Caution Infernal Traffic

On Sunday I caught the tube eastwards into the Shoreditch/ Spitalfields/ Brick Lane area.  I have to admit that the most Cockney thing I found was the ATM. I’d seen a piece in the papers recently about one of the banks installing “Cockney” ATMs in a few places in the East End but didn’t realise I’d found one until I was getting money out. Sadly I didn’t get a picture because there were people waiting behind me and I didn’t want to pay more international transaction fees just for a quick snap. The markets in this area are very much about clothes and accessories.  And Spitalfields is full of the cooler than cool looking for the next hot item to wear. On Sundays huge sections of the East End are given over to markets. I wandered through at least three of four distinct ones.

The first I came across by accident mostly because when you look at maps, the scale doesn’t always mean much, so you don’t realise how close everything is.  Petticoat Lane was packed full of clothing racks of cheaper than cheap remnants and bulk lots.  It wasn’t quite what I was looking for but at least I can say now that I’ve been there.  Eventually I worked my way over to Spitalfields (which isn’t far away) and had a wander through it’s hallowed halls.  Recently redone, it’s a very swish space with guidebook recommended restaurants and cafes.  There’s a lot of nice things to be bought here and if you search hard, you might still get a bargain. Vintage/retro clothes and quirky accessories are the biggest buys but there’s lots of new stuff as well.

Just round the corner is the Sunday Up Market. Housed in a less polished space, it has a real market feel to it. The outside and inside food vendors offer a wide array of delicious, multicultural food.  Although it does appear that some people have stalls at both Spitalfields and Sunday Up, the latter has a more gregarious, community feel to it.  I really enjoyed having a look around and wandering the surrounding streets which were also covered in more markets.  This pop up market lead up the road to Brick Lane, where there was yet another market in full swing. The Brick Lane market was far more diverse in its array of goods for sale, which was a relief because there’s only so many vintage dress shops even I can look at. In the end though I didn’t take many photos of the markets but I did take lots of pictures of artworks and drawings on walls.  There is a strong street art scene in the area, which can be seen in my view of the East below.

Caution Infernal Traffic

this one was hidden behind the outdoor food stalls

this one was quite striking

this figure of a man was at the bottom of the previous picture

I liked these shutters

not sure what it means but it's interesting

Weekend of markets

The weekend is the best time to enjoy some of London’s markets, so I decided to visit two different parts of London and sample their markets this weekend. This first post is about my visit on Saturday to Borough market and the Southbank.  The weather is still holding here, for the most part, but the temperature has dropped a few degrees.  Saturday was a lovely sunny day to be wandering around Borough and Southwark.  I caught the tube to London Bridge station and from there headed to Southwark Cathedral just down the street.  It is a beautiful Cathedral and although it has a long history, I know it as the starting place for the pilgrims in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. 

Southwark Cathedral

from another angle

Right next door is Borough market. It’s all about food. If you want to know where to get a an Ostrich burger – Borough market is your place.  And these trips to the markets would be cheap sightseeing days, if I didn’t buy so many snacks…(not that I eat Ostrich burgers).

Borough Market

It was actually more crowded than it looks. The market was packed full of people, many of whom brought wheelie suitcases to fill up with food.  In fact, many people here (tourists mostly I’m assuming) seem to shop with suitcases.  Doesn’t matter if it’s Piccadilly or Regent Streets, Borough or Shoreditch markets.  I don’t know why you would want to buy that much stuff (although groceries make a bit more sense) and I find them annoying because they are dragged really slowly in everyone’s (my) way.

I also visited The Clink Museum which is nearby. It’s a privately owned museum documenting life in the early prison called The Clink that existed in the area for hundreds of years.  While it was an ok way to spend half an hour, I wouldn’t recommend making a special trip. It wasn’t the best put together display I’ve seen recently and some areas had signs that were just laminated and tacked up on the wall (including a blurry picture of puppies printed off a computer entitled The Police Animal section – and that was it, just the picture). Clearly at some point there was money put it into researching and creating the displays but it’s beginning to look a little worn around the edges.

The Globe Theatre

On my way from Borough market to the Tate Modern I walked past the Globe Theatre. I wandered in to pick up some info about tours and shows (which run till early October), so will definitely be going back another day to check it out some more. And here’s the Tate Modern. I know it’s fashionable to be in love with this place but I am a much bigger fan of the Tate Britain (which is currently running a William Blake exhibition I want to go see).

