<Back to Marylebone Station : See All Posts : On to Community Chest> Bow Street is in the heart of London running on the eastern edge of the Covent Garden area. Although it's not a long road it has much to recommend it. It has the Royal Opera House, which is a great building, but sadly it was closed and pretty much boarded up (undergoing some fairly major works). It was the birth place of the Bow Street Runners, London's first professional police force, and was the site of the Bow Street Magistrate's Court (Oscar Wilde, Dr Crippen and the Krays all appeared). I arrived in Bow Street pretty early in the morning and enjoyed watching the street wake up and fill with local people opening up their businesses and tourists out for an early coffee. The sun was warm and the smells were of fresh coffee and clean streets. . . London at it's best? My first picture is of a newly scrubbed pavement outside a great coffee shop, the second is the colourful rear of a Pashley bicycle and the final image is a window reflection of the red flags of the Royal Opera House. After spending too long sitting in Bow Street having breakfast I moved on to my next location, Soho Square. From the top of Bow Street I walked along Long Acre and then cut up Neal Street and then along Earlham Street though Seven Dials (one of my favourite locations in London), down Shaftesbury Avenue and then north up Frith Street, past Ronnie Scott's and continued all the way to Soho Square, the location of my second community chest of this project.
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<Back to Northumberland Avenue : See All Posts : On To Bow Street> Marylebone is one of the smallest of the London train stations and is the prettiest I have visited so far. It lies to the north of the Marylebone Road and a little west of Regents Park. It is both an overground and an underground (on the Bakerloo line) station and dates from 1899 (once a London terminus for trains heading to Sheffield and Manchester). I started my visit with a walk around the outside of the station walking up Harewood Avenue, along Rossmore Road and then back down Boston Place (many pretty properties down here), then back to the main entrance on Melcombe Place. The front of the station has an attractive glass and ironwork canopy (where the taxis drop off). But my images came from inside the station. The staff at the station all seemed very friendly and helpful and obviously take great pride in their station. The first image includes some greenery which is trying hard not to look out of place at the end of the platform. The second image is of a lady trailing her wheeled cases as she makes for her train. The third is of a man (looking way too cool) checking his phone for messages. I hope you like the images as much as I liked this station. I will be back some time I am sure. My next location is Bow Street, so after a bite to eat I am on my way.
Rather than retracing my steps from Northumberland Avenue, I walk east along Marylebone Road past Madame Tussaud's and keep going until I get to Great Portland Street. I then head south down Bolsover Street past the University of Westminster students union (which was the Polytechnic of Central London when I was there many years ago). I then cut over down to Piccadilly Circus. Then it's a short hop over to Covent Garden and onto Bow Street. As Rio2016 gets into full swing we can sit back and enjoy TeamGB adding medals far away in Brazil. It seems hard to believe that London2012 was a whole four years ago. In those years we were probably too quick to forget our interest in cycling, swimming and athletics. However, the elite athletes have been getting on with their work to make us proud again. Even at this early stage it looks like we will not be disappointed and our interest to the cycling omnium and the parallel bars can return with pride.
While waiting for the medals to add up I had a quick look back at my images from London2012 and I thought I would post a few to bring back the memories. We were lucky enough to attend a practice for the opening ceremony. It was amazing, and even made sense when we watched it on TV later, with a commentary! These 3 pictures were all composites taken using the Photosynth app (no longer available) on my iPhone. Enjoy the images, enjoy Rio2016, the memories of London2012 and of course enjoy the summer! Turning the corner from Whitehall into Northumberland Avenue takes you from the bright bustle into a darker area. The trees down each side of the road make it seem darker and more intimate that the grandeur of Whitehall. At the top corner were a few guys busking complete with full drum kit, guitars and amplifiers. They drew quite a crowd, but I carried on down towards the river. The avenue is a mixture of hotels, offices and a theatre. It also includes the Korean Cultural Centre which gave me my first image, the London bus reflected in a large image in the window of the centre. The centre runs a K-pop education programme, which reminded me of watching kids dancing to K-pop (and J-pop) in the parks in Lima, Peru, last year (view a youtube video). Further down the avenue I liked the look of the bicycle. I like photographing bicycle parts (I know, it's sad!) so I took one of the spokes in the rear wheel. Having passed the Playhouse Theatre, (currently showing 1984), I wandered back up the other side of the avenue and found my third image of the leaf in a puddle. I like a good reflection and although the reflection of the branches and sky above are very blown out, I really liked the feel of this one. My next location, Marylebone Station, is about 3 miles north (and a bit west) of Northumberland Avenue, so I had some lunch at the Crypt at St Martins in-the-Field (a great place for a break) before wandering up through Leicester Square and then over to Regent Street and up to Oxford Circus before cutting through to Baker Street and then north to Marylebone Road and finally up Great Central Street to the station. I think I will take the tube back at the end of the day!
