India or London?

Which country are we in today?

This beautiful Sikh temple is the Gurdwara Karamsar, in Ilford. The stonewok on the front is carved, and it took eleven stonemasons from Rajasthan eighteen months to complete. The craftsmanship is truly awesome - do have a look at the detail, I have posted other pics on My Other Stuff. It is based on the Gurdwara Karamasar, in Rara Sahib, Ludhiana.

Fascinating fact of the day: In the Sikh (rember to pronounce the "H") religion, women have equal standing with men.

Today's theme for City Photo Bloggers was suggested by Jenny of Sharon, CT Daily Photo: places in our own cities that look like other countries. Why not travel around the ring to see what other cities have joined this theme? You can also visit the Indian subcontinent in Bangalore, Mumbai and Chennai on the Daily Photo blogroll.

All Souls, Langham Place

"Music does not become something but something may become music." I have come back to the BBC church, All Souls Langham Place, outside the BBC, because once again I'd like to recommend you listen to another bit of radio. It's the fourth Daniel Barenboim Reith Lecture, and if you only listen to one, listen to the first.

This week, he is talking in Israel to an Arab audience. Listen all the way through, including to the questions at the end and you will hear the answer to "Can we hear the music when the guns are so loud?"

This is the link to the First Lecture, this is the fourth.

Battersea Power Station

Battersea Power Station is an enigmatic place. A derilict site with a landmark Art Deco building in the heart of London.

So what to do with it? Pink Floyd tied a pink pig to it. the locals had plans for it. It has astonishing visual impact. And now, it is going to be an Entertainment Complex. Maybe.

Just can't find decent builders, can you?

What's this all about? Regulars here will guess that there will be more than a pile of bricks to talk about.

Today, I have come to Noble Street in the City of London. Back in 1940, the German air raids destroyed quite a lot in this part of London, but at the same time they uncovered this slice of time - the Roman Defences to Londinium dating from AD 200. They had been built over and over again as the years passed, and you can see the layers almost like rings on a tree. The bombed site remained undeveloped for a long while, and has now been incorporated into the modern office buildings on either side. They've done a good job of providing public viewing access.

I like standing on the walkway, imagining the sound of roman sandals on the ramparts.

And even if this wasn;t sufficient to merit a pilgrimage on its own, there is the excellentMuseum of London just next door.

So what do you think this is?

I took today's pic on the way out of the docks. I called in to Trinity Buoy Wharf, which is a little anomaly in the glittering new docklands that rose from the ashes of the old. Here, you can still find old, ramshackle, buildings, and even the new buildings are low rise and fit in with the old: a new arts and workshop centre is being built here. In one corner, huddled together as if to hide from the scrap man, is a rag-tag collection of old dock implements and machinery, with a couple of display boards explaing their function. This was a bag chute, used in warehouses and granaries to move bags between floors.

The best way to get here is by bike - I'll be back to show you some more of this corner of unseen London.

Who you gonna call? Coffeebusters!!!

Well I wouldn't normally promote this multinational chain, but the free coffee was astonishingly welcome yesterday, on a wet and miserable London marathon day. I could REALLY do with this tanker approach sometimes. Anybody else seen this?

By the way, as a coffee addict, I really enjoyed finding this blog of a London Daily Photo reader.

The London Marathon

Today was the day of the London Marathon, when 40,000 people thunder around 25 miles (40Km) of London streets.

I went down to see them and cheer them on at Canary Wharf, around 17 miles (27Km) into the race. The atmosphere is great, all the spectators cheer on the runners, most of whom have their names (or monikers like "Billy No Mates") on their shirts, so that people can cheer them on. I've put a selection of shots on My Other Stuff, for you to see. The fun runners, in all manner of costumes are astonishing - the ones in my shots are all up with the pace.

I am full of admiration for these runners - well done to all.

I'm just a sweet transvestite...

The Royal Court Theatre is 50 years old! This is in Sloane Square (like yesterday) and where I saw the first run of the Rocky Horror show in 1975. The composite pic on My Other Stuff iincludes my copy of the "Time Warp" instructions which dropped from the ceiling. Don't know the Rocky Horror story? - then this is the shortest precis (performed by bunnies in 30 seconds).


BBC Radio is running a series of plays to commemorate the 50th anniversary, and you can hear the last one here.

Let's do the Time Warp again!

I'd also like to bring to mind another play I saw at the Royal Court - Bent, with Ian McKellen. It's hard to remember general attitudes back in 1979, but it's fair to say that if I thought of homosexuals in any terms, it was in a derogatory sense. The world has changed immesurably for the better since then, but I can still feel the intensity and power of Ian McKellen's performance from those years ago, and it was that experience that began the process of increasing my understanding. If you are wondering if I am exaggerating, Ian himself had not "come out" and it appears that the play was a significant influence in his life, too.

