Author Archives: Geoff Clements

*London Street Art-Pt2 – the ‘Tower Hamlets-Landmarks’ mural-Aberavon Road-Bow-London E3

Posted on by Posted in Art, Quirky Topics, Street Art, Streets .

With the UK Government’s Covid19 current restrictions, rules and regulations in place –  ‘non-essential’ travel is not encouraged – as a result, London Shoes is unable to get out ‘on-the-road’ to start this new year of 2021, with a brand new blog topic.

However – all is not lost, as just before the ‘lockdown’ instigated just a couple of days before Christmas, Shoes was fortunate enough to squeeze in  a couple of blog topics, that weren’t too far from home.

This publication is just one of those from that particular days activity, and forms Part 2 of the theme “London Street Art” – and focuses on the amazing “Tower Hamlets-Landmarks” of Aberavon Road-Mile End-Bow-London-E3.

This particular venture out was a bit special for me personally as it took me back to a specific district I know very well, having worked in the area in the late 1980’s.

The ‘Tower Hamlets-Landmarks’ mural is on full display on a wall located at the entrance to Aberavon Road – which is situated directly opposite Mile End tube station (Mile End tube is serviced by the Central and District lines – the red and green ones on a standard London Underground Map)

The Aberavon Road mural depicts landmarks/places of interest that can be found within the ‘London Borough of Tower Hamlets’ – and it portrays well known and historic locations such as:- Brick Lane (where all the curry houses are) – Columbia Road (where the famous flower market is held) – the Limehouse Basin (a pivotal waterway of the old Docklands) – Canary Wharf (the now financial district of London) – York Hall (once a famous swimming baths plus a very place where many a famous boxer plied there trade early in their career) – the Olympic Park where the majority of the 2012 Olympic Games events were held – & today its the home ground of my beloved West Ham Utd FC) – the iconic Queen Mary University (one of the top educational centers in London) – The old London docklands warehouses (still in situ down Narrow Street near Wapping) – The Royal London Hospital (in Whitechapel) – Victoria Park (in Hackney) plus many other sites that make up the Lon Bor. of Tower Hamlets.

Unfortunately and strangely – I couldn’t find any info on the internet or from any other sources, to clarify who the artist is, or how long this magnificent and engaging mural has been displayed on the wall in Aberavon Road – but I’m sure that once I publish this article on the London Shoes website, there is bound to be a reader who will hopefully be able to confirm this for me.

 

So there we have it – the very first London Shoes blog of 2021 – the ‘Tower Hamlets-Landmarks’ mural in Aberavon Road-Mile End- short & sweet, but still worth covering off in my opinion – and also, it was also good to return to an old workplace stomping ground – hope you enjoyed it.

Take care & stay safe

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See below the entire gallery of photos taken to accompany this blog

Mile End Tube Station – (serviced by the Central Line and the District Line – the red & green lines on a standard London Tube Map). The tube station is almost directly opposite Aberavon Road where this set of murals can be found.

 

The murals of Aberavon Road-Mile End-as seen from a distance

 

Aberavon Road-Mile End-London E3

 

 

Me alongside the  ‘Tower Hamlets-Landmarks’ mural in Aberavon Road-Mile End-E3

 

A close-up of the famous Limehouse Basin image – part of the ‘Tower Hamlets-Landmarks’ mural in Aberavon Road-Mile End

 

A close-up of Canary Wharf – part of the ‘Tower Hamlets-Landmarks’ mural in Aberavon Road-Mile End

 

A close-up of the famous York Hall image – part of the ‘Tower Hamlets-Landmarks’ mural in Aberavon Road-Mile End

 

A close-up of the famous Olympic Park Stadium image (my little warriors West Ham Utd’s home ground) – part of the ‘Tower Hamlets-Landmarks’ mural in Aberavon Road-Mile End

 

A close-up of Me alongside one of the east-ends most famous streets – Brick Lane – part of the ‘Tower Hamlets-Landmarks’ mural in Aberavon Road-Mile End

 

A close-up of the historic old London Dockland’s warehouses down in Wapping – part of the ‘Tower Hamlets-Landmarks’ mural in Aberavon Road-Mile End

 

A panoramic view of the ‘Tower Hamlets-Landmarks’ mural in Aberavon Road-Mile End

 

The old Barclays Bank-Mile End Station branch – which was a sub-branch to the Barclays Whitechapel branch, where I worked in the late 1980’s – this is a building I used to have to visit regularly, when working at Whitechapel.

 

The Queen Mary Uni image – part of the Aberavon Road ‘Tower Hamlets-Landmarks’ mural. The Uni/College (known as QMC in my day) was a site I used to have to visit on a regular basis when I worked down the road at the Barclays Bank Whitechapel branch in the late 1980’s – as we had a small sub-branch located in the Uni campus.

 

The ‘Canary Wharf’ image – part of the Aberavon Road ‘Tower Hamlets-Landmarks’ mural – Canary Wharf being the location of the last Barclays site I worked at before my retirement in 2017

End of Year 2020-Review – looking back at ‘London Shoe’s’ activities throughout 2020

Posted on by Posted in Blog, Quirky Topics .

At the end of any year, it’s often customary to take a look back of where you’ve come from and where you’ve got to – and my little  ‘London Shoes’ initiative is no exception to that approach.

It goes without saying that 2020 has most probably been the most challenging year ever for everyone – where our mental resilience has often been tested to its limits.

From a personal perspective I have sought great comfort in my London Shoes work, where I have strived to continue publishing ‘weekly’ blogs onto Shoe’s Website – Facebook & Twitter social media portals – even during times when adherence to the Government’s Covid19 restrictions, prevented Shoes from using public transport to travel to and from the ‘Smoke’.

For those weeks when ‘Shoes’ was unable to get out ‘on-the-road’, it utilised old unpublished photos, to produce topics such as “London’s-Lost Music Venues” or, I ventured out by foot to ‘local’ historic landmarks on my doorstep, such as ‘The Romford Brewery’ or ‘The Hornchurch Airfield’ – activities that were all good for the soul.

I’m sure that there are people out there who possibly think I’m some sort of geek, and they don’t really understand what London Shoes is all about, and why I actually bother – but, for me, when I look and see that the London Shoes website currently has a ridiculous total of 80,160 ‘followers’ – and that for the previous 12 months the website has averaged 256 ‘hits’ per day – and then there’s the 10 to 15 e-mails I receive daily from all over the world, from people praising or complimenting my work – then I know that this little ‘hobby’ that I took up upon my retirement in Jan 2017 – has all been worthwhile.

