It is the first owner, M.Gaudin, you see astride this mollusc. These days it is a restaurant of the first order and in common with many such establishments, their fixed price lunch menu represents excellent value for money. What would you rather do - spend £12 in a Pizza hut, or £24 here?

Of course, you can always go toParis if you want snails.

Cold is Hot

The Smithfield Meat Market has undergone vast changes over recent years, and in a lot of the old buildings have been given over to different uses. The old Central Cold Store is now a Power Station for the city.

See where on the London Daily Photo Map