Coffee, anyone?

Looking at this you could be forgiven for thinking that you were beside a Paris Cafe. Instead, we have just walked up to Sloane Square, and found Cafe Oriel. This very french style Bistro serves excellent coffee (and for that matter, citron presse). Being where it is, you have an eclectic mix of people and you can use it for celebrity spotting if you are so inclined(I'm not).

However, if you want to feel like a real Londoner, make the trek there one Sunday morning and sit with a coffee and cake, reading your paper and watching the world go by.

Chelsea Pensioners

If you were walking along Kings Road, Chelsea you might come across people dressed like this, with hats rather like a kepi. They are the Chelsea Pensioners, retired army personnel, with a history dating back 300 years.

I'd love to be able to sit with them and talk, to hear their stories like this.

This picture is of them in their ordinary blue uniforms, I will post one of them in their special red ones, another time.

Wide empty spaces

Grant and Chris both asked me here for a picture of a traffic jam. Now isn't this much nicer? Just because you have to get up at 5:00 am to take it - is that a problem? The road itself is North Circular Road and is mostly nose to tail. Oh yes, the real jam is here, and this is what I did when I got bored.

Salam Alekum!

Today I have to say hello to some new Arabic viewers, here courtesy of this article, and Mina, a journalist and London Daily Photo reader. I had a great time translating the article. I managed eventually with the help of Systran. It all started promisingly, but descended into the deep joy that is computer generated translation: "Establishing identicals of this sites requires the wide horseman some thing" is probably my favorite. (On the subject - I hope you have found Engrish before now, if not, enjoy).


This shot is at Speakers Corner, on a Sunday, of a clearly Arabic gentleman who appeared to be preaching a message of understanding and violence reduction on all sides, which I would like to heartily endorse. I visited Speaker's Corner on this post, but didn't mention then that it is also the historic site of Tyburn Gallows, where criminals were hung .

Bank Holiday Monday

I wanted to show you a typical Bank Holiday Monday in London. I considered a picture of a traffic jam or the queue at the checkouts in a DIY store, but ended up with a Bank Holiday Funfair.

Carey Street

If I said to you "John is in carey street" you would probably know that he was bankrupt. Strangely, I seem to remember (possibly wrongly) that I first read/heard the expression in American comics in the early sixties (can any americans confirm or deny their understanding?). Which surprises me, because here is the reason for the expression.Carey Street is the back entrance of the Royal Courts of Justice (a bit more background here). Anyone can walk in (subject now to a security check) for the simple and elegant reason that justice must not only be done, but be seen to be done. But this Carey Street entrance is where the bankrupcy court used to be held. I love the way that they had to creep in the back way, rather than being able to strut through the magnificent front entrance.

Holy week

I'm back now, but not much time to get the pictures together. But in the (very)general theme of Holy week, I'd like to suggest that when you come to London and visit St Paul's, take time to find St Paul's Churchyard and sit in the garden, where this shot was taken. In the summer, it gets busy at lunchtimes with office workers but outside of that it is a haven of calm and a great place to sit and contemplate life, the universe and everything. All you need to do is walk around the back - most people don't.

Springtime in Chelsea

I liked these magnolias in Smith Street, Chelsea, and you don't know how hard I had to work not to have one Chelsea Tractor in shot.

I'm on holiday this week, so posting happens courtesy of Manuel at San Francisco Daily Photo

Fish on Friday!

I was going down Essex Road, when I thought you might like to see what is probably the best fish shop in London, Steve Hatt.

I'm on holiday this week, so posting happens courtesy of Manuel at San Francisco Daily Photo

A strange flower bed

These odd but colourful plants caught my eye when I was in London Wall. They seem to be growing quite well, though.

I'm on holiday this week, so posting happens courtesy of Manuel at San Francisco Daily Photo

The Egyptian Trail - Cleopatras Needle

Well, here we are. The end of the trail - it's Cleopatra's Needle. 3,500 years old, and brought to London in 1878. But the history of how it came to arrive, its epic journey and the lives it claimed on that journey are worth reading.

I'm on holiday this week, so posting happens courtesy of Manuel at San Francisco Daily Photo

The Egyptian Trail - I've found a sphinx!

Blow me down, a Sphinx in London, well I never! A lot of people will know where we are by now, location is revealed tomorrow. But can you see those chips in the plinth? They were caused by the explosion of a bomb dropped on London, from a Zeppelin in 1917.

I'm on holiday this week, so posting happens courtesy of Manuel at San Francisco Daily Photo