It wasn’t until I actually sat down and analysed London Shoes’ activity over the past 12 months, did I realise just how much material ‘Shoes’ had knocked-out in 2020, as the summary below highlights:-

January:

>V2 Rocket Attacks on London – (the 1st-the worst-the last)

>The Stone Alcoves of London Bridge

>The Tate & Lyle Sugar Refinery – Silvertown

February:

>Jazz at the Crazy Coqs Club-Piccadilly

>The History of Leyton Orient FC

>Jazz afloat on the Tereza Joanne-London Docklands

>The Laughing Policemen’s-Walking Tour

March:

>Scenes from the Square – Leicester Square

>The Birth of Glam Rock-50th Anniversary – The Roundhouse-Chalk Farm

April:

>London’s Lost Music Venues-Pt1

>London’s Lost Music Venues-Pt2

>The Real Del-Boy’s London

May:

>History of the Romford Brewery

>London Ghost Signs-Pt2

June:

>London’s Lost Music Venues-Pt3

>A Tribute to ‘Vera Lyne’ – one of the east end’s finest

>History of the Hornchurch Airfield

July:

>Dr Barnardo’s Village – Barkingside

>The Upper North Street School Tragedy-Poplar

August:

>The City of London Cemetery – Manor Park

>The Great London Beer Flood of 1814

>The Majestic Thames Lions

>London’s Lost Music Venue’s-Pt4

September:

>All about Albert Bridge

>London’s Most Used & Least used Stations

>Finsbury Circus

October:

>All about Green Park

>The history of Leadenhall Market

>Big Ben & Little Ben

>BBC Broadcasting House-Portland Place

>Meard Street-Soho

November:

>London’s Lost Music Venue’s-Pt5

>Remembrance Sunday & London’s Poppy Cabs

December:

>The Upminster Windmill

>The Mile End Road-Mural

All of the above can be viewed from the ‘Archives’ section of the London Shoes website ( www.londonshoesblog )

It currently looks like 2021 will be as equally challenging and traumatic, at least for the first 6 months or so – whilst we continue to battle this Covid19 pandemic situation – and in some cases I am sure that for some, Covid won’t always be the only invisible enemy next year – but we must keep on keeping on.

Hope you enjoy this little ‘look-back’ – unfortunately, Facebook only allows a total of 40 photos per posting – so I’ve attempted to put together the ‘best of’ to accompany what I amusingly entitle “Now That’s What I Call London Shoes-2020” compilation.

Wishing all London Shoes followers a very Happy & Healthy New Year – take care of yourselves & others and stay safe – and thanks again for following the ‘Shoes’.

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Summarised below is a gallery of photos from some of the ‘best bits’ of London Shoes 2020

 

Jan 20 – Chiswick Station – south west London – the nearest station to the very 1st WW2 ‘V2 Rocket’ attack on London

 

 Jan 20 – A full view of the Staveley Road commemorative memorial in Chiswick

 

Jan 20 – The memorial in suburban Staveley Road-Chiswick – the site of the first V2 Rocket attack on London – which killed 3 of the streets residents and seriously injured 17 others.

 

Jan 20 – the site of the old Woolworth’s building in New Cross Gate – the site of the worst V2 Rocket attack WW2

 

Jan 20 – a commemorative plaque is displayed on the exterior wall of what was once the Woolwort store in the New Cross Gate Rd – the site of the worst V2 Rocket attack WW2

 

Jan 20 – Victoria Park-Hackney – the site of 2 of the historic Stone Alcoves of the old London Bridge

 

Jan 20 – Victoria Park-Hackney – the site of 2 of the historic Stone Alcoves of the old London Bridge

 

Guys Hospital-central London – the other site where 1 of the 3 remaining historic Stone Alcoves of old London Bridge, is sited

 

Guys Hospital-central London – the other site where 1 of the 3 remaining historic Stone Alcoves of old London Bridge, can be found

 

Jan 20 – The famous ‘Tate & Lyle Sugar Refinery’-Silvertown-London E16

 

Jan 20 – Me, with one of the products produced at the famous ‘Tate & Lyle Sugar Refinery’-Silvertown-London E16

 

Feb 2- – the old Regent Palace Hotel – now the venue of the Crazy Coqs Club-Piccadilly

 

Feb 2- – the art-deco interior of the Crazy Coqs Club-Piccadilly

 

Feb 20 – Jazz at the famous ‘Crazy Coqs’ Club-Piccadilly

 

Feb 20 – Me – pre-gig – inside the famous ‘Crazy Coqs’ Club-Piccadilly

 

Feb 20 – The “Jazz of Judy Garland” being performed at the famous ‘Crazy Coqs’ Club-Piccadilly

 

Feb 20 – Me – & my old drum tutor ‘George Double’ backstage at the famous ‘Crazy Coqs’ Club-Piccadilly

 

Feb 20 – ‘Leyton Orient FC’ – its history and historic landmarks

 

Feb 20 – Brisbane Road – Leyton Orient FC’s famous home ground

 

Feb 20 – Me – at Leyton Orient’s Brisbane Road ground, with James Graham & Les Bannell – old workmates of mine from my Barclays Whitechapel branch days, back in the late 1980’s

 

Feb 20 – Jazz on board the ‘Tereza Joanne’ – King George V Docks

 

Feb 20 – The ‘Tereza Joanne’ vessel moored in King George V Dock & the venue for the Jazz gig attended by London Shoes

 

Feb 20 – a view from the ‘Tereza Joanne’ moored in King George V Docks – looking west towards Canary Wharf, where the Barclays Bank Head Office is located where I worked from 2001 up until my retirement in 2017

 

Feb 20 – Jazz on board the ‘Tereza Joanne’ – King George V Docks

 

Feb 20 – Me & ‘George Double’ – my old drum tutor from the mid 1990’s – backstage on board the ‘Tereza Joanne’ venue – King George V Docks

 

Feb 20 – London Shoes was invited to accompany the ‘Laughing Policemen’ – a couple of walking tour guides, who were ex-Met Police officers – & who have designed a walking tour all about the history of policing in London

 

Mar 20 – ‘Scenes from the Square’ cinema screen star sculptures – Leicester Square

 

Mar 20 – ‘Scenes from the Square’ cinema screen star sculptures – Leicester Square

 

Mar 20 – ‘Scenes from the Square’ cinema screen star sculptures – Leicester Square

 

Mar 20 – Me – & Paddington Bear at the ‘Scenes from the Square’ – Leicester Square

 

Mar 20 – “Holy Holy” perform the ‘The Birth of Glam Rock’ The 50th Anniversary of David Bowie playing the legendary Chalk Farm Roundhouse-London NW3 (* just a couple of days before the Covid19 full lockdown was instigated)

 

Mar 20 – The iconic Roundhouse venue – Chalk Farm

 

Mar 20 – “Holy Holy” perform the ‘The Birth of Glam Rock’ The 50th Anniversary of David Bowie playing the legendary Chalk Farm Roundhouse-London NW3 (* just a couple of days before the Covid19 full lockdown was instigated

 

Mar 20 – “Holy Holy” on stage at the Chalk Farm Roundhouse performing tracks from Bowie’s ‘Man Who Sold the World’ & ‘Hunky Dory’ & ‘Ziggy Stardust’ albums (* just a couple of days before the Covid19 full lockdown was instigated)

 

May 20 – an old Romford Brewery product

 

May 20 – The once iconic Romford Brewery was founded in 1708 by one Benjamin Wilson. It originated as an extension to the already long standing ‘Star Inn’ that was situated in the old ‘High Street’ on the main road out of the City of London, that lead onwards towards Chelmsford, Colchester and eventually on to Norwich in the east.

