Walking the City of London

Category: Animals Page 1 of 19

Snoopy Snaps, Street Food and Winter wildlife.

On a very, very cold day last weekend I visited some of the installations on the Festive Fleet Street Quarter Sculpture Trail. This year there is a special guest, Snoopy, the famous dog from the Peanuts cartoons which are celebrating 75 years since they were first published. You can read more about the cartoon and its famous characters here.

There are twelve sculptures in all and I visited four of them. The trail is in place until January 16 and here are the images I took along with details of the artists.

Just in front of the St Paul’s Visitor Centre is Laura-Kate Draws’ work Snoopy’s Winter Chorus …

This festive birdhouse is alive with colourful robins, blue tits, and seasonal plants found in the UK. These small but resilient birds bring brightness and song to the darkest months, reminding us of nature’s beauty even in the coldest seasons.

Laura-Kate Draws’ work is inspired by the connections between nature, creativity, and community. Through public art, she hopes to create moments of curiosity and wonder that invites people of all ages to pause, reflect, and feel more connected to their environment.

In St Bride’s Passage is Plant Dreams, Harvest Joy by Kim Thompson …

The design parallels the act of cultivation and being in nature with Snoopy, a beloved character who has come to symbolise creativity, imagination and optimism.

Kim Thompson is an award-winning Illustrator and Contemporary Painter. A love letter to retro-kitsch, her bold and engaging work often centres visual narrative, aiming to unify and empower audiences via shared experience.

In Playhouse Yard is Simon Randall’s Penguin Parade …

This design features a happy, wintery scene with playful penguins all wrapped up in cuddly jumpers enjoying the snow. Joyful Christmas lights are entwined across the sculpture.

Simon is a painter, illustrator, graphic designer and arts educator, living with his young family in rural Yorkshire. Working in hospital and PRU settings for much of his career, Simon finds every opportunity to expressive himself creatively, but also to share his passion with young people.

At Ludgate Circus is Amanda Quellin’s Home for Christmas (my favourite) …

Christmas is all about traditions, those passed down and those we create to pass down in turn. This sculpture of Snoopy is based on the iconic tradition of decorating your house, or in this case Snoopy’s iconic red Doghouse, with Christmas lights.

Amanda Quellin is a professional scenic artist who has completed over 65 sculptures for Wild in Art trails. She is currently about to collaborate with scientists who are raising money from the sale of artworks to fund scientific research into environmental issues.

You can download a map and listen to an audio trail here.

I’ve always loved Snoopy and his friends! You can see and read more about them here.

The aromas as I walk down Whitecross Street on weekdays remind me of the street foods we encountered Asian countries such as Cambodia, Vietnam and Malaysia – absolutely delicious. Here they do a great trade with office workers but I took these images as they were setting up and before the queues started forming. There weren’t as many stalls as usual, probably because it was just after the holiday.

Finally, some wildlife in Winter.

A seagull contemplates the frozen lake …

Then, to make matters worse, a disorientated pigeon lands on top of him …

Uneasy neighbours …

Then he joined a friend for a stroll on the ice …

Pigeons sunbathing on my balcony (they didn’t take kindly to me disturbing them, I’m definitely getting the ‘evil eye’) …

Oh, and here are the first dumped Christmas trees of 2026 …

If you would like to follow me on Instagram here is the link …

https://www.instagram.com/london_city_gent

Mudlarking, a canal walk, local wildlife and other miscellany.

One of the delights of the City of London is that every now and then something pops up unexpectedly, and last Sunday it was this …

It was a wonderful exhibition with mudlarkers displaying their finds and all happy to chat …

It was only on for two days, so is finished now, but if you want to keep up to date with what is happeneing in the mudlarking world, I suggest you follow Jason Sandy on Instagram or Gail Howell @find_it_pick_it_up

Remember that the London Museum Docklands is still hosting its Mudlarking-themed Secrets of the Thames exhibition. Highly recommended.

A few weeks ago found me walking along the Regent’s Canal where it runs through Mile End Park. These are a few of the sights I saw along the way.

