The best that London has to offer

London Ambassadors, a scheme run by London Mayor's office, is aiming to recruit 8000 volunteers who can help show off the best that London has to offer during the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012. Apply to be an Ambassador here. Or go to Facebook.

In conjunction with this drive they are also running a competition asking Londoners to recommend a place that they think no trip to the capital should be without. As per Jane's London this should be not just the usual visitor attractions; they are looking for hidden gems such as small museums, cafes, restaurants, shops, alleys, etc that are not on the usual tourist trails. The 60 winners will be chosen at random (which in my opinion is a bit daft) and will get a ‘Take Two London 2 for 1’ Voucher and Guide Book which contains £900 worth of potential savings to be cashed in at over 70 London attractions, restaurants, bars, museums, galleries and tours. Enter here.

The competition closes on 10th December 2010.

Picture refs here.

Christmas markets

There are a lot of Christmas fairs and markets in London this year. Perhaps I am ultra-aware of this having left it too late in the year to apply for a stall at one of these markets to sell my own stuff.... ah well, next year...

Some of this year's bigger markets are listed here and here. But there are lots of smaller events worth checking out here, plus others this weekend in SW17, N16, and next weekend in SE17.

However, the good news is that I have managed to secure a stall at The Museum of Dockland's Festive Fair taking place on the eve of December 9th. There will be 50 stalls selling various kinds of unique arts and crafts, plus a bar, live music and carols, and the museum galleries will be open for the duration... so please do come along and say hello.

Top row: Hampstead, Stoke Newington x2

Middle row: West India Quay, Carey Street, Hyde Park

Bottom row: Crouch End, South Bank, Belgravia Mews

Ice, Ice Baby

Bloody hell... has London gone ice skating mad?!

There are plenty of rinks here in London already – the indoor ones in Streatham, Finsbury Park and Romford, and the seasonal outdoor ones that have been about for years at Somerset House and Broadgate – but it feels like very other day I hear about yet another rink opening for the Christmas season. Have we gone ice skating mad?!

I say 'we' but I haven't attempted to skate for over 30 years. It wasn't a good night; I wasn't very good at it, my friend had her hand cut by another skater's blade when she fell over, and someone went home with my brand new wedges such that I had to go home sad and shoeless. Now I am dare try to ice skate in case I put my back out!

But if sliding about on slippy things is your kind of thing, here's a fairly comprehensive list of where to do it.

Top row: Greenwich, Queensway, Tower of London, (Highgate)

Second row: Somerset House, Natural History Museum, (Regents Canal, Commercial Road), Hyde Park

UKCG urging their worshippers to go into debt

I just read this in today's Times...

It seems the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God, which occupies the old Astoria/Rainbow building in Finsbury Park, is encouraging its congregation not to pay their personal bills so that they will have more money to give to 'God'.

UCKG say that only when people sacrifice all their worldly possessions will their financial prayers be answered. They even offer financial 'help' with this.

It saddens and angers me that this sort of thing is still going on, and less than a mile from my front door.

Read the articles here, though you have to subscribe to the Times site (I will attempt to upgrade this in due course). And here's a 'review' of the church.

The only positive thing I can say about all this is that having a church in residence has meant that the interior of the lovely old cinema has been kept relatively intact. You can wander in and have a look around – just be sure not part with any cash when you are there.

Bar Boulud at The Mandarin Oriental

Earlier this week, thanks to Travel Onion, I went for a lunchtime treat in Knightsbridge with a few other London bloggers. I wasn't sure this was gonna be my kind of thing as when I started this blog I wanted to be specifically about things on the streets. But I am so glad I accepted the invitation as the place and the people were lovely.

I'd have been happy just wandering the hotel's corridors, lobbies and staircases as the inside of the building is beautiful – a lovely mix of old England with touches of the East – but we were also taken inside some of the rooms including the spa, the beautiful and ornate dining room that overlooks Hyde Park, the original entrance on the park side of the building, a standard room (did they say approx £800 a night depending on the season?!) and then to the Royal Suite which was stunning... if you are interested in the price for a night there, then multiply that last room rate by about twelve!! If anyone needs a roommate for a night, just get in touch. (Actually, does that sound a bit forward?!)

After our tour we were treated to lunch in Bar Boulud on the ground floor. The food was scrumdicious (my own word!); plates of charcuterie consisting of patés, hams and terrines, plus seafood platters and salads, followed by a main course, my choice being one of their fantastic hand-made burgers – the one I had had foie gras in it but is only available on Sundays and Mondays.

Oh, and we had four different wines, all of which were explained (what's the word I want here?) to us by the Head Sommelier. Excellent! In a nut shell, I'd love to eat there again, especially as I was impressed at the competitive prices. But I suspect it'll be hard to get a table there soon as the place is becoming very popular. Rightly so.