 

May 20 – Me – alongside the site of what was once the iconic Romford Brewery

 

Jun 20 – A Tribute to ‘Vera Lynn’ – one of east London’s finest

 

Jun 20 – A Tribute to ‘Vera Lynn’ – one of east London’s finest

 

Jun 20 – A Tribute to ‘Vera Lynn’ – one of east London’s finest

 

Jun 20 – Before it was designated an airfield, this plot of rural Hornchurch land was known as Suttons Farm – and it still retained that title when 90 acres of the farm were commissioned by the military at the start of the WW1, for the specific purpose of protecting London’s skies from potential attacks from enemy airships & zeppelins.

 

Jun 20 – Because of its close proximity to London (14 miles from central London), and its position near to the River Thames, Suttons Farm was considered the ideal place for an air defence airfield, as it was on the flight path of any enemy attacker using the Thames Estuary and the River to navigate its way towards London.

 

Jun 20 – Me – inside one of thev old Pill Boxes that can be found within the site of what was once the Hornchurch Airfield

 

Jul 20 – In 1866 Dr. Barnardo moved to London to train as a Doctor at the London Hospital in Whitechapel. Living and working in the heart of London’s east end, he got to experience first-hand the squalor, deprivation and horrific poverty that the working classes in that area of London were living and working in – and it had a profound effect on him.

 

Jul 20 – In 1879 Barnardo and his wife moved from their Bow Road home and set-up home on their Mossford Lodge estate and came up with an idea to build an ‘village of cottages’ that would be used to house destitute & difficult girls with a ‘crime record’, of all ages from London’s east-end.

 

Jul 20 – In 1887 the construction of the ‘Cairns Memorial Cottage’ was completed at the Dr. Barnardo Village, notable for its elegant clock tower – this building would be the new admin centre for the Dr. Barnardo Charity.

 

Jul 20 – In June 1917, London experienced its very first ‘day-time’ bombing attack – with a devastating outcome. On the Wednesday 13th June 1917, at around noon on a clear and sunny day 14 German ‘Gotha GV’ fixed wing air-craft – dropped their cargo of incendiary bombs on east London’s docklands district. This air-raid claimed the lives of 104 Londoner’s and left over 150 more, seriously injured.

 

Jul 20 – Of the 104 killed, 18 were school children, all pupils of “Upper North Street School” in Poplar-E14, right close by to Docklands.

 

Jul 20 – On the 20th June 1917, one of the biggest funerals London has ever seen, was held for 15 of the 18 children killed in the North St School bombing. The burial took place at the ‘East London Cemetery’ just up the road in Plaistow

 

Aug 20 – The City of London Cemetery is today a designated and thus protected Grade 1 listed site on the Historic England’s National Register for Historic Parks & Gardens.

 

Aug 20 – The City of London Cemetery is also holds the grave of one of my all-time hero’s, the late great ‘Bobby Moore’ – England’s only World Cup Winning captain to date, and the legendary long time captain of my beloved West Ham Utd. Bobby’s ashes are buried in a plot with his mum & dad Robert & Doris.

 

Aug 20 – Me – inside the beautiful City of London Cemetery – Manor Park E12

 

 

Aug 20 – the majestic ‘Thames Lions’

 

Aug 20 – me down on the Thames with the the majestic ‘Thames Lions’

 

Sept 20 – The ‘Albert Bridge’ was opened in 1873 – and links Chelsea on the northern banks of the River Thames – to Battersea on the southern banks The oldest ‘original’ bridge structure is Tower Bridge – and the 2nd oldest original structure is the ‘Albert Bridge’

 

Sept 20 – There were even large notices displayed at both ends of the bridge that instructed the military troops to ‘break-step’ (eg march out of sequence) when crossing the bridge – and amazingly, these notices are still in situ on the bridge to this very day.

 

Sept 20 – Me – alongside Albert Bridge

 

Sept 20 – London Underground’s quietest, least used tube station is “Roding Valley”. Its station sees only a little over 360,000 passengers per year

 

Sept 20 – South Greenford station is London’s least used, quietest rail ‘overground’ rail station – with around only 28,000 entrances & exits per year.

 

Sept 20 – Canary Wharf tube station is the busiest ‘single-line’ tube station in London – servicing a staggering 54 million passenger entrances & exits at the last count in 2018.

 

Sept 20 – Waterloo ‘tube’ & ‘overground’ is London’s busiest station. With a collective 100 million entries & exits per year it is not only London’s but also the UK’s busiest station – and in terms of floor space, and platforms etc – the UK’s largest.

 

 

Sept 20 – ‘Finsbury Circus-EC2’ – the City of London’s oldest public park

 

Sept 20 – ‘Finsbury Circus-EC2’ – the City of London’s oldest public park

 

Sept 20 – ‘Finsbury Circus-EC2’ – the City of London’s oldest public park

 

Of London’s 8 Royal Parks, Green Park is the smallest one – and it is unique in that it has no lakes – no flower beds – no buildings in it grounds – no playgrounds,

 

Green Park is a 40 acre triangular area of parkland that is lodged between the much larger St. James’s Park and Hyde Park – with Buckingham Palace stuck in the middle of all 3 of these parks.

 

Green Park underwent extensive re-landscaping in 1820 – still with trees and not flowers – to the design as it is to this very day.

 

Situated at the north of Green Park, alongside its Piccadilly border – there is the magnificent ‘RAF Bomber Command Memorial’ – that commemorates the 55,573 who died in WW2 whilst serving for the ‘Bomber Command’.

 

Oct 20 – ‘Leadenhall Market’ – one of London’s oldest markets

 

Oct 20 – ‘Leadenhall Market’ – one of London’s oldest markets

 

Oct 20 – ‘Leadenhall Market’ – one of London’s oldest markets

 

Oct 20 – ‘Big Ben’ & its younger sibling ‘Little Ben’

 

Oct 20 – ‘Big Bens’ younger sibling ‘Little Ben’

 

Oct 20 – The iconic ‘BBC Broadcasting House’ – Portland Place-London W1

 

Oct 20 – Me outside the BBC’s ‘Wogan House’-London W1

 

Meard Street is located in the heart of London’s Soho district, and is a street that runs between and connects Wardour Street & Dean Street – and its unique houses depict an almost perfect example of ‘Georgian’ architecture – which covered the period of time between 1713 and 1830, and is regarded as the greatest period of English architecture.

