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urban75 blog...rainy streets, neon signs, disused stations and broken lines... | |
Tuesday, February 09, 2010Trinity Buoy Wharf and Container City, Docklands - photosHere's the second part of our walk last weekend. Trinity Buoy Wharf is a great place to visit, and the diner was ace too! East India Docks and Basin walk - photosWe went for a walk around East India DLR station on Saturday and had an unexpectedly pleasant walk. Labels: docks, london, millennium dome Saturday, January 09, 2010London snow: frozen Serpentine lake and Trafalgar Square fountainsI've never seen London this cold and snow before, with both the Trafalgar Square fountains and the entire Serpentine lake frozen solid. And I love it! Wednesday, December 23, 2009Winter Wonderland, Hyde Park
I didn't even know this was going on, but came across it while we were taking in a winter's walk across Hyde Park.
I didn't expect a lot, but it was actually really rather lovely. It's on till the 3rd January and it's free. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() More pics Labels: christmas, funfair, london, park Monday, December 21, 2009Borders bookstore RIPThe whole Borders UK operation is winding up this week, dumping over 1,100 people on the dole on Christmas Eve. Labels: london Wednesday, December 09, 2009Climate Change camp, Trafalgar SquareSituated slap bang in the middle of Trafalgar Square, one of London's most famous landmarks and tourist attractions, the Climate Camp picked a perfect place to publicise their cause. Saturday, December 05, 2009Climate change march, LondonTuesday, November 24, 2009The Ghost Forest in the rain, Trafalgar SquareStanding in Trafalgar Square for one week only was an unusual art exhibition featuring the large tree stumps from nine different species sourced from Suhuma forest reserve, a commercially logged tropical forest in Western Ghana.
Labels: art, london, trafalgar square Monday, November 09, 2009Autumn leaves and late night gasometersMonday, October 12, 2009Kingsway old tram tunnelI've been wanting to visit this disused tram station for ever, so was well chuffed to get the opportunity to take a wander around on Saturday.
Monday, September 21, 2009My exciting day as a movie extra on 'Blitz'Today, I spent the day employed on a film set near Smithfield Market, central London. Sunday, September 13, 2009Actionettes at Vauxhall Duckie Club
The Actionettes put on a fabulous show last night at Duckie ? and the crowd went seriously wild for them!
A few pics: Labels: act, actionettes, club, london Reclaim the beach, LondonHad a terrific time at Reclaim the Beach last night, dancing on the sandy shores of the River Thames before the incoming tide took the dancefloor away!
Wednesday, September 09, 2009London Astoria: nearly goneI've seen some great gigs at the Astoria in central London, but the end came on 14th Jan, 2009 when the venue was closed to make way for the construction of a new station for the Crossrail project.
Full article: Goodbye to the London Astoria Sunday, September 06, 2009Some London snapsA few photos taken during my wander around town yesterday.
The Tree House Gallery, Regents's Park
Billed as "an innovative public project featuring a free daily program of events, arts, discussions, musicology and activities," the Treehouse Gallery in Regent's Park tasked itself with acting, " as a catalyst to ignite the collective imagination, encouraging adults and children alike to explore a variety of creative responses to nature." We're not entirely sure what all that means, but we definitely enjoyed our visit and found it a pleasant place to hang out for a while. Looking like a road protest site transported into a central London Park, the Treehouse Gallery put on daily activities, talks and workshops, focussed around two large treehouses. More photos here: The Tree House Gallery, regent's Park, London Saturday, September 05, 2009Mini rave in Trafalgar Square!One & Other is a live artwork by sculptor Antony Gormley, giving 2,400 participants the chance to spend an hour alone on the empty plinth in Trafalgar Square for 100 days and nights.
Through some cunning technological wizardry, the music being played on the plinth was piped through this mobile sound system, getting the square resonating to techno. It felt like a proper old school rave, bringing back a little bit of the flavour of the fabulous Reclaim the Streets event in 1997. Sunday, July 26, 2009Free beach party, River ThamesIt's been a while since I've been along to the famous free Beach Parties on the River Thames, but last night's party was a hoot. Saturday, July 25, 2009Goodbye Borders, Oxford StreetAlthough we prefer to frequent independent bookstores, Borders on Oxford Street was always a handy place for a quick free read of the music mags, and there was always a good selection of books in store.
More: Borders closes Labels: london Wednesday, July 08, 2009Actionettes at Design MuseumThis was fun: a bash dishing out free gin all night with the Actionettes dancing and a great exhibition upstairs. Win!
Labels: actionettes, london Saturday, June 27, 2009Critical Mass, LondonApart from some positively psychotically incandescent cabbies (and, to be honest, one or two testosterone-overcharged cyclists), this was a fabulous ride, with hundreds of cyclists enjoying a leisurely, car-free saunter around the streets of central London. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() More photos here: Critical Mass, London Labels: critical mass, cycling, london, protest Saturday, June 13, 2009Naked Bike Ride London
Mass scenes of wobbling bottoms spotted in the heart of London!
Here's what it's all about: "A peaceful, imaginative and fun protest against oil dependency and car culture. A celebration of the bicycle and also a celebration of the power and individuality of the human body. A symbol of the vulnerability of the cyclist in traffic. The world's biggest naked protest: 50+ cities and thousands of riders ..." See more photos here: Naked Bike Ride, London Red Devils over LondonSaturday, May 23, 2009Kettle The Met Protest, Scotland YardA march from Trafalgar Square leading to a rally outside Scotland Yard to 'remember Ian Tomlinson, demand no more deaths in police custody and defend civil liberties and the freedom to protest.'
More pics here Sunday, May 10, 2009More morris dancing mobs!
