London

An unplanned city; completely lacks integration. It's a city where everything seems to be plonked into whatever place it can find. It blows a very big trumpet. It's overpriced, over-publicised and over-rated. You can get ripped off, as anywhere; but it has to be the rip-off capital Europe. There are much better places to visit in the UK.

Having said all that, if they have not got knocked down or oversold. it's full of niches and charming little things.

Recommendation: Visit with your critical faculties firmly in place.

Here are the things I like about London

Review March 2007 - I wrote the above in 2001. I eat my words - an unplanned city, completely unplanned city...I never expected hyper-rich and greedy property developers moving in and knocking down everything in their view and replacing everything with clones of retail parks and luxury apartment blocks that you will find up and down the country; what we have now is the property developers' form of Stalinism, everything dreadfully samey and appealing to the lowest common cut toe nail of humanity. Older London is fast disappearing, it is starting to look like Modern New Town Development`with all the dreadful chain shops - Camden Town is fast disappearing that toilet. The "Nooks and Corners" article in the current issue of Private Eye sums up this point quite succinctly:

...It is too often forgotten that what makes cities enjoyable is variety and the ordinary - the smaller scale, the humble older buildings that afford cheap rents for useful shops, the mixture of textures, styles and sizes, the odd juxtapositions. Such groups of buildings make cities human and interesting - as vast , uniform, enclosed developments do not.

Private Eye No 1179 15 March 2007

This is a deconstructed railway bridge over the River Thames, it is next to Blackfriars Bridge. It is partially demolished leaving behind the majestic supports that held up the bridge. Somebody had the great idea of painting the supports. This photo cannot really convey the scale of these pillars. I thought that they made great subject matter for a photography. The principle being that what is not there can make the imagination compensate.

Clapham Common Tube Station. In the 1920's and 30's, London Transport literally went to town with building tube stations. The architecture was pioneering and it seems that no expense was spared in building the stations. I like Clapham Common Station. Note the glass dome. Sadly, London Transport is making wholesale renovations of its tube stations and some stations have been modernised beyond recognition. A good example of this was what they did to the Oval station, two stops away from Clapham Common.

The Famous Plastic Cat Of Catford

Paris has its Eiffel Tower; New York, its Empire State and Rome, its Coliseum; Catford has its plastic cat. This has survived hurricanes. Rumour has it that local residents want the cat removed, but it has survived many years. If it were removed, it should go into a museum rather than a junk yard.

Southwark Power Station,

Now the Tate Gallery on the South Bank. Heavy renovation has since ruined the integrity of this building. I suppose if it were not for that, this building would be no more. It is, nevertheless, a fantastic construction; all that is missing is the Hanging Gardens!.

Another detail of Southwark Power Station.

This is a bus stop near where I used to live. It was taken at around midnight; it was rainy, hence that little blob on the bottom left hand side. This is where the abstract comes in to play, line, straight edges and light. If some bugger does not get in before me, I'm going to paint this photo, it's easy but very atmospheric.

It's that bloody cat again!

The Famous Plastic Cat of Catford, coated in snow.

I took this photograph because I thought it would make a good modern art exhibit. It has paint, graffiti and collage. It's an urban cave painting!. It was made in an alley way, and different members of the community made their contribution to it. If Tate Modern is looking at this, why not put it on display!.

Taking Photos of the television. A completely futile excersize. It's not worth the effort. This is the only effort that I found a little ironic. I was waiting with my camera for something interesting to come on; there it was - the title and the name. I thought I was being really avant-garde. So I'm going to title this "This is not Un Chien Andalou..."

Halal butchers, Brixton. This turned out to be a great subject, for the simple reason of the masses of fruit and veg outside the shop. It was a night shot, and the source of light was from inside the shop.

My Backyard. The reflection of the sun from windows of adjacent houses was shining on the fence. I thought "great subject for a photo"; zoomed in the house, got my camera, and ended up with this.

The Science Museum, London.

This is a great place to take the kids. They can press buttons, watch things work and get on your nerves in the bargain.

I particularly like this exhibit because it provides very good information on artificial light.

The Natural History Museum - A really photogenic environment - it is rich and varied in its sources of light. This was a speed photo - my daughter was attempting to avoid the camera. It's nice to have some activity in a photo.

A photograph taken in the famous tunnel that links the Tube Station to the Museums. Well worth a visit, anyway.

Autumn leaves. I did not have my camera with when strolling through Greenwich Park, so I picked up these leave; scanned them in; they are here just to give you some idea of the autumnul colours that are around in the UK.

This is an amazing sculpture. Built in the late 60's / early 70's. Constructed out of stainless steel. Completely brilliant. You can find it quite close to Royal Festival Hall on the South Bank.

The Oxo Tower on the South Bank. A beautiful Art Deco confection. This photo was taken in 1990; before big, lovely, jublee development moved in, there was a nice little market square, as you can see. Now it has loads of expensive little shops and eateries. Keep to the river, it's free.

A photograph of a building that I was passing while on a train.

An autumnul photograph of a scene of the sun setting, not too far outside of London, but close to Brand's Hatch in Kent

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While we are about the sun setting, here is a poem about the sun rising by Sir John Donne, who was Dean of St. Paul's Cathedral in the early 17th Century.

The Sun Rising

Busy old fool, unruly sun

Why dost thou thus

Through windows, and curtains call upon us?

Saucy, pedantic wretch go and chide

Late schoolboys, and sour pretinces,

Go tell court-huntsmen, that the King will ride

Call country ants to harvest offices

Love, all alike, no reason knows, nor clime,

Nor hours, days, months, which are the rags of time.

Thy beams so reverend and strong

Why shouldst thou think

I could eclipse and cloud them with a wink,

But that I would not lose her sight so long;

If her eyes have not blinded thine,

Look, and tomorrow late, tell me,

Whether both th'Indias of spice and mine

Be where thou left'st at them, or lie with me

Ask for those kings whom thou saw'st yesterday,

And thou shalt hear. All here in one bed lay.

She's all states, and all princes, I,

Nothing else is

Princes do but play us, compar'd to this,

All honour's mimic; all wealth alchemy.

Thou sun art half as happy as we,

In that the world's contracted thus;

Thine age asks ease, and since thy duties be

To warn the world, that's done in warming us.

Shine here to us, and thou art everywhere;

This bed thy centre is, these walls, thy sphere.

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