 

John Meard was responsible for developing the street as far back as 1720 through to 1730 – and the properties he designed and built, are still in situ to this very day – and as a result is one of the few surviving London streets from the Georgian period

 

Apart from these magnificent historic houses – there is another ‘street fixture’ that makes Meard Street so popular – it is the site of one of my favourites of London’s many ‘quirky’ landmarks – the “7 Noses of Soho”.

 

Nov 20 – Remembrance Sunday & the amazing ‘Poppy Cabs’ – Me & my London cabbie mate Lee

 

Nov 20 – me & my London cabbie mate Lee, on Westminster Bridge – on Remembrance Sunday 2020 – respecting the chimes of Big Ben at the 11th hour on the 11th month

 

Dec 20 – The Upminster Windmill was originally built way back in 1803 and is said to be one of the finest remaining examples of a ‘Smock Mill’ in Britain.

 

Dec 20 – In 2003 the ‘Upminster Windmill Preservation Trust’ was formed, and were granted a 35 year lease, for the sole purpose of renovating and restoring the Upminster Windmill to all its former glory – so that it can continue be retained as an historic landmark for the public to visit.

 

Dec 20 – In 2015 the Upminster Windmill Preservation Trust commissioned a renowned firm of Dutch Millwrights to manage all the necessary renovation and restoration works. This December saw the lifting and placing of the Upminster Windmill’s newly renovated ‘Sails’.

 

Dec 20 – The ‘Mile End Road-Mural’

 

Dec 20 – Me alongside the brilliant ‘Mile End Road-Mural’-London E1

 

London Shoes – signing off for 2020 – with the arrival of the Covid19 virus, its been the weirdest and most challenging year for many a generation.

*London Street Art-Pt 1 the “Mile End-Mural”

Posted on by Posted in Street Art .

For last week’s jaunt out, London Shoes travelled to the Whitechapel/Mile End district deep in the heart of London’s east-end.

It’s an area of London that I know well and have very fond memories of, having worked at the Barclays Bank-Whitechapel branch for a couple of years in the late 1980’s – a branch with a great social life.

Anyway – the purpose of my Whitechapel/Mile End visit was to track down a relatively ‘newish’ landmark that I knew all about, but had never actually seen in real-life, namely the:-

“Mile End Mural” 

The ‘Mile End Mural’, situated a few hundred yards to the east of Whitechapel tube station – is a brilliant piece of art-work that adorns the external side wall of no.33 Mile End Road – the offices of a long-established local Law firm “T V Edwards”, who have been operating in the area since 1929.

The law firm had originally applied for permission to display a large advertisement for the company on the buildings external wall – but their request was refused.

So – they approached sarf-London artist Mychael Barrett with a request to brighten up the wall with a sort of ‘local’ theme.

Barrett’s mural took him 6 weeks to complete, and it depicts the history of the surrounding area via paintings of local legendary characters that left their mark on the district over the past years, and also within the mural are some of the areas more historic/iconic buildings and other landmarks.

For the purposes of this blog I not only photographed the Mural as a whole, I also zoomed in with my camera to photo a number of the individual characters and buildings – which include the following:-

George Bernard Shaw – the author was an early member of the Fabian Society who regularly met on the Whitechapel Rd

William Booth – who started The Christian Mission and The Salvation Army on the Mile End Rd

Captain James Cook – who lived at 88 Mile End Rd when not at sea exploring

Vladimir Lenin – whom planned the Russian Revolution whilst living in Whitechapel

Joseph Merrick – also known as The Elephant Man – was first publicly exhibited in a shop window on the Whitechapel Rd across the street from the London Hospital, where he ended up residing and where his skeleton is held today.

London Dockers – based on a statue of Dockers that stands down the road in Victoria Dock

Bushra Nasir – who studied at the local Queen Mary University and became the first Muslim head teacher of a state school

Mahatma Gandhi – who stayed at nearby Kingsley Hall in 1931 when he came to London to discuss Indian independence

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II – who visited the famous Whitechapel Bell Foundry in 2009 – the place where the Big Ben bell was made.

Samuel Pepys – frequented the Mile End Road, according to his famous diary. Also, his mother was the daughter of a Whitechapel butcher

Reggie & Ronnie Kray – the notorious London gangsters who regularly frequented ‘The Blind Beggar’ just a couple of hundred yards down the road from the Mural.

Gilbert & George – the legendary London designers and stylists, who live nearby in Spitalfields

Frederick Charrington – who turned his back on his family’s brewery to start a temperance mission. He is depicted in the mural, taking a dray horse out of service

Prince Monolulu – who was a gambling tipster who frequented Petticoat Lane and Mile End Market with his now legendary famous call “I gotta horse!”

David Hockney – the world famous artist – had his first exhibition at The Whitechapel Art Gallery in 1970

Isaac Rosenberg – who was a WW1 poet and a painter who was one of a group of artists known as The Whitechapel Boys 

Mark Gertler – was another of The Whitechapel Boys group of artists

Anthony Edwards – is the senior partner of ‘T V Edwards’ whose office premises wall the Mile End Mural is painted on. As a young boy he would accompany his uncle on his rounds, carrying his briefcase – and this has been beautifully captured within the mural – a lovely little touch by the mural artist.

The following are just some of the historic local buildings captured within the mural:-

The Market Stalls – that line the Whitechapel end of the Mile End Rd

London’s Docks – depicted by a ship in-dock, at nearby London Docklands

The Gherkin – located at no.30 St Mary Axe in the City and a landmark that is clearly visible from the Mile End Road

The East London Mosque – another well-known London landmark, situated at the Aldgate end of the Mile End Road

Christ Church – a very famous old church situated in nearby Spitalfields, and designed by the renowned British architect ‘Nicholas Hawksmoor’.

The Royal London Hospital – a long standing main hospital for east-Londoners, which has dominated the Whitechapel area for a couple of 100 years, and is currently going through a massive redevelopment programme.

The Whitechapel Church Bell Foundry – the historically famous London bell-foundry notable casting the Big Ben bell.

Blooms – the world famous Jewish Kosher restaurant on the Whitechapel Road.

I never knew of the existence of this fantastic and interesting work of art, and I’m fairly sure that many others don’t either – which is a shame as in my opinion it would be an ideal ‘stopping-point’ for a London walking-tour.

So – that’s all about the Mile End-Mural – really worth taking a look at if you’re ever down Whitechapel way.

Having tracked down the Mile End Mural, and taken all the photos I needed, it was time to head-off back home.

However – with a slight difference to the blogs undertaken outside of the 2 lockdowns, and after an absence of approx. 9 months – I decided that the time was right to start partaking again in a ‘cheeky’ post-blog ‘beer’, as customary with all other London Shoes published blogs.