Oh, and if it's not enough the hotel having David Boulud, it seems Heston Blumenthal is opening a restaurant there soon too, though the hotel's site says Autumn 2010.

And the light fittings throughout the whole building are gorgeous.

Islington royalty and nobility

Walking from New North Road to Angel tube station via Prebend Street the other day I noticed that most of the pubs I passed were Lord this, Duchess that, Earl whatever.

So I have delved a bit deeper and found that within the N1 postcode there are.... eight Dukes (Cambridge, Clarence, Richmond, Sussex, two Wellingtons and two Yorks), two Duchesses of Kent, an Earl of Essex, the Marquess Tavern and a Marquis of Salisbury and Lords Clyde and Wolseley.

And there are lot of Royals about too – Kings Edward VI and VII, William IV, two George IVs, Charles I and the King of Denmark. Plus Princes Albert, Arthur, of Wales and Regent and a few heads and arms of non-specified Kings and Queens.

So what's all that about then?

These are all fairly self-explanatory except the Balls Pond Road image which used to be the Marquis 0f Salisbury.

Bulldoze Battersea Power Station?

Ooh this should rile a few people... but here goes...

The latest plans for the shell of what used to be this wonderful building is to convert it into shops and offices; er, haven't we been here been here before? A few times, even?

And is it really going to happen this time?

I have always hoped that BPS could be brought back to life in a good way, but after all the years of neglect I am starting to think that someone should have the balls to just knock the thing down now and start again from scratch – after all, the new developments that surround it, like the Howard and Warwick buildings, haven't exactly been built with any sympathy to it – it just looks silly surrounded by all those charmless glass boxes.

When BPS was originally built as part of the National Grid system it was an architectural showcase full of polished metal and waxed wood, to show the rest of the world what Britain was capable of. Workers there had to wear felt over-shoes so as not to mark the expensive parquet flooring. But all that is long gone and what is left has been ruined thanks to the removal of the roof decades ago. It's all so sad. What are we really trying to hold onto anymore? And do we really need yet another shopping centre?

The latest plans look to me to be extremely similar to the Kings Cross development. Everywhere is gonna end up looking the same; it's all so homogenous.

Below is a collection of architectural images mostly taken in the immediate Nine Elms vicinity. Also included are two shots featuring that hideous Albion Riverside Building, which is further upstream.

Bubbles and dancing

It's promo time!

Win a top night out in London...

Everyone likes a glass of bubbly and Freixenet are hosting a 'VIP competition' through Facebook – the prize is an evening out at an exclusive London venue where the winners will have a dance lesson with that gobby Brendan Cole of Strictly Come Dancing, quaff some lovely Cordon Negro cava and nibble on top quality canapés.

Click here... good luck!

Top row: Strand, Crouch End, Goswell Road, Tottenham

Second row: Marylebone Road, Shepherd Market, Holloway, St Martin's Lane

Cruising under the Thames bridges

A few days ago I was lucky enough to travel on a widebeam cruiser along the Thames from Limehouse to Kingston.

It's as near as I have ever got to standing on a river. What a fantastic experience.

All in all we went under 19 road bridges, plus another eight foot, rail and lock bridges too. Actually, make that 10, if Hungerford and the two Golden Jubilee bridges count as three separate things.

I wondered if there was a mnemonic for remembering the names of the bridges in order. I cannot find anything specific but there has been a forum at Londonist on this very subject. My personal favourite is this one which covers the 12 road bridges shown below from Tower to Wandsworth.

Only a couple of the above images of the 12 bridges in order, east to west, were actually taken on the day. I have just looked up some info on the figures on each side of Vauxhall Bridge – the east-facing ones represent local government, education, astronomy/science and the fine arts, and those on the west-facing side allude to architecture, pottery, engineering and agriculture (which I thought, with its scythe, looked like the grim reaper!). More here.

Fireworks, wire works, iron works etc

I love love love a fireworks display – did you see the one at the end of the Thames Festival earlier this year? – wow!

But gone are the glory days of Highbury Fields on Friday followed by Primrose Hill on Saturday, because fewer boroughs are putting on fireworks displays these days due to the costs. And a bit of H&S probably creeps in too. Those that are going ahead may have a nominal entrance fee – something like a £1 – which is fantastic value, especially when you consider that councils have been burning our money like this for years! I wonder what else it could have been better spent on...

Here's a list of organised displays in and around London this month.

ooh... aah... wooo... wow!

Top row: Vauxhall, Hornsey, Homerton, Walthamstow

Middle row: Walthamstow, Brixton, Paddington, Bermondsey

Bottom row: Southwark, Bermondsey, Finsbury, Kensington

More fun with dates and numbers

Ten days on from all the tens and this eve will have 20:10 20th October 2010.

I know I haven't got three 20s... so, sorry, but I can't do a montage this time.