Saturday, May 09, 2009Morris dancers mob Trafalgar SquareMorris troupes from all over the country mobbed Trafalgar Square for a mass Morris-off this afternoon - and it was a hoot! Labels: london Monday, April 27, 2009Offline Club photosHere's a few snaps from Friday's Offline Club at the Brixton Albert with Sanjuro and Sergeant Buzfuz. Both bands were *fab!*
The dulcimer sounded amazing!
More pics: Offline Club, Brixton Labels: bands, brixton, london, offline Wednesday, April 22, 2009The Kings Cross Lighthouse Building lives! It's been slowly falling apart for years but the landmark building adjacent to Kings Cross railway station is set for a ?13 million internal reconstruction.
There's been some debate as to what the 1880s tower was originally for. Some say that it was built to advertise an Oyster House below, while slightly madder people have suggested that it was once a helter-skelter tower.
Whatever it was, it's great to see the old building set to get a new lease of life. Read more here: The Oysterhouse Lighthouse Labels: kings cross, london Sunday, April 19, 2009Hampstead Heath walk photosHere's some more photos from the mob-handed urban75 walk on Saturday:
More photos here: Hampstead Heath photos Saturday, April 18, 2009Rolling Easter Eggs down Hampstead Heath Just got back from an urban75 walk around Hampstead Heath. The weather was fantastic, the company delightful, the stroll relaxing, the pubs welcoming, the ale tasty and just about everything was perfect....apart from the Cardiff City scoreline. 6-0? Eeek! WTF!
The eggs are released! More pics coming soon. Labels: london, photos, walk, walks Friday, April 03, 2009Climate Camp riot police footageWhat happened at the Climate Camp after these photos were taken was an outrage, with riot police using shields and batons in a violent, unprovoked attack on peaceful protesters. The protesters are chanting, "This is not a riot" as the hard plastic shields are smashed into their faces. It's fucking outrageous. Discuss it here: Weds 1st April: G20 protests - discussion, reaction and chat Thursday, April 02, 2009G20 protests, London: police run amokToday I attended the G20 protests in the City of London. Just like Mayday 2001, the police employed their borderline-legal tactic of forcing protesters into a cordon for many hours and depriving them of food, water or toilet facilities. Throughout the day, the policing was aggressive, disproportionate and needlessly provocative. We were lucky to get away around 3pm, dodging an advancing baton charge by riot police and dashing up an alleyway to escape. We walked over to the Climate Camp demo, which was probably the fluffiest protest I've ever seen, with a rows of tents filling the streets, a canteen, compost loo and drummers. It was delightfully relaxed and mellow. Sadly, this didn't stop the bonehead riot cops steaming in tonight. Today was some of the worst policing I've ever seen at a UK demo. Here's some photos from the day:
Loads more photos here: G20 and Climate Camp protests, London Chat about the issues on the board: urban75 G20 thread Saturday, March 28, 2009'Put People First' G20 Demonstration, LondonThere was a huge turn out for this march today - here's some hastily slapped up photos:
Loads more here: Put People First G20 Demonstration: 'Jobs, Justice, Climate Friday, February 27, 2009Gossips Club, London
We pay homage to one of London's finest clubs, which closed a few years ago.
WARNING: this feature includes some seriously shocking hairstyles and yours truly clad in vast amounts of leather and PVC. Here's a few examples: ![]() ![]() ![]() See the full horror here: Gossips Club, Dean Street, London W1 Link Wednesday, February 18, 2009Bloomsbury Bowling Lanes
We've always been fans of this venue under the Tavistock Hotel on Bedford Way by Russell Square, so when we were invited by some lovely friends to come down on a Saturday night, we made it a date.
Unfortunately, they'd hired out one of the private karaoke rooms and were all squashed into a little room with a flickering LCD screen screen displaying the lyrics. The sound was truly dreadful even before the drunken singing started up, so we discretely shuffled our way out to the busy dance floor and bar. There was an excellent rock and roll band playing onstage as well as some performance. Here's a few camera phone snaps from the evening. We had a ball! ![]() Labels: bowling, london, photos Link Monday, February 16, 2009Photography protest: Scotland Yard
This morning, photographers and filmmakers - and the political activist and comedian Mark Thomas - gathered in their hundreds outside New Scotland Yard to exercise their democratic right to take a photograph in a public place.
The event was in defiance of Section 76 of the Counter Terrorism Act 2008 which became law today. The new legislation gives the police powers to arrest photographers for taking and publishing a picture of a cop if the police decide that it is 'likely to be useful to a person committing or preparing an act of terrorism.' I'll have a full report and more photos up later. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Labels: london, photography, protest Link Friday, February 13, 2009The London Stone
The legend of the London Stone has attracted tourists from all over the world, most of who we'd imagine must be a little disappointed when they get to see the thing.
![]() Said to be the spot from which the Romans measured all distances in Britannia, the London Stone can be found shoved into the side of a disused sports shop on Cannon Street, in the City of London. Set within a carved stone surround and decorative iron grill (a Grade II listed structure), the London Stone has played a big part in London's history, being recognised as the symbolic authority and heart of the City of London for hundreds of years. ![]() For centuries, the Stone was the place to be if you were in the mood to forge deals, swear a few oaths or make an official proclamation or two. Jack Cade, leader of the 1450 revolt against Henry VI, followed tradition by banging his sword against the Stone after his forces entered London, declaring himself the 'Lord of the City' straight after. Queen Elizabeth I's adviser and occultist, John Dee, went ever further, believing that it had magic powers, while William Blake reckoned that the stone had been part of a druid altar. ![]() The Stone is now somewhat diminished in size - it's barely more than a shapeless lump of stone, to be honest - and was originally sited in the middle of Cannon Street. Before that it was set into the wall of St Swithin's Church, managing to survive the church's bombing in the Second World War intact. ![]() According to folklore, London's safety is linked to the Stone, with a myth saying that the stone was part of an altar built by Brutus of Troy, the legendary founder of London: "So long as the stone of Brutus is safe, so long shall London flourish". With the store that houses the stone due to be demolished, the Stone will make its final journey to the London Museum. Link Wednesday, February 11, 2009The Thames, theatres, Tate Modern and a tutu
A Saturday walk around a sunny, but freezing cold, central London:
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Get the full story behind these pics here: London street and river scenes Link Monday, February 09, 2009More London gas lamps
I embarked on a chilly seven mile walk around central London today (photos coming soon!), and managed to grab a few more photos of gas lamps still in use.
