From Bespoke Suits To Thongs

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My rambles around London brought me into touch with a variety of different faces of England’s capital. None more contrasting perhaps than those seen in this batch from my Streets of London series of colour slides made in July 2005. Having been once more beset by wind and rain, I worked on these today.

Savile Row W1 7.05

We begin with a couple of most expensive streets in the region of Regent Street. Savile Row W1 is the home of bespoke tailoring, and not, perhaps, where one might expect to come across a chained bicycle of this nature.

Vigo Street/Burlington Gardens W1 7.05

Vigo Street which becomes Burlington Gardens is a turning off Regent Street. Careful viewers may see my portrait hanging in the window of Burlington Paintings. The motor cyclist is leaving Savile Row. Had he turned left and taken the first turning right, he could have ridden down

Sackville Street/Piccadilly W1

Sackville Street onto Piccadilly. The crypt of St James’s Church, the clock tower of which is seen here, was the scene of the brass-rubbing debacle featured in ‘Meandering Through Soho’.

Pall Mall East SW1 7.05

A month before these photographs were produced, London’s bid secured the 2012 Olympic Games. Banners celebrated this feat. From this corner of Pall Mall East we see Nelson’s column with its lions and the famous fountains. The gentleman in the foreground peruses The Financial Times, the first pink paper.

Spring Gardens/The Mall SW1 7.05

 The Mall itself offers another view of Trafalgar Square, incorporating its backdrop of The National Gallery. The bus advertising Andrew Lloyd-Webber’s ‘The Woman in White’ is looking ahead to the musical’s first performance on 15th September that year.

Concert Hall Approach SE1 7.05

The Archduke restaurant was a regular lunch venue for me and my dapper late friend, Wolf, at this time. Here he waves as I advance on Concert Hall Approach SE1.

Sturmer Way N7 7.05

We shift to north Islington and Sturmer Way N7. More comfortable than she appears, this lady willingly consented to pose beside her car. I did explain that I wanted to feature the street name in the picture.

Stock Orchard Street N7 7.05

Graffiti merchants have even left their mark on a satellite dish above the offices of William Hill’s betting shop in Stock Orchard Street N7.

Surr Street N7 7.05

Two more readers occupy a bench in the sunshine in Surr Street N7, in an area of development off North Street.

Formosa Street W9 7.05

Neither of these two nor this gentleman outside The Prince Albert pub in Formosa Street W9 appears to favour The Financial Times. This fine Grade 2 listed Victorian public house, built in 1856, still sports etched glass and mahogany fittings.

Honeywood Road NW10 7.05

The Willesden Junction Hotel stands on the corner of Station Road and Honeywood Road NW10. The pub closed soon after I took this photograph, and now seems to be functioning as a restaurant.

Curzon Crescent NW10 7.05

‘The L Word’ series ran from 2004-2009. This was concerned with the life and loves of a group of lesbians, their friends, and families, living in Los Angeles. As can be seen, its striking advertisement stole the limelight from the graffiti of Curzon Crescent NW10.

This evening we enjoyed our usual excellent dining experience at Lal Quilla. My main course was king prawn Ceylon; Jackie’s was chicken sag; we shared mushroom rice and an egg paratha, and both drank Kingfisher.

 

64 comments

  1. I especially like the one with the readers on the bench. It makes me think there might be hope for us yet.

  2. My Uncle Ernie was a ‘Master Tailor’, on Saville Row, and was the most elegant, well dressed man in all the family of Cockneys. Obviously a throw back to who knows where.
    He was, too, the spit of one Clark Gable, so you can imagine how he caught the ladies eye. Even my mother had a thing for Ernie; she often said to me when she was having a spat with my father “I should have married Ernie”
    My dad was twice the man, Ernie was as shallow as he was handsome. Although he did come to wave us off at Euston, immaculate, complete in Homburg.
    Thanks for reminding me of things long gone.

          1. A shame indeed, Bennie was great fun to watch,, a sad chap, who brought fun to many. I’ll google it see if I can get it that way . Thanks Derrick 🙂

  3. I found your reflection. 🙂

    It is nice you have the photo of your late friend Wolf waving at you. Old photos are wonderful for those happy memories!

  4. You seem to have covered a lot of ground that day – then I realised they were taken at different times in July 2005. Clever spotting of your reflection, and how nice to have come across that cheery shot of Wolf.

    When I read your heading, I wondered whether we would be seeing the English or the Australian thong 🙂

  5. I always enjoy the Streets of London series, that is not to say I enjoy the other themes any lesser. I have meandered on some of the streets featured here only on the boards of that game called ‘Monopoly’. The ‘L Series’ billboard is explosive!

  6. Thanks for sharing the streets of London Derrick. The facades of these buildings are all to different from each other.

  7. Still waiting for you to post a picture of Ducketts Lane Cricklewood mate, watching old episodes of Goodnight Sweetheart with the actor Lyndhurst.

  8. Having been to London a couple of times now, I recognize some of your photo’s to be places I’ve wandered as well. How fun to be reminded, thank you! I haven’t ever met a fellow named Wolf, is that short for Wolfgang? Seemed like a lovely man, happy to see you. I’m sorry to know he’s past on. I’m dreading the day I’ll visit older photo’s and be missing friends. Tis’ life I suppose. Thanks for the tour! x B

    1. Many thanks, Boomdee. Yes, Wolf was Wolfgang. He came to England on Kindertransport aged 10. Did you ever follow Cynthia Jobin? She was a very well liked blogger. When looking back at old comments her photo always tweaks the heartstrings

      1. I hadn’t been following her posts but have just read a lovely eulogy by many who had. While there, I saw a message left by Pauline. She did seem very well loved and many of her poems are part of this post

        https://uspandey.com/2016/12/25/goodbye-cynthia-jobin/

        How disappointing that none of her poems on her WordPress site survive. A reminder that we are all here so temporarily. Cynthia’s legacy seems to be the fondness and admiration of many. So that’s something quite special x B

  9. This set of photos had lots of interesting people and views! I loved the black grillwork on the Prince Albert Pub and the hotel on the corner point, Derrick. I am pretty far behind but will catch up from here and try to venture back since I don’t like to “miss out on anything!” Thanks for sticking around in your warm comments​. Hope you had a wonderful weekend! ??️

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