A happily decorated barge …

Three intriguing steel sculptures…

On the left is Sylvia Pankhurst (1882 – 1960), a leading member of the suffragette movement, who worked tirelessly to improve living conditions in the East End. On the right is Ledley King (born 1980). He grew up in the heart of East London and went on to play with Spurs and represent England at the World Cup …

A Towpath Horse …

Horses were essential to pull boats along the canal and bring trade and business to the area.

If the canal ever gets blocked up, a giant plunger is available for use …

I am baffled by what appears to be an anteater in the background …

The canal runs along the edge of Victoria Park or Vicky Park/the People’s Park as it is known by locals. The Chinese Pagoda is actually a replica of one that started life at the entrance to the Chinese exhibition in Hyde Park in 1842 and was then purchased for Victoria Park …

Emerging from the still water, Romanian artist Erno Bartha’s eye-catching hay sculptures have towered the West Lake in Victoria Park for almost ten years …

You can read more about them here.

Nothing like a fleet of waterfowl to cheer you up …

Back in the City, walking along London Wall, this lady doesn’t know what’s lurking in the foliage nearby …

A glimpse of a furry tail …

Here’s the culprit …

Darting back home to the garden at Salters’ Hall …

Seasonal change happening in the leaves …

City dweller surveying his domain …

Lady blackbird says hello …

Skies can be very attractive this time of year …

And finally, the Silk Street flower beds have been cleared for new planting by the wonderful City gardeners …

…and they started work on Monday …

I’ll be tracking growth throughout the next year.

If you would like to follow me on Instagram here is the link …

https://www.instagram.com/london_city_gent

‘Dick Whittington: The Man, The Myth and The Cat’ at the Guildhall Library. Plus a few river views and a cute chick.

The latest exhibition in the Guildhall Library is well worth a visit. The first Guildhall Library was founded in 1425 with money left in the will of Richard Whittington so this year is its 600th anniversary. Over those six centuries the story of an astute late medieval merchant, politician and philanthropist evolved into a rags-to-riches tale of penniless orphan who came by wealth and fame with the help of his cat. This exhibition examines that transformation, featuring chapbooks, children’s books, works relating to pantomimes and of course cats …

Entry is free and you get, not only an excellent printed guide, but also a very informative booklet about the man and the myth written by Assistant Librarian Ann Martin …

The printed guides are complemented by panels which tell Whittington’s story in more detail along with helpful illustrations …

A cache of over 300 books, toys, puzzles, theatre programmes and lantern slides — themed around the man who was Lord Mayor of London four times — was bequeathed to the Guildhall by Ellery Yale Wood, the prolific children’s book collector. Wood had been collecting the items for decades, storing them in her home in Wisbech, Lincolnshire, which had a warehouse attached to house her staggering collection of children’s books. Most of the items in the exhibition come from this collection.

Here are some of the treasures on display.

‘An old ballad of Whittington and his cat’ printed between 1754 and 1780 in Aldermary Church-Yard …

Three histories of Whittington printed and sold c. 1790. The one on the right includes ‘… the adventures of his cat’ :

One of my favourites …

The cat case …

Such a diverse collection …

An ‘untearable’ children’s book from 1860 …

In Pantoland!

A shaped German book from the 1940s …

The story in three dimensions …

It’s a fabulous exhibition, my pictures illustrate only a tiny part of it. But hurry along if you want to visit, it closes in a few weeks on 21 August.

For more Whittington and cat click here for my 2021 blog A trip to Highgate in search of a famous cat.

If you have time after visiting the library, pop in downstairs to see the fantastic City models at the London Centre …

You can read more here in my May 2024 blog.

Here are a few other images I took recently.

The City skyline from London Bridge Pier …

New developments loom over the old Billingsgate Market fish weather vane and attendant dolphins …

HMS Belfast with the Tower of London in the background …

Meanwhile, back at the Barbican, Mrs Moorhen and her fluffy baby …

If you would like to follow me on Instagram here is the link …

https://www.instagram.com/london_city_gent

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