Tate Modern

 

Tate Modern main hall

The Tate Modern is housed in an old electricity station and it’s a fantastic space. One of the entrances is to the top of the picture and the galleries are to the right.  Housed on multiple levels, you’d think they would be tiny considering how much open space there is here, but they’re not.  It’s room after room of modern art exhibitions. And it also has some great views across the Thames looking towards the city.  Here’s a photo I took through one of the windows of the Millennium Bridge and St Paul’s.

view from Tate

Up next is a trip to the east end to visit the Spitalfields and Brick Lane markets in Shoreditch.

London travel tip

The top of the escalator leading to the Jubilee line at Waterloo is not the place to stop and have a discussion about whether or not you want to get on the escalator.  See all these people streaming around you into that tiny space you’ve left and getting on the escalator?  You’re in their way.

Library of Libraries

Yesterday afternoon I walked to St Pancras to have a look at the British Library and a few other sights in the area. I left it rather late in the afternoon, so spent most of my time there.  It has the most amazing collection of rare books, some of which you can view for free.  If you’ve ever wanted to see what Jane Austen’s or a Bronte’s handwriting looked like, this is the place.  There were beautiful illuminated manuscripts from many areas of the world and I was able to have a look at the Magna Carta and the Codex Sinaiticus – the oldest version of the Bible (and certainly the New Testament) still around. It was all housed in a low light area to preserve the items on display but if you have a thing for books, you should definitely visit. The rest of the public space was quite airy but like any good library, there were piles of people hidden away in corners (and planted on any other available surface) using the free wifi. I also listened to a multimedia exhibition about the power of public speaking, which was really good.

British Library

massive sculpture in the courtyard

Punch sculpture in terrace courtyard

inside the British Library

interesting book sculpture that doubles as a chair

just so you know where we are

I also wandered down the block to take some photos of the beautiful St Pancras station (and Harry Potter related platform at King’s Cross) but it was not to be. St Pancras is almost completely covered in scaffolding as a result of the apartment/hotel development going on inside the structure and I was so put off by that, that I forgot to walk across the road to King’s Cross and be a nerd there. It’s not too far away though, so I’ll try and go back another day.

Exquisite Bodies

This afternoon I walked to Euston to see some Exquisite Bodies. The bodies in question are part of a special exhibition being shown at the Wellcome Collection - which bills itself as a free destination for the incurably curious.  I had never been there before but it’s a really well setup space houseing the some of items collected by Sir Henry Wellcome. Wellcome had an interest in medicine and the human body and during his lifetime amassed an amazingly diverse collection of items. The Exquisite Bodies exhibition (which I saw advertised in the tube) explores the history of medical models of bodies and various body parts.  It’s a fascinating history and the models themselves range from the useful to the disturbing. There are two other permanent display rooms where more of the collection is housed and I spent an interesting and enlightening afternoon viewing it.

Wellcome Collection

Periodic table display

This artwork (which I only photographed part of) was designed to represent the different elements on the periodic table. They also have a forum area where people can write or decorate blank cards relating to the displays they’ve seen. Clearly the Wellcome Collection has some very artistic and Boosh loving (if not totally on topic) visitors.

forum card

Afternoon at the Royal Academy

I finally made it to the Waterhouse exhibition at the Royal Academy today. It was a lovely exhibition, but so popular! I don’t think I’ve ever been in such a crowded exhibition space.  People were absolutely packed in and you had to move quickly to secure a good spot in front of the paintings. The paintings were beautiful though, so it was well worth the trip. As I planned on Sunday, I hopped off the tube in Leicester Square and walked down Piccadilly to the Academy.

famous billboards at Piccadilly Circus

crowds around the Eros statue later in the afternoon

Royal Academy

The exhibition is being held in the Royal Academy of Arts which is just one of the Academies housed in the surrounding buildings which are also home to the Linnean Society, the Society of Antiquaries and the Astronomical Society among others.

art exhibits in the courtyard

Fortnum and Mason

I also had a look through the Fortnum and Mason foodhall on the way to the Academy (it’s across the street) but I didn’t find it as exciting as the guidebooks would have you believe (who’d of thought?). Although all the food looked delicious, the place was a bit sterile and clearly full of people buying small objects just to get the brand label. And I found a corner of the grocery section where you can buy marshmallow fluff in a jar, so it’s not all topnotch gear they sell.

