Walking the City of London

Month: June 2024

Some miscellaneous images I thought you might like.

As regular subscribers will know, every now and then I find I have a number of images I like that can’t be gathered into a particular theme but I don’t want to abandon them. So this is one of those times.

I’ll start with something that made me smile.

I have put on a bit of weight lately and now I know that, if things get a bit out of hand, I can enhance my wardrobe with a visit to the little covered market in Whitecross Street …

I think that’s a 48 inch waist.

Moon behind the Shard …

Warming light at dawn …

Dusk …

Christ’s Hospital Scholars …

On the other side of the sculpture is a poem by Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772-1834) called On Leaving School

I think he missed school rather more than I did!

Construction of the new HSBC offices at St Paul’s …

If you must put up a hoarding, why not include a giraffe?

This usually amuses me too …

The happy Mr Sun and the misplaced apostrophe (surely it should come before the ‘s’).

The remains of Christ Church Greyfriars …

… and its garden …

The little secluded garden at St Vedast Foster Lane …

Still on Foster Lane, I’ve often wondered about Priest’s Court. The Ian Visits blog reckons it housed Sir John Johnson’s Freewriting School, which he founded in 1695 to offer free education to eight scholars, although it
only lasted 36 years …

Around the entrance you can see the original oak frame where the alley would have once had a mighty door to seal it off, for the court was private then, containing the residence of the parish priest of St Vedast …

The restaurant next door always looks after its flowers …

Well done!

On the other side of the restaurant is Rose and Crown Court …

For a really comprehensive overview of the area’s history I recommend the Ian Visits blog

Some local flowers in Wood Street and the Goldsmith’s Garden Gresham Street …

And some from the Barbican Highwalk …

And three from my balcony …

My final balcony shot – the Trooping the Colour Flypast …

By the way, last Saturday I went on what is probably one of the best, if not the best, of the numerous ‘guided’ walks that take place all the time in London. It is conducted by The Gentle Author and you can book here using the link in his latest blog: https://spitalfieldslife.com/2024/06/26/the-cries-of-london-i/

Remember you can follow me on Instagram …

https://www.instagram.com/london_city_gent

Kaleidoscope!

I visited the Guildhall Gallery last week for this extrordinary exhibition …

With over 150 pieces, this is a major retrospective which features series of works from as far back as 1990 right up to the present day, including 41 London-themed kaleidoscopic prints created exclusively for this new exhibition.

So this blog can only give you a brief taste of what’s in store if you visit – and I have kept it a manageble size by just including my favourites! You can read a very comprehensive review of the exhibition (including a video of the artist at work) on the Books & Boots website. I strongly recommend you read it before visiting the gallery.

I started by looking at the tools Anne uses in her wood engraving work – fascinating …

In addition to the woodcarving and linocuts she also creates mixed media collages.

I’m delighted to say that St Paul’s Cathedral features strongly.

Wartime searchlights pierce the sky …

This is followed by five sequential wood engravings reflecting on the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain in 2015 …

I really like this series of four entitled Sky Window

Deserted Pool

Living History

Between Order and Chaos

Out of this World

British Museum Diagonals

Under construction – Bishopsgate London in the 1990s

Royal Academy – RA Metamorphosis

Royal Academy – RA Revolution

On my way out I paused for a good look at Grayson Perry’s 2016 woodcut Animal Spirit

Inspired by London’s financial sector, you can read more about it here.

Remember you can follow me on Instagram …

https://www.instagram.com/london_city_gent

A North London expedition (with additional animals).

It’s not often I find myself struggling for a Blog topic but, when I do, I tend to walk either east or west in search of inspiration. Last week, however, I felt the call of the North, hopped on the Northern Line Tube and headed for Hampstead.

I’ve been reading a book lately about the history of the Underground and the part of the system I was travelling on dates from 1907. It was constructed by the Charing Cross, Euston & Hampstead Railway and linked Charing Cross to Golders Green.

Designed in the space of just four years by the talented and prolific Leslie Green the stations feature the architect’s beautiful trademark tiles.

Station platforms …

A typical corridor …

I suspect some of the above tiles are replicas, but these may be authentic since Heath Street was the original name of the Hampstead station …

The fabulous green tiles designed for ticket offices …

The striking oxblood-red tiles and arched windows typical of the exteriors of Green’s stations …

Walking up Heath Street, I encountered this spooky statue outside a Hampstead art gallery …

Whitestone Pond (where I used to go paddling as a child) …

Originally known as Horse Pond, fed solely by rain and dew, ramps were in place to allow horses to access the pond to drink and cool down after the long climb (this is the highest point in London). Later it became affectionately known as Hampstead-on-Sea when the pond was used for paddling, floating model boats and skating in winter.

An image from 1920. No, I’m not one of those kids!

Click here and here for more history and images.

I walked downhill past an entrance to the Heath …

Then into the lovely Golders Hill Park …

As you have seen, it was a beautiful sunny day. The park also has a little zoo but I didn’t have time to visit it so I resolved to return.

Unfortunately, the day I chose was a bit miserable …

… and so were the animals!

The wallabies didn’t want to know …

The wildcat was sulking …

As was the owl …

And this was the nearest I got to seeing a lemur …

But the chickens didn’t let me down …

Or this (slightly grumpy) pair of egrets …

On my first visit, as I walked towards Golders Green Station, I took a picture of this old distance marker …

When I visited again I found it had been spruced up …

For some reason I preferred it when it looked old and weathered.

Across the road from the station, I admired this comprehensive menu board …

Especially the plastic representations of various dishes …

More attractive tiles at the station (these definitely are replicas but the ironwork is original) …

Now some Barbican wildlife.

Look at the pillar on the left. Can you see a small creature clinging limpet-like to the concrete two storeys up?

Yep, a local resident …

I had a visit from another resident as I was writing this blog …

Remember you can follow me on Instagram …

https://www.instagram.com/london_city_gent

Street Art update.

The street art around Brick Lane changes all the time so earlier this week I popped back to see developments.

A very good example of this is the changing face of number 33A Fournier Street.

April 2018 …

Gilbert and George live across the road (image copyright The Art Newspaper)

April 2021 …

September 2022 …

January 2023 …

This week …

More images from my walk …

This piece by Stik is ‘The UK’s 17th favourite artwork’ according to The Guardian. It has been here since 2010 and has obviously been treated with respect …

Read all about him and his art here.

I’m not quite sure what these images are about but I like them …

You don’t have to go into the shop to see what they have in stock …

On my way home.

Spitalfields Market …

Liverpool Street Station shopping …

Duck patrol – ‘Just keeping an eye on things’…

I have blogged before about street art in April 2021, September 2022 and in January 2023.

Remember you can follow me on Instagram …

https://www.instagram.com/london_city_gent

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