Camden Passage – a filming location for The Angel Who Pawned Her Harp (1954)

Re-watching this delightful film recently on Talking Pictures, I was convinced that I recognised the location of the shop where she pawns her harp as being in Camden Passage, Islington.

Yep... here are a few snaps I took of how that junction looks these days:

The corner shop has gone, I know not why, perhaps someone can explain that.

I find it interesting that the pawn shop in the movie, selling all sorts of old bits of jewellery, miscellaneous tat and musical instruments, has been replaced with a flat covered area for stallholders on which to sell trinkets, bric-a-brac and rugs on Wednesdays and Saturdays, 9am-6pm. 

This section, plus a few outlets at the northern end of Camden Passage and the small shops and tables around Pierrepont Arcade are all that's left of Islington's once bustling antiques market that used to cover this narrow street and spread into adjacent buildings. 

I recall in the 1990s that Camden Passage was thronged with shoppers making their way past laden tables and into covered arcades on either side. It was marvellous.

An early pic of Camden Passage taken from outside the location of the pawnbroker's shop, looking southwards, can be found just inside the gates along Pierrepont Arcade. My pic here from July 2018 shows Frank, one of the traders there, standing in front of the image. I stopped to chat to him back in July 2018 when I was keen to see how the store holders were managing after the awful flood caused by a burst water main the previous year when many business were forced to close due to the damage.

The flood appeared to affect the Pierrepoint Arcade traders the hardest being as these little streets are geographically lower than Upper Street where the water flowed from. Businesses struggled to continue trading, with many losing unreplacable stock. It was so sad. 

But these little backstreets have bounced back although, these days, apart from the arcade and The Camden Head pub, complete with its gin palace interior, there's little to remind us of a bygone past – it's all lattes, brioche burgers, expensive pastries, and matcha this and that, appealing to a new generation of punters who, apparently never cook anything...! 

Back to the movie – it's delightful – if you like A Matter of Life and Death (or Heaven Can Wait) or The Bishop's Wife – this one's for you. Enjoy!

Yellow foam people – street art in Hornsey Road – by Kit (?)

Updated 27th Dec 2016 – see last paragraph

Over the past few weeks a community of devilish little foam men has been appearing around the junction of Grenville Road and Hornsey Road, London N19.

I first noticed these characterful people made from pipe lagging two weeks ago but it wasn't until yesterday that I had a chance to take some photos.
I think they are marvellous – they have so much personality. When I was taking these pics no one else in the busy street was paying them any attention. What is wrong with people?!
A couple of the original ones have already gone and others have been damaged such as the second one on the bottom row which in the first week was walking down the post and then last week he was doing some kind of circus pose (one limb having become unattached. Now he's legless and looks like he is clinging on for dear life!
Some have a Christmas theme – note the santa hats. One is hanging from a scaffold firing what looks like a ray gun or it might be spray paint – he has two canisters on his back and more in his thigh pockets. Another little foam fella is sat above the burned out shop lighting a cigarette with his face covered in soot.  The group of three angels/sprites is amazing and reminds me of the sprites in Midsummer Night's Dream.
I have no idea who made these artworks. Someone is evidently busy  at night time scaling ladders armed with cable ties. I have googled and come up with nothing. I went into the upholsterer's on the corner of Grenville Road but the girl at the desk didn't have a clue about the artworks and neither did she seem to care much and those three fabulous angels are right outside her window! I am now wondering if Deti's Deli Cafe might be involved seeing as one of the yellow fellas is walking down the wall following arrows to there.
Hmmm... This needs more investigation. I will keep returning to this junction to see if more little yellow men appear and will post pics and updates here.
Whoever is doing this, I salute you. Thanks for brightening up the world with street art that does not deface or damage anything.

Update:
On Christmas Eve I noticed the name Kit at the foot of the smoking man – see pic to the right. Perhaps this has been there for ages and I missed it before. 
I asked the man who runs the convenience store below if he knew who Kit was and he says he thinks it's a customer who uses the shop.
I have an idea that Kit the creator lives above the shops near the carpet store... am I right?  Do tell.... ;-)

The Victoria Memorial

At the top of the Mall, in the middle of the road directly outside Buckingham Palace is a Grade I listed monument that most Londoners usually ignore or use as a roundabout, and most tourists just sit on to take selfies.

But stop and have a really good look at it next time you are there, for Thomas Brock's Victoria with her marble surround by Sir Aston Webb, is 25 metres tall and covered with wonderful sculptures and friezes relating to justice, truth, peace and victory, as well as nautical references in the form of mermaids and mermen.

The beautifully rendered gauzy outfits and nudity on almost every character (except Victoria herself) ties in really well with a post I wrote last year about all the perky breasts the Victorians liked to depict on their statuary. But, as you can see, the ladies on this magnificent edifice are more realistic. 

These pics have proved to be be very popular within my Flickr photostream. 

It may be because I have included nipples, tit, breast, woman, naked etc in the tags. Ha ha.