![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Expect more soon! Feature here: London's gas lamps Link Monday, January 26, 2009London: 202 years of gas lighting
On the 28th January, 1807, the gas lamps on Pall Mall were lit, making it the first street in the world to be illuminated by the warm glow of gas light.
Incredibly, several areas of London are still lit by gas, including a large part of Covent Garden, the Royal Parks and the exterior of Buckingham Palace. Gas lamp man, Green Park There's a small workforce kept to maintain London's gas lamps with duties including checking the mantles and giving the lamps a weekly wind-up (the timer is controlled by a clockwork mechanism). I got chatting to this Gas lamp man in Green Park and he told me that it's such a popular job that workers rarely leave. Labels: gas, gas lamps, london Sunday, January 18, 2009Goodbye London Astoria
One of London's finest music venues is set to be demolished by the summer, thanks to the long-delayed CrossRail project which needs the land.
I've seen some great gigs at the Astoria and it also used to be a bit of a regular haunt in my RAWWWCKKK! phase, where I hung out with hard drinking, poodle-haired chums in the upstairs club getting on down to Rage Against the Machine, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Guns and Roses and other fist in the air head-shaking types... So now the Astoria joins the Hammersmith Palais as another great lost London gig. Bummer. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Some great gigs at the Astoria: ![]() ![]() Amy Winehouse, Feb 2007 ![]() Le Tigre, April 2004. Labels: astoria, clubs, london Link Sunday, December 14, 2008A rainy December walk in London
Some photos from my rainy walk around central London and Brixton yesterday...
![]() Beheaded Belisha beacon, Atlantic Road, Brixton. Named after Leslie Hore-Belisha (1895-1957), who was Minister of Transport responsible for introducing them in 1934, they can be seen all over the UK, Ireland and in the former British crown colonies of Singapore and Hong Kong. ![]() Oxford Street. ![]() Oxford Street trader. ![]() Brixton Station Road. Labels: brixton, london, photos Link Saturday, December 13, 2008Photographers' Gallery moves to Oxford Circus
Formerly located on Great Newport Street (by Leicester Square), the Photographers' Gallery moved to a new four storey site by Oxford Circus in December 2008.
We went along to take a look - and liked the new site a lot, and it makes much more sense to have all the galleries under one roof. Although the food was up to the usual excellent standard (the home made cakes are sensational!), the cafe seemed a little short of seating space - so get there early to bagsy a space. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Labels: london Link Sunday, November 23, 2008Christmas decorations, central LondonSaturday, November 22, 2008'Taking Liberties' at the British Library
There's a fascinating exhibition at the British Library revealing Britain's "1,000-year struggle for our freedoms and rights."
![]() A tour of historic struggles for freedom, there's over 200 iconic documents and objects on display including the well known - like the Magna Carta of 1215, and the 1649 death warrant of King Charles I - and lesser known documents like the hand-written minutes of the Putney debates, recording the arguments between Cromwell's New Model Army and the radical Levellers. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() It's free and well worth a visit. Finishes March 1st 2009. Link Sunday, November 16, 2008A London stroll
Here's a few swifty snaps I took on my new Lumix X3 camera while wandering around London yesterday.
The light was grey, the weather damp and I had a thumping hangover, but the camera did a grand job! ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Link Monday, November 03, 2008A rainy day in London town
A few photographs taken from a very wet walk around Soho and Oxford Street on Saturday. It was a miserable day!
![]() Great Newport Street, Leicester Square ![]() Foyles bookstore, Charing Cross Road ![]() Wet and windy on Oxford Street ![]() Red brolly and puddles Umbrellas by Oxford Circus tube More London photos Sunday, October 19, 2008Kings Cross Gasometer
Following on from my photo feature in September last year, I grabbed a few more photos today of the Grade II listed gasometer.
You can clearly see the parts of the other dismantled gasometers stacked up for storage in some of the pics. ![]() ![]() Gasometer, Kings Cross Link Manette Street artwork
Wandering past Soho, we were surprised to see the buildings along the short stretch of Manette Street (off Charing Cross in Central London) having giant photocopies of people's faces slapped all over them.
The work is by paste-up supremo ![]() ![]() ![]() Link Thursday, September 25, 2008Edith Cavell: WW1 nurse and humanitarian
Born in Swardeston in Norfolk in 1865, Cavell served as a matron in the Berkendael Institute in Brussels, Belgium, which was taken over by the Germans in WW1.
In violation of military law, Cavell was accused of helping hundreds of Allied soldiers to escape to the neutral Netherlands, and was executed by firing squad on October 12, 1915. The night before her execution she said the words now inscribed on her statue, "Patriotism is not enough, I must have no hatred or bitterness towards anyone." The statue in her honour stands opposite the National Portrait Gallery, St. Martin's Place, near Trafalgar Square, London. ![]() Read her story here: Edith Cavell - celebrated WW1 nurse and humanitarian Labels: london Link Wednesday, September 10, 2008More Apple launch photosTuesday, September 09, 2008Apple iPod, Touch and Nano launch event, London
So I had to cover this event in a conference hall in Islington, London, and sit though an hour of watching a live feed of a horde of Apple fanboys in San Francisco whooping and hollering at Steve Jobs' every iProclamation.