Sunday in Covent Garden

Late this morning I set out with intention of catching the tube down to Leicester Square and walking down Piccadilly to the Royal Academy to see their Waterhouse exhibition. I heard about it while I was still Australia and was pleased I’d get the chance to see it, however the sunny weather got the best of me. After exiting Leicester Square tube station I decided that having a wander in the area and maybe heading over to Covent Garden might be a nice idea. I though that I could still go to the Academy in the afternoon, but I spent so much time in Covent Garden and the West End that I didn’t make it today. The weather here has been really good (here’s hoping I don’t jinx it) and quite warm, so I’d be silly not to make the most of it now – winter will be cold and dark…

Leicester Square

This is the park in the middle of Leicester Square before it got really packed late in the afternoon.  It’s ringed on all sides of the square by cinemas and restaurants.  These are the cinemas where a lot of film premieres happen over here.

Stanfords - excellent travel bookstore

Stanfords is a Covent Garden mainstay.  It has multiple levels of travel books, maps and anything else you might need to plan a trip.

crowd watching a performer in Covent Garden

My favourite place here was the churchyard of St Pauls. It’s usually quieter and less crowded but as it was a weekend on the holidays, it was packed with people resting and eating their lunches.

St Pauls Churchyard

This Church has long had an association with the nearby West End Theatreland and is generally known as the actors Church. Many of the benches in the Churchyard are dedicated to famous and not so famous people associated with theatre.

I also came across some well known streets in the area, including Drury Lane which is home to the Theatre Royal which is currently staging a production of Oliver.

Theatre Royal

In my wanderings I eventually turned northwards and ended up on Shaftesbury Avenue which is where you will find some well known theatres and productions. I was most excited to visit Forbidden Planet. Which if you’re not quite geeky enough to know about, is two levels of sci fi and fantasy books, merchandise, comics and graphic novels. I could have bought so many things…but sadly my backpack arrived in the UK quite full. I will definitely be going back for graphic novels when I have more room for stuff.

Forbidden Planet

A trip down memory lane…

…or more accurately, Kings Road Chelsea.  It was a fine and sunny Saturday here and I’d been wanting to revisit some of my old haunts. My first trip to the UK was about 8/9 years ago now and I spent six months living and working in a pub on Kings Road Chelsea. It’s a posh area, no denying that, so in some ways I kind of lucked out when I got that job.

But that old saying to do with never really being able to go home again started to ring true. As I wandered down the road I spotted some old shops and buildings, some new ones in place of those I remembered and I looked for a few that I couldn’t find anymore. I know it’s been a long time since I’ve been here but it was a strange sort of day and I’ve been left with mixed feelings about my trip down memory lane.

I started my journey on the tube mid morning and decided that I would walk down Kings Road from Sloane Square station because it was a walk I had done so many times before.

Sloane Square station

The first good surprise was the Duke of York’s HQ which was just a building site when I last saw it.  Now it is home to a small weekend market full of delicious food (the Jamaican jerk chicken pastry and pasteis de nata – Portuguese custard tart – that I had were soooo good).  There is also a free Saatchi gallery with a display of modern American art.  I took a small detour off Kings Road to the National Army Museum (which is free). Despite living in in the area I had never been there before and it’s worth a look especially if you’re into Empire or military history, or even if you just have a thing for military uniforms and guns.

Chelsea Old Town Hall steps

These steps lead out of the registry area of the Old Town Hall which a lovely, venerable structure on the road.  It must have seen the most amazing variety of weddings in its time. I remember passing by on my way to the supermarket seeing South Asian weddings with heaps of guests and decorated taxis, people doing the traditional white dress thing and of course the couple who wore matching black leather just to mention a few.  They must still have ceremonies here, as there’s still confetti on the steps.

Chelsea Old Church

This is the Chelsea Old Church (though clearly some of the structure is new) which back in the day was the Church of Sir Thomas More, whose statue can be found nearby. My roommate at the pub and I, while a wee bit tipsy on Christmas Eve, decided at the last minute to run down the road from the pub (a couple of blocks away) to attend midnight mass here with it’s posh demographic. I’d never seen anybody wear a purple velvet suit and matching top hat to Church before, and I haven’t since. The fact I rarely go to Church services is irrelevant.