It was a pleasant walk back from Tate Modern to Whitehall. I pretty much retraced my steps by going west along the South bank and then crossed the river again at the Golden Jubilee footbridge. Then I headed south (west) along the river down towards Westminster Bridge but cut up to Whitehall through Horseguards Avenue. Once on Whitehall I started looking for images. I spent some time wandering around, looking at the seats of power, and the powerful people scurrying between buildings and in and out of government cars. But these people were not to be my focus. I was drawn to the memorials and the thought provoking flags at the Cenotaph which are such a feature of our history. Also from our history are the old red telephone boxes. While no one seems to use them any more to make calls, they are well used here as a tourist photo prop for holiday selphies. I was also interested in the never ending security. When I was a boy you could walk up Downing Street (just off Whitehall) to see number 10, the home of the British Prime Minister. These days you are faced with very bleak barriers, heavily armed Police and yet more surveillance cameras. It's sad, but not surprising, that out politicians feel they need this level of security. From the north end of Whitehall you can see Trafalgar Square and the National Gallery, but next I turn right into our next location, Northumberland Avenue...
See all Monopoly posts <Back to Electric Company Forward to Northumberland Avenue> <Back to Pall Mall See all monopoly posts Forward to Whitehall> After a good rest it was back to the street picking up where I left off at Pall Mall. Next stop Electric Company. I thought I might look out EDF as they were very close, but it was a location I knew I would revisit, so I looked further afield. I decided to stretch the idea of the electric company to a location which used to generate electricity. . . Tate Modern. The walk is a nice gentle one, down to the river and then over the Golden Jubilee footbridge, then east past the London Eye and all along the Southbank and keep going for about 30 minutes until the stunning Tate Modern comes into view. Once there I spent some time in the turbine hall (one of my favourite places) and where I took 2 out my 3 images. The third is a reflection in one of the windows of the newly opened extension. If you look you will be able to see the ancient and modern reflection of me and the Shard (another of my favourite photographic locations). It was a lovely clear sunny day which contrasted with the relative darkness within the turbine hall. I made the most of the contrast which I thought gave some interesting images. From Tate modern it was back to Whitehall. If I ever do this tour again I will definitely cut corners and do some locations out of order. It would save a lot of time as I am now heading back Whitehall which is very close to Pall Mall, where I just came from!
<Back to Pall Mall See all monopoly posts Forward to Whitehall> <Back to Jail See all monopoly posts Forward to Electric Company> It had been a long walk from Pentonville Prison down to Pall Mall and the contrast between the locations was pretty stark. By comparison to the Caledonian Road, Pall Mall felt pretty smug and happy with itself. It's just a short distance from Buckingham Palace and you can feel the money here. I was surprised to see a camera shop towards the end of the street but I wasn't surprised to see that Richard Caplan Photographic specialises in Leica and Hasselblad. Pall Mall is certainly out of my price range, but it had some interesting photo opportunities. I particularly enjoyed the flames and the flag, and the image of the pictures through the window at the IoD made me smile. By the time I was finished with Pall Mall it was getting late and the moon was visible in the darkening sky. A few extra images from Pall Mall. . . From Pall Mall I was off to find an Electric Company, but the search for that would have to wait for another day.