I didn’t really fancy having a ‘cheeky one’ up in the Whitechapel area at this present time, so instead, I stopped-off at the RAFA Club in Romford, a private members social club I belong to, and probably my 2nd home since my retirement almost 4 years ago now – where I tucked in to a plate of ‘substantial’, nicely washed down with a few ‘cheeky’ ones – very nice it was too.

This particular blog forms the initial posting of a new ‘Shoes’ on-going category that I’ve entitled “London-Street Art” – of which,  there will hopefully be many more additional blogs on this theme, as we progress into 2021 and beyond.

Hope you enjoyed looking at the Mural.

__________________________________________________________________________________

See below the entire gallery of photos taken to accompany this blog

 

Me – outside the newly built entrance to Whitechapel tube station (on the District Line & the Hammersmith & City Line – the green and orange ones on a standard tube map). I used to commute daily to this station in the late 1980’s when I worked at Barclays-Whitechapel branch – but used to use the old entrance/exit that was on the Whitechapel Rd

 

 

An eerily quiet ‘Mile End Road’-London E1 – looking west towards the City

 

A spookily deserted ‘Mile End Road’-London E1 – looking east towards Bow

 

The ‘Mile End Mural’ from the Mile End Road

 

A closer view of The ‘Mile End Mural’ – in its location set-back from the Mile End Road

 

Me – alongside the ‘Mile End Mural’

 

A close-up of the Mile End Mural

 

Legendary writer ‘George Bernard Shaw’ was an early member of the Fabian Society who regularly met on the Whitechapel Rd

 

“William Booth” – who started The Christian Mission and The Salvation Army on the Mile End Rd

 

“Captain James Cook” – lived at no.88 Mile End Rd when not at sea sailing around the world.

 

“Mahatma Gandhi” & “Bushra Nasir” Mahatma Gandhi – stayed at Kingsley Hall- in the heart of London’s east-end in 1931 when he came to London to discuss Indian independence. Bushra Nasir – studied locally at Queen Mary University and became the first Muslim headteacher of a state school

 

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II visited the ‘Whitechapel Bell Foundry’ in 2009 – the famous bell foundry that produced the ‘Big Ben’ bell.

 

“Reggie & Ronnie Kray” – well known local gangsters who regularly drank in The Blind Beggar pub-Whitechapel, just a few hundred yards from the mural

 

A reference to the local London Docks

 

The buildings captured within the mural, represent the following:- > Christ Church, Spitalfields – designed by Nicholas Hawksmoor > The East London Mosque > Clock tower from in front of The People’s Palace > The Royal London Hospital – Whitechapel > The Whitechapel Art Gallery > Blooms – the famous kosher restaurant on the Whitechapel Rd > The Whitechapel Church Bell Foundry > Trinity Almshouses – in the Mile End Rd

 

Dockers at work – based on the statue of dockers that stands at Victoria Dock, just down the road

 

“Vladimir Lenin” & “Joseph Merrick” (also known as The Elephant Man) Lenin – planned the Russian Revolution whilst staying in Whitechapel Joseph Merrick (the Elephant Man) – used to be on public display in a shop on the Whitechapel Rd across the street from the London Hospital

 

The long standing market stalls that line the Mile End Rd & Whitechapel

 

“Frederick Charrington” – turned his back on his family’s brewery to start a temperance mission. He’s seen in the Mural, enticing a dray horse to take it out of service Next to the horse is the well known charismatic local character who was known as “Prince Monolulu” – a gambling tipster who used to run around all over Mile End and Whitechapel, dressed up in flamboyant tribal gear, shouting his famous call “I gotta horse!”

 

“Gilbert & George” – the legendary London designers and stylists, live nearby in Spitalfields

 

No.30 St Mary Axe – also known as the “Gherkin” – can clearly be seen from the Mile End Road

 

“Samuel Pepys” – “Isaac Rosenberg” & “Mark Gertler” >>Pepys often visited the Mile End Rd, and wrote a lot about it is his famous his diary – and also, his mother was the daughter of a Whitechapel butcher >>Isaac Rosenberg was a WW1 poet and a painter who was one of a well known group of artists famously known as ‘The Whitechapel Boys’ >>Mark Gertler was another one of acclaimed The Whitechapel Boys

 

T V Edwards started a law firm T V Edwards in 1929, and it is the external side wall of the T V Edwards business premises in the Mile End Road, that this magnificent mural is painted on.

 

Anthony Edwards is the senior partner of T V Edwards. As a young boy he would accompany his uncle on his rounds, carrying his briefcase – and this has been beautifully captured within the mural

 

Me – alongside the Mural

 

Another final close-up of the Mile End Mural in its entirety

 

A cold & wet Me – across the road from Barclays Bank-Whitechapel branch – where I worked for a couple of years in the late 1980’s :-))

 

Me – (after an absence of almost 9 months) knocking back a much missed ‘cheeky one’ with an accompanying ‘substantial’ meal – at a Covid-Safe/Compliant “RAFA Club-Romford”, (my local social club, and some would say-2nd home!!) following a morning of seeking out and photographing the excellent and unique ‘Mile End-Mural’ :-))

* The “Upminster Windmill” – its renovation and the lifting & fitting of its 4 newly restored ‘Sails’

Posted on by Posted in Historic Buildings, Quirky Topics .

Not essential travel I know, but this week London Shoes decided to take a short 10min bus ride from its Romford base to the neighbouring town of Upminster, for the purpose of witnessing a unique event, that you certainly don’t see happen everyday on a street of a London borough.

The town of Upminster is the last stop on the eastern end of the District Line tube (the ‘green’ one on a standard tube map) – and just off of Upminster’s busy St. Mary’s Lane, which connects the town of Hornchurch to Upminster – there stands a very visible local historic landmark:-

the ‘Upminster Windmill’!!

The Upminster Windmill is situated in Mill Field just off of St. Mary’s Lane-Upminster – and is said to be one of the finest remaining examples of a  ‘Smock Mill’ in Britain.

A ‘smock’ mill gets its name because it’s shaped like the over-garments that farmers used to wear many moons ago.

A ‘smock’ mill is unique in its design because its 6 or 8 sided tower is built with a sloping horizontal boards – and it has a ‘cap’ on top that holds the mechanism which rotates it ‘sails’ into the wind.

The Upminster Windmill was originally built in 1803 – and consisted of 4 sails and 3 pairs of millstones.

Its dimensions and structural/design characteristics have not changed in 200+years – with its:- 27ft wide and 9ft high brick base  – a 52ft high tower – a boat shaped ‘cap’ – a 6 bladed fantail & 4 sails.

In 1811 a steam engine was added to power the millstones, plus a 4th millstone, thus enabling a far greater output – and this increased production capacity made the actual the Upminster Windmill and its surrounding land, extremely valuable.