The new Nano looks very dinky, and the superslim Touch a wonder of technology, but forcing us to sit through two long, long, looong songs by Jack "dull" Johnson was sheer torture. And were we rewarded for our suffering with some free iPods? Like fuck we were. So here's some pics instead. The Touch was very smudgy, by the way. ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Saturday, August 16, 2008Anti-Folk night at the 12 Bar, London
I love this place. It's one of the very last old school live gigs left in central London and every time I've been there I've had a great night.
Tonight was exceptional fun: a mad, drunken, happy, cheery sing-along with a massively varied crowd and some absolutely nutbar bands. It was wild. Do go. ![]() ![]() Friday, August 15, 2008Old and new, Elephant and Castle.Monday, July 14, 2008Battersea Power Station
We went along to a rare open day at Battersea Power Station where ambitious new development plans were being shown off.
Expect a full photo report soon, but here's a photo of the fabulous old building: ![]() Labels: battersea power station, london, photos Link Saturday, July 05, 2008Candide at the English National Opera![]() I'm not normally an opera-going sort of chap, but we popped along to see a production of Candide by the English National Opera at The London Coliseum. ![]() Voltaire's story of a young bloke hell-bent on follow his tutor’s philosophy of cheery and perpetual optimism in the face of endless personal disasters is an entertaining tale, and the performance and stage sets were spectacular and exquisite. ![]() Unfortunately, pre-show photography is completely banned in the beautiful theatre on some fuzzy grounds of "copyright," so here's a few snatched shots at the beginning and end. . ![]() Read review from The Stage Tuesday, July 01, 2008Millennium Dome to Greenwich walk (part two)
Here's some more pics from our wander along the Thameside path from the Millennium Dome into Greenwich. More photos soon!
![]() ![]() ![]() It was nice to find what felt like a piece of 'old' London - it reminded me of when I walked along the old docks before Canary Wharf sprung up. ![]() More photos here Link Monday, June 30, 2008Millennium Dome to Greenwich walk
There's a little-used but really interesting walk that runs from the Millennium Dome (or 'The O2' or whatever it's now called) along a riverside path into Greenwich.
The walk breezes past acres of empty, deserted land and disused quays that will, no doubt, soon be sprouting ghastly developments galore. Here's some pics from part one of the walk:
More pics here Link Sunday, June 29, 2008Return To The Dome![]() ![]() Millennium Dome main arena, 2000. Now rebranded as The O2 and part of the 'O2 entertainment district' (you what?!), I've always rather liked the structure and even enjoyed visiting it back in 2000. We took a stroll around the area yesterday as part of a lovely walk into Greenwich - here's some photos of the redeveloped O2 site. ![]() ![]() More pics and feature Link Thursday, June 26, 2008Around Leicester and Trafalgar Squares
Some snaps from my wander around central London yesterday:
![]() Street artist in Leicester Square. ![]() The half-demolished 1962 Swiss Centre in Leicester Square. The building was originally designed to provide a showcase for Switzerland and hosted a Swiss bank and the Swiss National Tourist Board. ![]() The original Empire Theatre opened with a production of 'Chilperic' which was a 'Grand Musical Spectacular' by Florimund Herve in 1884. Just three years later it had been become 'The Empire Theatre of Varieties,' reverting back to The Empire Theatre in 1898 before finally closing and being demolished in January 1927. The second Empire Theatre opened as a cinema in November 1928, although it still put on occasional ballet and dancing shows before closing in May 1961 after a 76 week run of 'Ben Hur.' After a major reconstruction, the third incarnation of the Empire Theatre opened in December 1962, and now hosts a cinema and casino. ![]() The 20 feet tall tower of the art deco Odeon Leicester Square, once the 'flagship' cinema of Oscar Deutsch's Odeon Theatres Ltd. Built on the site of the Alhambra Theatre (1883-1936), the Odeon opened for business on 2nd November 1937, offering 2,116 seats - and all of them covered in mock leopard-skin! ![]() Trafalgar Square at night. ![]() More photos Labels: leicester square, london, photos, trafalgar square Link Somerset House: London's Largest Living Room![]() I went along to what was billed as 'London's Largest Living Room' in the courtyard of Somerset House on Saturday and have to say as I was a little underwhelmed. ![]() ![]() ![]() Somerset House is till a great place to visit and a lovely peaceful retreat in the heart of central London. It's even better in the summer when the fountains are working. ![]() Echoing its naval heritage, there's some elaborate and rather bonkers nautical stone carvings on the exterior walls of Somerset House. More photos. Labels: london, photos, somerset house Tuesday, June 24, 2008Along the Strand over Waterloo Bridge to the Southbank
Some more photos from my Saturday stroll:
![]() This elaborate piece of punctuation-untroubled stone lettering informs passers by that: "In this court in the 18th century stood the Fountain Tavern where the political opponents of Sir Robert Walpole met using the title of the Fountain Club, also the Coal Hole the meeting place of the Wolf Club of which about 1826 Edmund Kean was a leading member". In case you didn't know (and I certainly didn't) external link Edmund Kean (1789- 1833) was an English actor, regarded in his time as the greatest ever. I'd heard of external link Sir Robert Walpole (1676 - 1745) of course - he was a bigshot statesman in Georgian times. ![]() The 'Armchair Theatre' space outside the National Theatre. ![]() I continue to be baffled by the growing collection of bizarre 'human statues' that line the South Bank between Hungerford and Westminster bridges. Why do people do it? And why do people give them money? ![]() There's no sign of the sun, but that didn't stop these folks in Victoria Embankment Gardens. More Labels: london, photos, southbank Link Love Music Hate Racism demo![]() On Saturday, I popped along to what was billed as a "national demonstration and carnival parade against fascism and racism" in Trafalgar Square put on by Love Music Hate Racism (LMHR) and Unite Against Fascism (UAF). ![]() It wasn't exactly packed... ![]() ![]() ![]() Labels: london, photos, protest Link Thursday, June 12, 2008Trafalgar Square, midnight.Sunday, June 01, 2008Boris the Buffoon's Booze ban![]() So the clueless buffoon got in and immediately banned one of life's harmless little pleasures with a piece of spectacularly ill-thought out, knee jerk legislation. This ridiculous law not only infringes on people's right to peacefully enjoy a drink on the tube - perhaps after work or on their way out for a night - but it will be expensive to enforce and achieve precisely nothing. Drunken behaviour on tubes has got precious little to do with people actually drinking on the tube train - the problems are almost always caused by people who are already drunk. Therefore this law will make zero difference and trying to enforce it will just cause friction with passengers and cause problems for LT staff. There are already laws in place to punish anti social behaviour on London's public transport, and we welcome further investment to protect the travelling public, but the time, money and resources needed to enforce Johnson's plans could be far better employed elsewhere. It's a hot topic on the urban75 bulletin boards - join in! Link Thursday, May 29, 2008A month of gigs
Some snapshots from a month in the Metropolis. 'Scure the quality - they were all taken on my itty bitty Palm Centro phone.