<Back to Jail See all monopoly posts Forward to Electric Company> From Pentonville Road, I walked up Penton Street into Barnsbury Road and then cut down Copenhagen Street to the Caledonian Road and turned North to wander up to the prison. There are a surprising number of prisons in London, but Pentonville Prison was close and looked like the one for me. It was pretty quite outside and I wandered into the entrance road and took a few images of things that interested my. As I photographed the broken mirror by the entrance, a prison guard (on her way home from work) stopped me and asked what I was up to. I explained my journey around the monopoly board and her mood softened. We talked about the prison and photography and then she told me all about Shit London. I thought she teasing me, but she wasn't, and I am now a happy member of the Shit London facebook group. The second image was one of my favourites, basically a few branch shadows on the prison wall. It's the kind of image that makes me happy, but I won't be upset if no-one else likes it! My third image was of a tiny plastic bag. I liked the way it sat on the pavement outside the prison and it wasn't until much later that I learned it's true purpose. So, all in all it was an instructive time and I really like the images from the jail (just visiting on this occasion). Once I finished at HMP Pentonville I had a long walk to my next location. I took it gently back down the Caledonian Road to Pentonville Road, past Kings Cross, St Pancras and Euston Stations until I got to the top of Tottenham Court Road. I had a long break in Cafe Nero and then wound my way down to Charring Cross Road and continued on to Trafalgar Square and finally into Pall Mall. It had been a very long day, my feet were sore and Pall Mall (my next location) would have to wait.
<Back to Pentonville Road See all monopoly posts Forward to Pall Mall> Back up from Euston Road past Kings Cross Station (again) and back along the Pentonville Road. Now, I don't want to give the impressing that this is not my favourite part of London, but to be honest I had walked up and down Pentonville Road enough times for one photography project! However, it did have a good lot to see. . . my first image is of a window propped open by a bottle of red wine. I watched the guy the flat making sure it was safe and we shared a smile. It was a nice warm day it it obviously cooled down the kitchen and warmed up the wine, a perfect combination. Further back towards Kings Cross was a very nice looking cafe, where I enjoyed a pot of tea and a biscuit. A little further up toward the Angel there was big time demolition going on where watch it come down were doing a precision job of making it come down. Just one more detour while I am in the area to find my next location, the Jail at Pentonvile Prison.
<Back to Euston Road See all monopoly posts Forward to Jail> I began to realise that I was walking round in circles here, walking back down the Pentonville Road back to the Euston Road. But it was down hill from The Angel and the sun was out, so no complaints. When I was a boy, the Euston Road was an important location. It was where Capital Radio (194m on the medium wave!) came from and where they handed out the flat share lists (real paper back then) from their reception. If you wanted to find somewhere to live back then, this (and the Evening Standard) was the best option you had. The spire reflection picture is of St. Pancras station reflected in a bus and the chandelier is in the reception of the UCL Hospital Trust (I think!). The chandelier is huge and made an interesting image with the obligatory reflection. Guess what, back to the Pentonville Road again! More pictures soon
Within the game of monopoly the Chance square give a variety of instructions with varying degrees of joy. The chance cards were originally featured in The Landlord's Game which is considered to be the inspiration for the game of Monopoly. For my first Chance option I have chosen images which show the popularity of taking a chance by Londoners. The first two images are of betting/gaming shops and the third is of a less than inviting location to buy your tyres.
<Back to Kings Cross Station Forward to Chance> See all monopoly posts It was a long gentle walk from Kings Cross Station up to The Angel, Islington. The walk took me up the Pentonville Road (which I will be photographing later) so I tried to minimise my shooting along the way. The Angel is a real mix of old and new, rich and poor, trendy and traditional. My three favourite images from the area were all pretty dark and pretty monochrome. For me, the image of the door is made by the tiny patch of white which hides a very small 11B showing the number of the property. I hope you like the images. I had a good walk around the area exploring Chapel Market and the lovely streets around the area. I can recommend a visit to the Duke of Cambridge in St Peters Street (5 minutes from the tube) for lunch, which offers good beer and great organic food. It's part of the Riverford Organic, well known for their organic boxes. I also highly recommend the Riverford Field Restaurant in Devon. A great place to eat (remember to book in advance!) if you are in the area, or passing through on your way to Cornwall. But back to the Angel. . . I tried for while to take a picture of a barbers through an open window, but frankly the light was a little challenging. I've included the image in the group below, again I hope you find something you like. From The Angel, Islington it was off to the Euston Road, but on the way I had to think of some images to go with the Chance square. . .