By 1849 a 5th millstone was added to the mill, and by 1856 it had 6 millstones working in its production.

St the height of its production periods, the Upminster Windmill site used to have 16 buildings surrounding it including 2 residential cottages.

However, in 1889 the Upminster Windmill took a nasty hit when it was struck by lightning, which slowed production down for a while.

In 1900 one of the windmill’s sails snapped and came crashing down, causing considerable damage to the windmill tower.

Throughout WW1 the activities of the mill changed – and it turned its hand to produce animal feeds.

In 1927 some extensive renovation work was undertaken on the windmill, and at that time its ‘fantail’ mechanism was completely overhauled.

But times change, and 1934 saw the Upminster Windmill finally end its commercial work – the machinery was all sold off – the surrounding buildings destroyed and the windmill tower was left to simply rot away.

Throughout the following years, there were various attempts by the Essex County Council and housing developers, to purchase the site – knock everything down, build new houses on the land.

However – with the commencement of WW2, the land surrounding the mill was turned over to make allotment plots, in an effort to provide essential veggies etc during wartime – and it continued to be used for this purpose during the food rationing period immediately following the end of the war.

The site was left abandoned and desolate – and in 1955 steps were taken to sell the site off to developers.

However – various local & national preservation groups opposed the demolition of the windmill.

Their protests were heard and considered by the authorities at the windmill was given Grade II Listed protection status.

By the early 1960’s the mill became the ownership of the Greater London Council (GLC) – and by 1967 ownership had passed on to the London Borough of Havering.

Throughout the 1970’s – 80’s & 90’s the Upminster Windmill was opened to the public – and was cared and looked after by volunteers – who carried out any essential maintenance works that may have been required – which kept the site ticking-over.

In 2000 a feasibility study was commissioned, to take a look at and consider all the renovation works required to keep the mill as a viable historic local landmark.

In 2003 the ‘Upminster Windmill Preservation Trust’ was formed, and were granted a 35 year lease, for the sole purpose of renovating and restoring the Upminster Windmill to all its former glory – so that it can continue be retained as an historic landmark for the public to visit.

One of the first things uncovered in the initial restoration works were beautiful Victorian ceramic tiles covering the walls of the old toilets and the small kitchen.

In 2007 high winds caused some extensive damage to the sails, and by 2008 two new sails had been fitted.

By 2010 following some changes to the construction of the Trusts looking after the windmill – there was a heightened interest in getting the windmill up to scratch and putting back on the historic places maps.

In 2014 the Upminster Windmill received considerable financial grants from the Heritage Lottery Fund plus other Trusts – to fund some thorough renovation work to restore the Upminster Windmill into a top-draw visitor and Educational Centre.

In 2015 the Upminster Windmill Preservation Trust commissioned a renowned firm of Dutch millwrights to manage all the necessary renovation and restoration works.

Since then, the Dutch millwrights  have undertaken a massive amount of restoration work, which has included:- removal of the windmill’s ‘cap’ – removal of the weather boarding –  covering the mill tower up in polythene to protect it from the elements –  repairing all the beam structures inside the tower and repairing all the floor boarding inside the tower.

The renovation work on the windmill’s sails and motor mechanisms were all undertaken at ground level – with some of the tasks being completed by volunteers.

Locally, the long running activities involving the renovation of the Upminster Windmill, has received regular coverage.

On Monday 30th Nov this week, the restoration work moved on to another significant level – with the fitting of the windmill’s ‘cap’, ‘fantail’ and 4 ‘sails’ – and so I thought I’d take the opportunity to pop along to witness this unique activity (well – unique for a London Borough, anyway)

So – there I was, along with several locals –  in the middle of Mill Field-Upminster, on a bitterly cold and wet Monday morning – watching what was actually an amazing bit of logistical construction work, where large cranes lifted the renovated ‘cap’ – ‘fantail’ & 4 sails from ground level – and lowered each one of them down carefully into place at the top of the Tower, where engineers at the top of the Tower, did their stuff to make sure all of the components were fitted correctly and securely – while a ‘drone’ filmed the occasion for posterity, and for coverage for a ‘live’ webcam.

This operation was the last ‘big shift’ in the windmill’s renovation activities – and it’s been a long hard slog and a real labour of love, to get all the renovation work completed – but it is expected that the historic, fully restored and functioning Upminster Windmill and its accompanying Education Centre, will re-open to the public in Spring 2021 – when I shall pop down there again to take some update-photos in what should be much better weather.

As I said at the beginning of this piece – it’s fair to say that a Windmill is not the sort of thing you expect to see in London – long may it remain in place for future generations to enjoy.

Hope you enjoy the dark and gloomy accompanying photos.

___________________________________________________________________

See below the entire gallery of photos taken to accompany this blog

An old photo of the Upminster Windmill – from the early 1900’s.

 

Me – entering Mill Field, just off St. Mary’s Lane – Upminster, in the London Borough of Havering

 

The ‘story board’ all about the Upminster Windmill – at the entrance to Mill Field.

 

The Upminster Windmill under renovation/restoration – viewed from the entrance to Mill Field

 

A bit of a closer view of the Upminster Windmill under renovation – viewed from half way up Mill Field

 

The Upminster Windmill is said to be one of the finest remaining examples of a ‘Smock Mill’ in Britain. A ‘smock’ mill gets its name because it’s shaped like the over-garments that farmers used to wear many moons ago.

 

An old b&w photo of the Upminster Windmill – from the early 1900’s.

 

An aerial photo of Upminster Windmill – taken some time back, before the major renovation/restoration works started in 2015

 

A view from the Upminster Windmill looking down Mill Field and towards the main St. Mary’s Lane road

 

Me – up by the Upminster Windmill – near the contractors entrance

 

An old b&w photo of the Upminster Windmill – in its heydays – where the ‘fantail’ and ‘cap’ can be clearly seen.