![]() 30th April Illicitly sneaking into the May listing is the Alabama3 anti-racism gig at the Brixton Academy - one of very favourite London venues. ![]() ![]() ![]() Plastic glasses litter the dance floor at the end of the evening. The after-party beckons! ![]() May 9th The fabulously lavish interior of the Shepherds Bush Empire, where we'd come to see Jonathan Richman. ![]() It's a lovely looking venue, but the sightlines are shocking - it's the only standing venue I know where the floor appears to slope up to the stage. ![]() After a lot of elbowing, shimmying and 'scuse me-ing, we finally bagged a half decent view. Mind you, once we'd managed to grab a position with a view, there was no way we'd dare move to get a drink or - woe betide - try to pop off to the loo. Jonathon Richman was fantastic, but the venue royally sucked. ![]() 15th May. The Left Outsides open up at the launch party for the debut album by Hayman, Watkins, Trout & Lee at the Gladstone in Borough. ![]() The new album boys do their stuff. The Gladstone is a ruddy fantastic pub - warm, cosy, friendly and with some top real ale (I got stuck into the Hooky ale from Hook Norton). ![]() ![]() ![]() 16th May Cavendish Arms, Stockwell. We loved how this little known boozer had been tarted up and the band room looked great, but the booking policy was so erratic that the place was empty and there was little empathy between the acts. The venue has great potential though so we'll give it another go soon. ![]() 22nd May Launch party of Ivan's Retreat, Brixton Road. This big, central Brixton boozer has struggled for ages under several names, but we went along to its latest relaunch, with the folks behind Camden's successful Lock Tavern pub now at the helm. There was a lot of brown furniture going on, the music was indescribably bland (a bored looking DJ standing behind the decks with his arms closed hardly raised party spirits either) and the whole place felt like it should be shunted two miles up the road into Clapham. The food looked like it might be pretty good, and the selection of the beers wasn't too shabby either, so we'll check it out again in a month or two. ![]() 22nd May Helen McCookeryBook at the Railway, Tulse Hill. Now this is a mighty fine boozer, and well worth a visit. There's a small venue upstairs, a huge garden at the back (well, a sea of concrete mainly), good food and a lively downstairs bar. ![]() There was some kind of super folky night going on at the Railway, and although some of the acts were quite enjoyable, when we being implored to clap along to some hippy tosh, we made our excuses. ![]() 22nd May The final gig of the night - The Amaylas at the Windmill. The Windmill is rightly regarded as one of the finest small venues in London, and I was asked to DJ to a rather intimate crowd at an Oxfam benefit. Here's the view from the DJ decks. I'm still not finished with the gigs yet - Friday night is Offline at the Brixton Albert, and Saturday I'm DJing at the Railway and then checking out the fabulous Actionettes at the Buffalo Bar. Wednesday, May 14, 2008PG Wodehouse Picnic, Russell Square![]() To celebrate the reissue of PG Wodehouse's books by Arrow Books, a picnic was held in Russell Square on a delightfully warm spring Sunday afternoon. ![]() I popped along for a nibble before heading off to take the photos at a friend's wedding in Marylebone. Labels: london, photos, wodehouse Link Friday, May 02, 2008Boris Johnson? You're having a laugh.![]() Latest reports have that toff fop buffoon Boris ahead in the London mayoral election. He might be a right laugh as a dinner guest, but having that clown in charge of London would be no fucking joke. Labels: london Wednesday, April 30, 2008Ken Livingstone in Brixton![]() Me: Hello Ken. I run the urban75 website where Paddick used to post Livingstone: Is that the Anarchist website? Me: No. The press made that up in an attempt to discredit Paddick - it's never claimed to be an 'anarchist website' Livingstone: That should teach me not to believe what I read in the press! ![]() ![]() Labels: brixton, ken livingstone, london, politics Link Tuesday, March 25, 2008London photos
A few snaps from around London town, taken with my trusty Ricoh GX100 camera.
![]() Man with a hat, Bedford Square. ![]() Penguin and passer by. ![]() Bins, Ogle Street. More London photos Link Friday, February 22, 2008Time Out Top 50 Site!
Woot! It was great to see urban75 being listed in Time Out's "Top 50 London Websites," especially as were number one in the 'communities' section. Nice!