Check out my collection of dates and numbers here.

That man in Notting Hill

I am really pleased that after a fair bit of cajoling from me that Malcolm took my advice, set up his blog, and has been posting quite frequently.

Being perhaps his biggest fan (that's just to embarrass him!) I reasoned that other people should also get to read his friendly, and often amusing, streams of consciousness about his observations on stuff that goes on in and around London.

My only criticism is that I think he ought to include more of his lovely pictures into the posts... after all he has thousands to choose from.

Malcolm lives in Notting Hill. I was over that way last month and, when in Moscow Road looking south, I took a photo of a mythological beast on a rooftop in the distance. So far, Malcolm has tried in vain to identify where it might be. It's the image top left... has anyone else got any ideas what building it's on?

Most of these pics are taken in and around W2 and W11. Those that aren't have tenuous links to Malcolm; he is a goat and a rabbit (I am a tiger and a lion) and he liked Joanna Vasconcelos's Big Booby at the wonderful space The Haunch of Venison Gallery are occupying at the moment at the back of the Royal Academy in Burlington Gardens. Her show was really good.

Try before you buy

This is a blatant promotion, because I think it's a good idea...

I have found this great London site called Tasterlab where you can get vouchers to test things out before you splash out on a subscription. Or not. They have dance and language classes, courses, coaching, dating and more. Check it out here.

Clockwise from top left:

Testing Southwark Street, SE1 / Dating Tottenham, N16 / Dancing Victoria Palace Theatre / Films Parkway, Camden / Chinese Romilly Street, Soho / Boxing Regents Canal, N1 / Painting Reeves, Dalston E8 / Sport Westbourne Grove

10:10:10 10th October 2010

I missed out on 05:06:07 on 8th September, probably because I was asleep, but I'll be awake for this one.

Clockwise from top left: Temple, NW10, Holloway, Smithfield, St Katherine Docks, Finsbury Park

London River

It's a strange title but this is a film about two people who paths cross when they are both hunting for their missing (adult) children in London after the bombings on 7th July 2005.

I am writing about this now because I forgot to do this earlier in the year when it would have been more relevant, and I just noticed that the film is out on DVD on Monday 11th October.

What I like about this French-made film, apart from the very good performances and slow pacing, is that it isn't littered with silly images of iconic London buildings, but instead centres on the Finsbury Park area, specifically Blackstock Road where the missing people were living.

The pics in the top row show places that pop up in the film, the second row are missing things, and the bottom row is the bottom row.

Top Row: Twelve Pins pub, N4 / The Old Dairy, N8 / Blackstock Road, N4 (x2)

Middle row: Doulton factory, Black Prince Road, SE11 / Star Street, W2 / Upper Street, N1 / Lincoln's Inn, WC2

Bottom row: Russell Square station / London Bridge / Kings Cross / Gt Newport Street, WC2

Faces in places

I am always seeing faces in things.

In fact my avatar on Flickr is even a found face.

There quite a few 'face' groups on Flickr, and blog sites too. One of them is Faces in Places, by Jody Smith and he has brought out a book of some of the best ones. My copy arrived this week – I've got three pics in it, none of which are shown below. I am amazed he didn't ask for my all-time favourite of the Greggs scary muffin man!

It just occurred to me that none of my chosen book pics are taken on the streets of London, as per the ones below. Find all of these and more here.

Theatre darling, theatre

I have been to the theatre two nights running this week! Blimey darling!

On Thursday I saw Yes Minister at the Gielgud Theatre in Shaftesbury Avenue. Lots of words and clever political stuff. Loved it. Consider this a short and sweet favourable review.

And last night I saw the last performance of a brilliant production of Pygmalion by the Tour De Force Theatre Company in a converted industrial unit in Hackney. The cast of five was excellent.

On the bus home I thought up this collection of theatre-related images, which I think may be my best cryptic collection yet. I hope you get all the references...

Top row: Marylebone Passage, Millbank, Victoria Apollo, Chapel Market

Middle row: Old Marylebone Road, Acton, Clapton, Temple

Bottom row: Shepherd's Bush, Kings Cross, Highbury, Hoxton

100 Club threatened with closure

News in Evening Standard and the NME that the 1oo club in Oxford Street, which has been staging gigs since 1964, may be closed down in a few months. I am sure a campaign is being set up as I write this in an attempt to save it.

This eastern of Oxford Street has become an absolute no-go area at the moment due to the rape and devastation being caused by the implementation of Crossrail – shops and businesses in this stretch must be suffering. Adjacent to No.100 there is now a great big hole where the whole block between Dean Street and Great Chapel Street has been demolished. It's not looking good.

The image is of the old Alfred Marks clock above the door.

Save The Wenlock Arms

It has recent come to my notice the the owners of this wonderful old pub intend to sell up and move on. All well and good for them, but it may not be so good for the much-loved pub as it will more than likely be demolished by any new buyer or developer.