<Back to Kings Cross Station Forward to Chance> See all monopoly posts <Back to Income Tax Forward to The Angel Islington> See all monopoly posts After a nice slow walk up from Parliament Street I was ready for a cup of tea when I arrived at Kings Cross Station. I sat and watched the world go around for a while and then settled down to some photography. The station was busy, people rushing to catch a train, find their friends and seeking out platform 9 and 3/4! There were people working at the station, cleaning up the mess and even a train windscreen cleaner. I took a lot of images. The 3 above (and below) are my favourites and few more are shown further down this post. From Kings Cross I walked the gentle hill up to The Angel Islington, more details about that in my next post.
<Back to Income Tax Forward to The Angel Islington> See all monopoly posts <Back to Whitechapel Road Forward to Kings Cross Station> See all monopoly posts The walk from Whitechapel Road down to Whitehall is a little over 3 miles. I decided to go along the river, so headed back to the Tower of London and then hugged the north bank of the Thames. Make a small detour down Stew Lane and have a swift pint at the Pepys. Back in the '70's I saw the death of Elvis reported here on teletext (the closest thing we had the the internet back in 1977!). After some light refreshment you can continue to the path at the end of Broken Wharf then it's plain sailing all the way down the Embankment to the Houses of Parliament. When you get to Westminster Bridge turn right into Queen's Walk and finally right onto Parliament Street/Whitehall. HM Revenue and Customs on your left. I didn't find this one of the most inspiring locations, but offer these three images as a record of my visit. HM Revenue and Customs shares a typical Whitehall building with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. So their door is busy with people on a mission to take our money in one department and spend it on the good stuff in another! There were some interesting reflections and a lot of self important people, and more CCTV cameras than you can shake a stick at! As I moved up Whitehall to my next location, I realised that I had another long walk ahead up to Kings Cross Station (about 2.5 miles), so I took my time and stopped along the way at Trafalgar Square, Covent Garden, the British Museum and UCL. I took a few images along the way. . .
<Back to COMMUNITY CHEST Forward to Income Tax>
See all monopoly posts By the time I reached Whitechapel Road I was looking for glamour. My walk from the Old Kent Road had been wet and not too inspiring (as I fought my way past the tourists on the bridge and by the Tower of London). For such a short road this location packs in a lot of interest. To the far west, is the Whitechapel Gallery (technically on Whitechapel High Street) and just North is Brick Lane, but on Whitechapel Road is a host of interest. From the Whitechapel Bell Foundry past the East London Mosque onto the rapidly redeveloping London Hospital (where my sister worked in the 80's) and finally the Blind Beggar pub. Photographically, there is something for everyone. On this particular morning I was inspired by some interesting reflections. Take a look and tell me what you think. <Back to OLD KENT ROAD Forward to WHITECHAPEL ROAD> See all monopoly posts As I was about to leave the Old Kent Road, I spied a tank. A very large tank, just off the beaten track down Mandela Way! As I was on a Monopoly walk I decided that this would be my community chest location. Although a former Czech army T-34 tank may not be the obvious community chest item, I figured that as it had been used and abused for artistic purpose, then it was good enough for me. So, here we have the tank in all it's glory. A little but of googling shows that the tanks installed by Russell Gray, following a failed attempt to gain planning permission for this site. Apparently the turret is pointing to the council offices, who turned him down!