![]() Elsewhere on the site, I've been obsessively updating the Brixton History features, posting up old billboards and adverts and taking a modern day look: 2-4 Atlantic Road, Brixton 58 Atlantic Road, Brixton 80 Atlantic Road, Brixton Walton Lodge, Brixton ![]() There's also a big feature on Quin & Axtens, a long-gone grand department store in Brixton Road. ![]() If proof were needed that perhaps my obsession is going a little too far, my recent feature on the Public Toilets in Tate Library Gardens could be it! ![]() Sadly the Lost Pubs section keeps on growing, with new features on the Loughborough Hotel and the Hammerton Brewery. Still to post up are pictures from the fabulous Actionettes night at the 100 Club, Oxford Street. I'll sort them soon - honest! Labels: brixton, london, photos, pubs Sunday, February 10, 2008Hanway Street, London W1![]() I've just finished a photo feature on this quiet little street in the centre of London. ![]() Rumoured to be named after Jonas Hanway - the man who introduced the umbrella to the streets of London and faced of a ton of grief from hackney cab drivers for his troubles - it's a fascinating little backstreet. See: Hanway Street feature ![]() On a sadder note, I've had to add another entry to my growing list of Lost Pubs Of Brixton. ![]() The beautiful Loughborough Hotel at 39 Loughborough Road, Brixton, SW9 7TB had already lost its famous ballroom to developers, but it now looks like the pub has gone too. Read the full story here: Loughborough Hotel, Brixton closes Labels: brixton, london, photos, pubs Nokia: a pipeline of champagne!![]() Well, not exactly a pipeline, but there sure was a lot of champagne flowing my way on Thursday as I attended the launch of the Nokia Store on Regent Street, London W1. ![]() With Apple having their own equally shiny and chrome/glass-laden store opposite, the rivals will be able to take part in staring competitions across the road. Or maybe slug it out in the street if things turn nasty. ![]() I've never understood or been interested in the dire schleb culture, but it was amusing to see well known musicians like Dizee Rascal and Goldie being hired in to presumably add 'showbiz glamour' while Z List blonde women flapped around the cameras, almost begging to be snapped. Still, you won't hear me complaining when the free champagne is slopping around in such quantities, and I got to meet some interesting folks amongst all the swivel-action suits, PR backslappers and attention seeking pap-clingers. ![]() We later retired to a restaurant bar called Cocoon near Piccadilly Circus where the onslaught of champagne continued until, in the words of the fabulous Elbow, "my speech was just a gas leak." Sadly, there were no free phones to be had, and I hadn't brought my proper camera, so you'll have to make do with these super low-res shots from my much loved Palm Treo 650 phone (the onboard camera is not its strong point). Sunday, February 03, 2008Return to St Pancras station![]() I've always loved the High Victorian folly of St Pancras station and the adjacent Midland Grand Hotel, and after an uncertain future, it's great to see the place thriving. ![]() I popped in today to take some photos (and managed to resist the strong urge to impulsively jump on a train and head for Europe!) and it's barely recognisable from the station I visited a few years ago. ![]() St Pancras 2001. ![]() Check out more photos here: Return to St Pancras, and browse hundreds of St Pancras photos here: St Pancras and Midland Hotel homepage. Friday, February 01, 2008Crystal Palace photos![]() Two (overdue) updates to the photo gallery, with pictures from a summer and an autumn walk around Crystal Palace park and nearby Sydenham. ![]() I went along on the Sydenham walk (called the 'Fungi Forage'), wooed by the prospect of a walk through the old railway tunnel, but it was not to be. ![]() But I learnt a bit about picking wild mushrooms: don't, because I'm too stupid to work out the difference between tasty 'shrooms and poison-laden instant-death dealers. ![]() ![]() I love Crystal Palace Park - all over the huge park there's remnants of its glorious Victorian past and bonkers things like Egyptians sphinxes, concrete dinosaurs and grand stairs going nowhere. ![]() I discovered a pedalo half stuck in a tree, a considerable distance from any water, and there's headless statues scattered all over the park. ![]() More photos here: Palace photos Sydenham to Crystal Palace park An autumnal walk around Crystal Palace Park Labels: crystal palace, london, photos Monday, January 14, 2008Morden Hall - Colliers Wood Walk![]() A rare day of winter sunshine sent us scuttling out of the house on Saturday afternoon, heading off to the hitherto unexplored lands of darkest Morden and Colliers Wood. ![]() The walk took us around the attractive Morden Hall Park, past some lovely scenery before we headed north along the River Wandle. ![]() Next stop was Deen City Farm, which packed a load of pretty budgies, squawking turkeys, and pocket-sniffing goats - and this fella above. ![]() In the last stretch we grabbed a snack in a nice cafe at Merton Abbey Mills, checked out the waterwheel action and then headed into Colliers Wood, which can proudly boast one of the ugliest buildings in London. More photos: Morden Hall Park Deen City Farm Merton Abbey Mills and Colliers Wood Sunday, January 06, 2008Piccadilly to Vauxhall walk
The weather wasn't great, but we shook off some of the festive lard and lingering hangover with a short (4.3m) walk around town yesterday.
Here's some of the pics: ![]() Christmas swing ride in Leicester Square. ![]() Georgian terraced houses of Northumberland Street. ![]() Walking along the south bank of the Thames ![]() Houses of Parliament. Central London and River Thames walk -photos Sunday, December 23, 2007Goodbye New Piccadilly cafe
A much loved London cafe lost forever.
April 2006 ![]() December 2007 The New Piccadilly Café, 8 Denman Street, Piccadilly, London Friday, November 02, 2007Hammersmith Palais RIP
It's taken me ages to get around to posting these pics up but here's some shots of the very last days of this much loved music venue.