 

A close-up of the Windmill’s new ‘fantail’. The heart shapes designs on the fantail actually represent ‘tulips’ and are a brand symbol of the Dutch millwrights commissioned to do the major aspects of the renovation/restoration works

 

The Upminster Windmill – preparing to have its new re-built sails re-installed

 

Me – alongside the Upminster Windmill – and waiting to witness its new re-built sails re-installed

 

A close-up of the ‘drone’ capturing the fitting of the Windmill’s 4 ‘sails’ – for transmission onto a ‘live’ webcam

 

The specialist workers preparing for the Windmill’s sails to be lifted and fitted back into place

 

In 2015 the Upminster Windmill Preservation Trust commissioned a renowned firm of Dutch Millwrights to manage all the necessary renovation and restoration works. The renovation work on the windmill’s sails and motor mechanisms were all undertaken at ground level This photo shows the Windmill ‘sails’ on the ground – waiting for a crane to hoist them up to the ‘cap’ for fitting

 

A crane starts to lift the Windmill’s 3rd sail from ground level – towards to ‘cap’ at the top of the Windmill tower

 

The Windmill’s 3rd sail continues its ascent from ground level – towards to ‘cap’ at the top of the Windmill tower

The Windmill’s 3rd sail continues its ascent from ground level – towards to ‘cap’ at the top of the Windmill tower

 

The Windmill’s 3rd sail continues its ascent from ground level – towards to ‘cap’ at the top of the Windmill tower – getting nearer to its required destination every few seconds

 

The Windmill’s 3rd sail continues its ascent from ground level – towards to ‘cap’ at the top of the Windmill tower – almost there

 

The Windmill’s 3rd sail continues its ascent from ground level – towards to ‘cap’ at the top of the Windmill tower – almost ready to drop into position

 

A windmill construction technician, lines up the suspended 3rd sail for placement into its respective mechanism

 

A windmill construction technician, lines up the suspended 3rd sail for placement into its respective mechanism

 

A windmill construction technician, slots the suspended 3rd sail into its respective mechanism

 

A windmill construction technician, finishes off the placement of the 3rd sail into its respective mechanism

 

The Upminster Windmill’s newly renovated/restored 3rd ‘sail’ – now comfortably in situ

 

Me – at ground-level alongside the Upminster Windmill following the placement of its renovated-restored 3rd sail

 

A closer view of the Upminster Windmill following the placement of its 3rd sail – all 4 sails were fitted on 30th November 2020

 

Me – exiting Mill Field-Upminster – having witnessed the lifting and fitting of the Upminster Windmill’s 4 renovated/restored ‘sails’ – not the sort of thing you see happen everyday on a London street :-))

*London’s “Lost Music Venues”-Part 5-the Vortex & the Roxy ‘Punk’ Clubs of Soho

Posted on by Posted in Music .

This week’s London Shoes blog was undertaken the day before the 2nd Covid19 lockdown restrictions were implemented – so following this publication, there will be a brief lull in weekly blog publications for a few weeks whilst ‘Shoes’ observe the Governments non-essential travel advice – but hopefully I shall be able to knock a few new ones out before the Xmas festivities.

The subject matter of this blog represents ‘Part 5’ of an on-going theme that I’ve been publishing this year – and it’s a topic that has certainly encouraged quite a bit of unpredicted feedback from London Shoes followers – especially those of a certain age who grew up listening to the music of the late 1960’s & 1970’s.

So – the topic in question for this blog represents Part 5 of “London’s-Lost Music Venues”.

This piece focuses specifically on two Clubs that were located in the Soho district of London’s west-end – that came to prominence in the late 1970’s at the emergence of the ‘Punk’ music and fashion scene namely:-

‘The Vortex’ and ‘The Roxy’

First up is ‘The Vortex’ which was situated at 203 Wardour Street-London W1.

Now – way back in 1974 to 1978, I worked at Barclays Bank 183 Wardour Street, literally just 4 doors away from what became The Vortex club.

Before the emergence of the Punk scene, The Vortex was the famous “Crackers” club, a sort of bar/nightclub that was an extremely popular venue on the London ‘dance scene’ map & beyond.

When I started working at the Barclays branch in Wardour Street, I was 17, and I moved on from there when I was 21. It was a very busy, well staffed branch  at that time – and a lot of the junior staff like me, were around the same age. Anyway – most Friday nights after a busy week at work – me & my work colleagues would pile into ‘Crackers’ for a few drinks, before heading off on a crawl of our favourite Soho drinking dens – ‘Crackers’ would often be our starting point.

Anyway – In 1977 and with the emergence of punk music and the punk scene, ‘Crackers’ changed its name to ‘The Vortex’ and started to book punk bands to play there, initially on a Monday & Tuesday night.

It didn’t take long before The Vortex in Wardour Street became one of the top London venues on the London punk scene and beyond – as punks from all over the country would descend on The Vortex, to see popular punk bands such as:- The Buzzcocks – The Fall – Siouxie & The Banshees – Generation X – Sham 69 – The Police – Tubeway Army & The Jam.

In fact the 5th single to be released by The Jam in August 1978, was entitled “ ‘A’ Bomb in Wardour Street”, which Paul Weller wrote about the total chaos and violence that always seemed to occur at The Vortex when the punk bands played there.

The Vortex was licensed to hold 650, but the punk gigs regularly attracted over 1,000 punks from all over the country – and that overcrowded atmosphere only helped to create the ‘vibe’ that The Vortex was famous for.

However – after just 1 year of staging punk gigs The Vortex club had gained too much of a bad reputation and at the end of 1978 it had to close down – but in that short period of time The Vortex had done enough to go down in history as one of London’s top memorable punk music venues.

Following its closure The Vortex was converted into a trendy nightclub and bar called “Dirty Harry’s”.

Personally, I have only happy memories of The Vortex when it was ‘Crackers’ – and am so pleased that I was around at a moment in time when all this was happening in London.

It is also pleasing to see that the venue appears to have gone back to its roots, as today the advertising placards indicate that it is now a ‘Simmons Bar’ – a franchise that specialises in creating a ‘disco’ club vibe – although the place was completely abandoned and boarded up when I was there, and sadly, because of the impact of the Covid19 virus, it may be the case that, as with a number of the west-end’s once busy nightclub haunts –  it may never re-open.

So – having re-visited what was my old working manor for 4yrs, to seek out the old Crackers venue that became The Vortex club – I took a short stroll over to Neal Street in the Seven Dials district of London, very close to Soho.

Seven Dials was once the filthiest, poorest, dangerous and notorious slums in London – but today (well, pre-Covid) it is one of the west-end’s trendy places where people from all over the world want to visit.

In the early 1970’s no. 41/43 Neal Street was a building that was a run-down fruit & veg warehouse.

In 1976 the building was bought by the now legendary music & nightclub owner and promoter Andy Czezowski – who transformed the building into the  infamous “The Roxy” club.

By the end of 1976 Czezowski had staged 3 gigs in the basement of his new ‘The Roxy’ club – where Generation X (with Billy Idol* as lead vocalist) – Johnny Thunders & the Heartbreakers (Johnny Thunders-the ex-guitarist of the excellent New York Dolls) & Siouxsie & the Banshees – were the headliners.

*there is an extremely tenuous link between me and Billy Idol – because when I worked at Barclays Bank Minories branch in the late 1970’s, (Minories being the branch I was transferred to after Wardour Street branch) – I was involved in the opening of a business account for the band ‘Generation X’ and had to witness the signatures of the 4 band members, one of which was a ‘William Broad’ who’s stage name was ‘Billy Idol’. I told you it was tenuous!!!

Anyway – back to The Roxy – having laid on these 3 gigs at the end of 1976 – on the 1st Jan 1977 the club formally opened with “The Clash” headlining.