This is no longer the poky old bookstore from whom I procured obscure books

not The Man in the Moon

This smart looking wine bar/bar used to be a black clad, boarded up edifice know as The Man in the Moon. The story went that one night some gang of football supporters (possibly Chelsea fans) were kicked out of our pub and proceeded on down the street to the next likely looking boozer – The Man in the Moon – where they proceeded to wreak havoc and ripped out a number of the bar fittings. Hence its closure at the time.

not The Water Rat

And this lovely pastel palace, if I have the right building, used to be The Water Rat. This is where some of our regulars went when they wanted a livelier night out. It was the scene of a couple of stabbings during my time in the area. Suffice to say, this is not how it looked then.

And then there’s my old place - The Cadogan Arms Tavern – on the corner of Kings Road and Old Church Street.

Cadogan Arms Tavern

It’s undergone more than one makeover since I worked here and I think it even closed for a little while. It doesn’t appear to be owned by a brewery anymore but by a company that runs … gastropubs.  I didn’t take any pictures of the inside because it’s not the Cadogan Arms I lived in. It’s rather swish with pressed metal ceilings and dark leather couches, not too sure about the stuffed animal heads on the wall.  It’s a tidier (non smoking) space but it doesn’t have the comfy well worn feel it used to. The pub was a good middle of the road for local workers. It wasn’t so upmarket as those closer to the Square but didn’t have knifings either. Blokes who worked in the loading docks in the Conran outpost Bluebird used drink here, as well as a couple of picture framers from the shop across the street. The bar here now may have stools but it doesn’t have that regular boozer feeling.  We also used to get a lot of the local Art college students, and they might still be around but the customers I saw today didn’t reflect its former diverse charms. It was a little unsettling and, I can admit, upsetting to be somewhere so familiar yet so alien.  My pub may have been a bit rundown about the edges but it was the focal point of my existence on this road, in this city, but it’s not really there anymore.

A day trip to the country

Yesterday I had an appointment to keep in Dorchester which for those in the know is in Dorset.  Approximately a 2.5 or more usually 3 hour train trip from London Waterloo into the West of England. The train trip wasn’t too bad despite some delays. It’s amazing how taking a long plane ride make even a three hour train trip seem easy. The countryside was lovely, all green rolling hills dotted with hay bales and sheep or cows and the occasional pony. Dorchester is a lovely county town that was bustling with people when I visited.  It’s biggest claim to fame is being the home of Thomas Hardy and it played the setting in a number of his books including The Mayor of Casterbridge. It has some beautiful stone buildings and a mostly pedestrianised shopping area.  Here are some of my pictures (which also prove that it is sunny in England on occasion)

Mr Hardy

stone cottages

High Street

beautiful church doorway

The old brewery - development happening here

Cornhill shopping precinct (with generous ad for costa)

I had lots more pics but you get the idea. Just for fun here’s one last one back in London at Waterloo station – if you look real hard you can see a tiny bit of the London Eye (really, really hard).

See, I am in London - taking blurry pictures

Camden Town

Today I had a wander around various parts of Camden as this is my base for the time being.  I don’t know this part of London particularly well but I am here to explore I used to catch buses out of London to do trips last visit. I remember passing through lots of different boroughs with their lovely old houses or quirky dirty shopfronts and wanting to know what it was like to live there. Well, Camden seems to be one of those places. Camden has quirky old shops, flash new shops, markets, bars, pubs, lovely old buildings and green leafy squares.  Although parts of it are touristy (mostly the markets) I think it gives a better idea of London than living in the rarefied surrounds of Chelsea like I had the fortune to do last time (eg. If I wanted to buy something mundane like a towel, I wouldn’t have to go out of my way to find one on the High Street).

I haven’t taken any photos yet really. I’m still kind of tired so am saving the mass photographs for when I can be sure I won’t accidentally walk in front of a taxi or stand in too many peoples way on the footpath. But I like it here and usually it’s the mundane stuff that sells it for me.  I’ve already found fruit at the supermarket that’s hard to get in Australia, you can tell the clientele of a pub based on the amount shirtless workmen (or not) drinking pints out front, and most importantly – it’s somewhere different. It’s not hugely exotic but there are so many more options here, for everything, and it’s kind of nice to have the choice.