My own band headlined there once, although it's fair to see it probably wasn't a stand-out moment in the venue's prestigious rollcall of bands. ![]() Hammersmith Palais Thursday, October 25, 2007A lighthouse in London![]() I love this old building right by Kings Cross station. ![]() The story is that the building originally served as an oyster house - oysters being the fast food of the day - with eateries often being marked by a lighthouses, much like McDonalds (spit!) uses the familiar Golden Arches to catch the eye of hungry punters. More photos: Oysterhouse Lighthouse, Kings Cross Monday, October 22, 2007Autumn in Regent's Park
I spent a lovely hour walking around Regent's Park on Saturday afternoon, grabbing a couple of autumnal scenes on my trusty Ricoh GX100 camera (long term test review coming soon!) as I kicked through the leaves:
![]() ![]() Couple more pics here Labels: brockwell park, london, photos Sunday, October 21, 2007A walk around Fitzrovia, London![]() Had a nice walk around W1 and Fitzrovia on Saturday - interesting to see so many buildings closed and the huge development taking place by Great Portland Street. ![]() Photos of Fitzrovia Tuesday, October 16, 2007A walk around Brick Lane, East End
Blimey, the place is gentrifying so fast you can almost feel your accent changing while you stand there.
Here's a few pics: ![]() ![]() ![]() More photos here: Brick lane, East London Saturday, September 22, 2007Rose Theatre, Bankside![]() By chance we stumbled across the Rose Theatre 'open weekend' last week and took a look inside. ![]() There's not really a great deal to see, but it is kind of 'umbling to know that you're stood where people once saw some of Shakespeare's plays for the first time. Rose Theatre Thursday, September 13, 2007A walk around Lincoln's Inn Fields & Holborn![]() ![]() This is a great area of London to wander about in. The park is London's biggest public square and there's some fascinating architecture all around. See more pics here: Lincoln's Inn Fields ![]() ![]() The surrounding area is fascinating too, with lots of quirky buildings and interesting sights. Well worth a visit! Holborn, the Strand and Fleet Street Tuesday, September 11, 2007Behold! The majesty of Tottenham Hale!![]() Welcome to Tottenham Hale. All cars, roads, railings, roundabouts and concrete. Easily one of the ugliest places in London. This was taken on my route from the tube, a walk that involved trudging over a large concrete bus station concourse (busily transporting people to the Ikea in Edmonton), passing a hideous block of corporate food chains and then walking along a busy one-way road. Just before this scene, the ever decreasing pavement was eventually pushed completely off the road, making me walk through a run down council estate before I rejoined the road at this charming spot. Nice, huh? Thursday, August 30, 2007DJing, drinking and photographing
Blimey. What a week. Last Saturday I went to the Windmill, Brixton for the leaving bash of two of my friends, Scott and Jo. It was a fabulous night that involved a lot of drinking, although it's always a bit bitter sweet when your chums are leaving the country for good.
I'd prepared a special set of old time country bootstompers for Scott, but he spent most of the time lying on the floor drunk in front of the DJ booth. His boots may not have stomped, but I'm sure I saw a few twitches... ![]() The next afternoon I was DJing at the excellent Stumbleworthy event at the Duke of Sutherland Pub, Lorrimore Road, SE17. I was still nursing a king size hangover, so all those buttons on the mixer confused me for quite a while, but I stayed on for a drink with some urbanites. The Sutherland is a great, old-school boozer with cheap beer, pool table, Caribbean Soul food, board-games and a beer-garden. Well worth a visit. ![]() On my beer-exuding walk over to the venue, I noticed this unusual sign, and posted up a page about it. Thanks to the folks on the urban75 boards, I discovered the background to its unusual name: "It's called the Onion Shed because until the early 1980's it was used by a group of Breton Onion sellers. You used to see them cycling round south London with their bicycles heavily laden with strings of onions and garlic. If I missed them in the street I would call round and buy my onions from the shed, where they would be stringing then together. I always suspected that they slept in the loft, although it was all fairly derelict." ![]() Wandering around town today, I came across this lovely old Welsh chapel, Capel Bedyddwyr Cymreig. Find out more here. I've finally made a start on the Brixton section and have posted up an all-new homepage which I think looks loads better. ![]() I've posted up a piece about Brixton Water Lane which has some beautiful Regency and early Victorian villas, as well as a dark secret: MYSTERIOUS MURDER IN BRIXTON, May 1900 Other new features and updates on the site include: Goodbye to the Hobgoblin boozer Adam and Eve Court, London W1 London's narrowest alley Vauxhall Cross Transport Interchange Camberwell Submarine Labels: brixton, london, photos Thursday, August 02, 2007Winter comes early to the BT Tower![]() This was a good blag because I: (a) love the BT Telecom Tower (b) love wintery things and (c) love freebies ...and all three were on offer today as I'd been invited to the launch of BT's winter range of tech goodies. ![]() It was a tad odd to be looking out over London from a mock up of Santa's grotto, but I was happy as could be scoffing strawberry champagne jelly sat next to a Christmas tree looking over the mighty metropolis. I was given a press pack as I left containing a very strange DECT phone which I'll review later. BT Telecom Tower photos Thursday, July 19, 2007Dulwich Village/Green Fair photos![]() It's just a short bus ride from downtown Brixton, but it feels like a universe away with its quiet village atmosphere, posh houses, well tended verges and lack of shouting street nutters. ![]() Dulwich Green Fair Dukwich Village Labels: dulwich, london, photos Tuesday, July 10, 2007London photos
Some more pics from my London ambles...