Click here to read more from Hidden Wonders web site. By the time I finished with the tank the rain was coming down so I had a very soggy walk up Tower Bridge Road, over the bridge and on to Whitechapel Road for my next location. The walk from the Go location to the Old Kent Road took me through the Elephant and Castle as I headed South East. When I lived in South London (many years ago) this was an area I often visited, usually driving my little car too fast around it's roundabout on my way North. Well 30 years later it's picking itself up and redevelopment is underway. I carry on and move east down the New Kent Road, past the Bricklayers Arms flyover and into the delights of the Old Kent Road. The Old Kent Road has a long history as a gateway in and out of London. These days it is an interesting mix of traffic, people, commerce and religion. I had a great conversation with a young couple eager to save my soul for the Lord. They were very friendly and reassuring, but today God had to wait. After a few minutes walk I came to the Thomas A Becket pub, which at first glance looks to be in a sad state. It was closed down following the loss of it's alcohol licence. It is dark, uninviting and looks deserted. However, when I crossed the road I was surprised to see that the woodwork around the windows had been covered in art, book pages and old adverts. As I finished photographing the pub, the rain started and I made my way back up to the Bricklayers Arms flyover on my way up to Tower Bridge to explore the East End. However, my progress was interrupted by a T-34 military tank... more of that in my next post.
The game of Monopoly starts at GO! But this has no obvious location within London. After a bit of googling I learn that (according to the Ordnance Survey) the location of GO is Lambeth North tube station. Doesn't sound too convincing to me, but it proved an interesting location to start my photographic journey around London's Monopoly board locations. Lambeth North is a dirty and pretty unloved station languishing south of the river. But it is close to the Imperial War Museum and a good starting point for a visit to the Lee Miller "A woman's war" exhibition.
If black and white grime photography is your thing then give Lambeth North a try. My friend Marilyn and I attended an elegant charity Dinner and Dance at the Oakley Court Hotel in Windsor as the event photographers. The evening was a fund raiser for the Tolue charity, an Anglo-Iranian charity whose purpose is to give financial assistance to cancer sufferers in Iran who would otherwise not be able to afford medical treatment and care.
All couples attending had a voucher for a free photo (printed on the night) to help remember the evening, with additional copies available from our web site (please click here to enter the gallery) the PASSWORD = photos We were happy to give our time and expertise to the charity and hope that they raised lots of money for their great work. It was a great day for Frankie and Toby to get married. A glorious day of sunshine sandwiched between two days of typical English summer weather.
The Church at Holmbury St. Mary looked great and was filled with friends and family as was the reception at Coverwood Lakes. I hope you like the picture of the happy couple, more of which can be seen here. Just as Grafton Street turns South to head down to Dover Street is the upmarket art gallery of Sprueth Magers London. Their display window was being worked on as I passed it last week and the reflection of the sofa and the wooden floor made a great backdrop to the reflected street scene.
I hope you (and the kind people at Sprueth Magers) like it. You can use long exposure for a variety of effects. A couple of posts ago I showed an image of Brighton’s West Pier. In that example, long exposure was used to flatten to water and to give the sky a dreamy feeling.
In today’s image the long exposure was used to give a feeling of speed and danger. The image was taken from the passenger seat of the car using a 30 second exposure. The movement of the car's brake lights was captured along with the headlights which have passed by on the other side. The overall feeling of danger was helped by the low ambient lighting. I hope you like the picture, which reminds me of the back of the original batmobile (see what you think compared to this image by Paul Ward at fineartamerica.com)? A few of us were talking about street photography and I though that the black and white conversion above worked better than the colour version below. But everyone else though the colour one worked better. I'm still not convinced.
The image was taken last year in Trafalgar Square in London and it was a snatched shot, which was more interesting than I had originally thought. Good or bad, b&w or colour? Let me know what you think. Early morning photography can be hard work in winter, but it is also very rewarding. I took this image of the West Pier in Brighton recently on a long exposure, just as the sun was trying to come up. Had it not have been so cloudy, it might have been a better shot. To see more about the pier and its history take a look at the Brighton West Pier trust's web site.
It was cold and icy this morning. A water main was leaking and water had been flowing the previous evening, but now it is all frozen. It will soon be spring?
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peter merryPhotographing London, Surrey and beyond. From the top of the Shard to the end of the garden. . . Categories
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