Anyone who has ever been to The Wenlock knows what an absolute gem of a place it is; there aren't enough proper old boozers like this left these days. It's a lively place frequented by different types of people from all walks of life, plus it's a big favourite with real ale drinkers winning many CAMRA and SPBW awards.

So, to find out more click the links under this picture.

Please sign the petitions and do your best to keep the place open.

Letterpool London - Typographical imagery

Just realised I forgot to mention something within my recent post about Neville Brody's Anti Design Festival...

I meant to link to Letterpool London where four of the pics in the Gallery of 100 are mine! Let's hope the London book comes out soon and is as successful as the Liverpool one.

And here are more of my 'typography' tagged photos on Flickr.

Holborn Midtown -update

Earlier this year I wrote a post about the silly idea to re-brand the historic Bloomsbury, Holborn and St Giles area as Midtown. See it here.

Well, sadly, 'they' are still continuing with this.

Andy Dangerfield latest piece follows up on his previous BBC article and I've been quoted in there!

4by4 at the Anti Design Festival

On Wednesday eve I was back at Payne Shurvell for another PView. This time for Rational/Irrational, the second in a series of four one-week shows which form part of Neville Brody's Anti-Design Festival which is happening at various venues all around Redchurch Street, Shoreditch, until 26th September (though I notice that the PS shows continue until 2nd October). Download the full programme here.

The PS show was full of inspiring little gems that at first glance looked like nothing much at all. It was worth asking questions and spending time on things. I left with A3 print outs of the artists' work including a rewritten version of Sol LeWitt's 'Sentences on Conceptual Art', which is now stuck on my wall, and some tissues with thoughts printed on them. Plus it gave me a few ideas of my own that have evolved into this collection of lovely bits of typography on shops and signs from all over London that bring a smile to my face.

See you at next week's show...

Eastenders

I accidentally caught 10 minutes of the omnibus edition of Eastenders on Sunday; a programme I haven't watched in a long time. For those of you who aren't aware of this programme, it's a soap opera on BBC1 about the people who live in and around a make-believe square in London's East End. It's been going since February 1985.

Anyway, as I tuned in just The Vic (pub) had burned down and it was the following day...

Peggy went into the burnt-out Vic in a white jacket. She touched and stroked blackened objects and walls. She even sat on the stairs. Yet she left with clean hands and only a tiny smudge on her shoulder.

Crackhead Phil went out onto the street. His face and clothes were covered in soot. Billy, also filthy, told him to go back to bed. Have these people not heard of baths or showers?

After 10 minutes I changed channels.

Then on Tuesday I went to my local cafe for lunch and found a copy of The Sun to read. (It's been a really high-brow few days!). In his TV column Ally Ross had written a long piece on Eastenders and it seems had I tuned in earlier on Sunday I'd have seen a few other gems. Such as, when the fire started, Dot was told to go home and call the fire brigade, as if no one had heard of mobile phones. And Phil had been boarded up behind an inward-opening door!

Add to this why no-one ever works outside the square, owns a washing machine, and much more... it's no wonder the pedant in me doesn't usually watch it.

Top row: Queensway, Victoria Palace, King Street, Tottenham High Road.

Middle row: Holloway, South Tottenham, Highgate, Whitechapel.

Bottom row: The real East end; Mile End Road, Hackney and Stepney

Snooping & sniffing at Open House Weekend

This weekend, 18+19th September, many usually closed doors will be opened to the public for a free snoop inside. And there are walks, tours and cycle rides too.

Lots of gems. Two days only.

Most of the big attractions such as Centre Point and Trellick Tower aren't even worth showing up to now as they were only available to see by booking in advance.

And please be aware that a huge chunk of the properties on the list are actually open all year round, so save those for another day and instead make use of the opportunity to go and sniff around other people's architectified* homes.

Check the official site for more details.

*my own word

WWF UK's Year of the Tiger campaign

As part of the Year of the Tiger, and to raise awareness of the plight of tigers in the wild, WWF UK is working with Mark Coreth who is, as I write this, creating a 3.4m sculpture of a tigress next to Bankside Pier.

This will be there until 19th September 2011 so if you are visiting the Mayor's Thames Festival this weekend, be sure to go an check it out as members of the public and local children are invited to go and lend a hand.

Update: here are my pictures of it.

I am a big cat; I am a Leo and a Tiger, whatever all that means.

I haven't got any pictures of tigers but I do have some of cats:

Clockwise from top left: Civet Cat (Kensington), Red Lion (Camberwell), Natural History Museum, Battersea Dogs & Cats Home, Carreras Building (Mornington Crescent), Bortusk Leer street art, boot scraper (Belgravia), Black Cat cigarettes ghost sign (Dingley Road).