![]() A visit to the Tate Britain ![]() Hyde Park, the Strand and Borough Market photos ![]() Steam train at Victoria station ![]() Covent Garden, Bloomsbury, the Strand and Liverpool Street Labels: london, photos brixton Tuesday, April 24, 2007Streatham Common Kite Day![]() This was a whole heap of fun, with the skies around Streatham Common Kite Day being peppered with kites of every shape, size, design and colour. ![]() I flew this triplane kite for a while (but I wasn't very good!). Streatham Common Kite Day Saturday, April 21, 2007A night at the Charterhouse bar, London EC1
Went to a friend's birthday at the Charterhouse Bar last night (oh, all right, he owns the place) and first impressions weren't good: the upstairs bar was jammed with extraordinarily drunk people grooving to some horrible funk groove thing, so we thought we'd have the one pint and make our excuses.
But then Dexys came on as the DJ switched to let's "play anything that makes people smile" mode, and we began to warm to the joint. A few beers later and we were drunkenly getting down to the Psychedelic Furs, Billy Idol, Michael Jackson and all manner of cheesy tunes from the Great Vault of Stilton like the rest of them. It was fantastic fun: no burly doormen, no attitude, a good mix of people and a really, really friendly crowd with no one taking it too seriously - a bit like a really good PROD on full tilt. It's well worth a visit if you're in the area. Oh, and the DJs call themselves Rubbish which was a bit worrying because they looked to be far more in control of the decks than me at an average Offline. But, eeeugh. My 'ead today. Biiiig hangover. PS Expect an Offline club there soon - and don't forget our big night on Thursday this week. We've got great bands galore! Sunday, February 11, 2007"Oy you! You can't take that picture...."![]() So, I'm walking along Avemaria Lane (near St Pauls) minding my own business. It's a quiet afternoon and there's barely anyone around. I've got my little Ricoh GR digital compact around my neck. Passing the entrance to an empty car park that interested me (well, I like these kind of shots!), I take a snap from the pavement and am about to walk on when I hear a loud, aggressive voice shouting: "Oy! Oy! You! You with the camera! " "'Scuse me?" "Yes you - you can't take pictures here" "Err, yes, I can actually" "No you can't" "Yes, I can. I'm on a public highway" "Don't give me attitude. If I say you can't take pictures you can't" "You're wrong, actually. I'm on a public highway and I am perfectly entitled to take pictures of anything I like, thanks. That's UK law." "Go on then. Try and take another picture, Go on!" "I've already got the picture I want, thanks" (aggressively pointing his walkie talkie aerial close to my face) "Go on. Take another picture" "are you threatening me?" (louder and more aggressively) "Go on. Try and take a picture again. Go on" "OK, if you insist." (takes another picture). <pause> (security man conspicuously puts walkie talkie to mouth) "Get me the flying squad" "You're calling the...(chuckle)...Flying Squad?!!!!!" "They're on the way" ...bursts into laughter and leaves. CHECK OUT YOUR RIGHTS Here's a really handy guide for photographers - make sure you read it before you go out street shooting so you know your rights! Trafalgar Square to St Pauls
Some photos from my walk yesterday:
![]() ow turnout for the Biblical Gospel Ministries' in Trafalgar Square ![]() Photographer's Gallery, Leicester Square ![]() A statue of Fenner Brockway, an activist who I'd never heard of but now realise he was dead cool! See all the photos Monday, February 05, 2007A walk through Spitalfields and Brick Lane![]() Here's the final part of my photo series from my west-east walk across London on Saturday. ![]() I hadn't really explored the streets around Brick Lane and quite liked the 'Williamsburg' vibe there. Mind you, some of the new shops looked well posh, so I guess it'll all be changing soon. ![]() Spitalfields and Brick Lane photos Sunday, February 04, 2007Jericho sculpture, Royal Academy![]() Slammed down in the middle of the Royal Academy's Annenberg Courtyard, these two huge concrete towers provide a stark contrast to the Palladian architecture of Burlington House. I think they look great. ![]() Jericho sculpture, Royal Academy Friday, February 02, 2007Three London theatres![]() Battersea Arts Centre It's been a luvvy month for us as we've been to no less than three theatre productions in a single month! Spamalot at the Palace Theatre Check out more photos and a bit of history here Labels: london, photos, theatres Saturday, January 27, 2007A London walk Ace historian Chris Roberts kindly agreed to take a gaggle of urbanites on a short walk of the Thames, with a focus on ghost tales and mysterious happenings. More photos here Sunday, January 21, 2007A London walk
Armed with my camera, I went for a lone amble around London on Saturday, starting off at Borough market, and then walking along the Southbank to the Tate Modern and then across the river to Victoria Embankment, up Charing Cross Road, along Oxford Street, down Regent Street, into Mayfair and then headed home to Green Park tube.
![]() Borough Market, London ![]() Tate Modern, Bankside, London ![]() Southbank, London ![]() York Watergate ![]() Brydges Place - London's narrowest alley ![]() The Singing Handyman, London Wednesday, January 17, 2007Clerkenwell, Smithfield and Red Cow Yard
Save Smithfield!
![]() Pictured above is the old General Market at Smithfields Market, part of a complex of fine Victorian buildings scheduled for demolition. ![]() Despite much local campaigning and appeals from English Heritage, developers want to smash it down and replace it with a bland 7-storey office block. » General Market, Smithfields Market photos A walk around Clerkenwell ![]() Clerkenwell's a great area to walk about (even if it is pissing down), full of nooks and crannies and quirky old buildings. I'll be doing another walk soon. » A walk around Clerkenwell The Mystery of Red Cow Yard ![]() There's not a lot to look at here, but what is the red cow that this Clerkenwell street is named after? » Red Cow Yard, Clerkenwell, EC1 Secret St Pancras ![]() Urban explorer extraordinaire Paul Holmes has managed to sneak his camera into sealed off areas of the marvellous St Pancras/Midland Hotel, which is currently undergoing restoration. Check out the photos and story here: Mission #17: 'Meet me at St Pancras' Return of the Penny Dreadful ![]() Chris Roberts leads the revival of these damned Victorian novels! Return of the Penny Dreadful |
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