Throughout the following year, most of the top ‘punk’ or ‘new wave’ bands of the day, played The Roxy, and it soon became one of London’s top ‘live’ punk-music venues, that punks from all over the country would travel to, to be a part of that movement – to watch bands such as The Jam – The Buzzcocks – Generation X – The Damned – Sham 69 – The Police – The Stranglers – XTC plus many more play ‘live’.

By the end of 1977 a ‘live’ album of bands that had played The Roxy, was released – and it made the Top 20 of the UK Album Charts – which just goes to show how popular and influential the venue was.

However – similar to the nearby Vortex club, the life of The Roxy club was short-lived, probably because of all the trouble that tended to flare-up at the gigs – and by the end of 1978, The Roxy was no more.

In 2017 a commemorative plaque was put on display on the exterior of the building, to commemorate the fact that it was once the famous Roxy Club.

Up until recently, the old Roxy club venue had been the flagship store for Speedo Swimwear – a massive difference to its previous lives.

The day I visited the site, it was evident that the old club was undergoing another massive renovation – as the building was completely scaffolded up – but I don’t know whether it was a result of the local council regulations, but the exterior of the building was completely wrapped in a picturesque covering depicting a street scene – presumably to prevent the building works damaging the touristy ‘vibe’ of Neal Street – a very nice little touch I thought.

So – having wandered around my old work manor in Soho – before setting off back home – I popped down to the famous Soho Square, to rest me ‘plates’ for a few minutes in the lovely gardens situated bang in the middle of the Square.

Records show that the existence of Soho Square dates as far back as 1681.

In 1895 the Victorians built a very small mock Tudor building in the middle of the Gardens.

Throughout WW2 temporary air-raid shelters were erected in Soho Square Gardens to help protect all the Soho’ites from the Blitz.

Today – the eye-catching mock Tudor building is still the focal point of the Square – and it is now used to store garden tools. However, the story goes that there are believe to be a number of ‘secret’ underground tunnels that lead out from beneath the building, to secret locations throughout Soho.

The reason I chose Soho Square to rest me plates, was for the specific purpose of locating and photographing a memorial bench that commemorates the life of the late great singer/songwriter ‘Kirsty MacColl’ (1959-2000).

Kirsty MacColl was a prominent well respected singer/songwriter & performer throughout the 1980’s  -knocking out hits such as:- Ray Davies’s ‘Days’ / ‘There’s a guy works down the chip shop swears he’s Elvis’ / ‘Don’t play the Cowboy with me Sonny Jim’ / ‘Walking Down Madison’ / ‘Free World ‘ / Billy Bragg’s ‘New England’ – Kirsty also provided backing vocals on records by  top 80’s artists such as:- The Smiths / Simple Minds / Talking Heads / Alison Moyet / Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant / Tracey Ullman.

However – it’s her brilliant shared vocal with Shane MacGowan on his band ‘The Pogues’ monumental 1987 Xmas hit – the legendary “Fairytale of New York” – that Kirsty MacColl is, and will probably be best known for – even though she has her own fine body of acclaimed solo work, left as a legacy.

Sadly – in 2000, whilst holidaying in Mexico with her 2 young sons, Kirsty MacColl was killed instantly whilst swimming in a bay, when she was hit by a speedboat, whilst trying to shield her sons from the on-coming vessel that was being illegally used in speedboat restricted waters.

In 2001 Kirsty MacColl’s family & friends obtained agreement from the authorities to dedicate a memorial bench to her memory, in Soho Square Garden.

Displayed on the memorial bench is a commemorative plaque which quotes a couple of lines of the lyric from her song “Soho Square”:-

“One day I’ll be waiting there – No empty bench in Soho Square” – A very touching tribute to a very talented and under-rated British artist.

So – having grabbed a quick 5mins rest on Kirsty’s bench in Soho Square, it was time to head off home via a deserted Oxford Street and an even more deserted Tottenham Court Road tube station…….and this was BEFORE the commencement of the 2nd lockdown restrictions……where the hell is this all going.

Hope the muso fans reading this enjoyed reminiscing about the old Vortex and Roxy venues

______________________________________

See below the entire gallery of photos taken to accompany this blog

 

Wardour Street – in the heart of London’s Soho district – a place which witnessed the ‘Punk’ explosion in the mid to late 1970’s (when I actually worked in Wardour Street)

 

 

Wardour Street’s legendary ‘Crackers’ disco/nightclub – just a couple of doors down from the Barclays Bank where I worked from 1974 to 1978, at the cusp of the ‘Punk’ music explosion – and a Club that me, and my work-mates, used to frequent on a Friday night after work.

 

When Punk music hit London, the ‘Crackers’ club in Wardour Street became the legendary ‘Vortex’ Club – one of London’s most infamous punk venues

 

A punk rocker at the Vortex – Wardour St

 

The Jam – at the beginning of their long and influential career – on stage at the ‘Vortex’ venue in Wardour Street. In fact Paul Weller’s “A Bomb-in-Wardour Street” was all about the rowdy and rough nights witnessed when the band played the Vortex

An example of the sort of ‘flyers’ seen all over London in the late 70’s – advertising punk music events at the Vortex in Soho’s Wardour Street.

 

When the punk movement finally faded out, the old ‘Crackers’ come ‘Vortex’ Club became ‘Dirty Harry’s’ a trendy west-end bar

 

Wardour Street’s old ‘Crackers’ / ‘Vortex’ Club venue, as it is today

 

Me – outside the entrance to what was the old ‘Vortex’ punk venue – and previous to that the ‘Crackers’ Club, which I and my Barclays Bank Wardour Street branch colleagues used to frequent on a Friday night after work during the mid to late 1970’s.

 

It was good to see the old ‘Crackers’ & then ‘Vortex’ venue in Wardour Street, still keeping up the ‘music entertainment’ tradition – it’s known today as the ‘Simmons-Disco-Bar’ – although it was prior to the arrival of the Covid19 virus. Whether it still will be in the ‘new normal’ world, remains to be seen.

 

The old ‘Crackers’ / ‘Vortex’ Club venue in Soho’s Wardour Street’s –  as it looks in today’s world.

 

Me – outside the old Barclays Bank Wardour Street branch (now a closed down restaurant) where I used to work between the years 1974 to 1978 – the bank building was just 4 doors down from what was then the ‘Crackers’ club, which me and my work colleagues used to frequent on a Friday nights after a busty working week. ‘Crackers’ became the infamous punk venue, the ‘Vortex’ during my matter years working in Wardour Street.

 

A deserted Wardour Street-Soho – the day before the 2nd Covid19 lockdown. In ‘normal’ times this road and its pavements would be mobbed with people and gridlocked traffic. However, on this ‘new normal’ occasion I was able to stand in the middle of the road to take this photo, without any fear of being hit by a vehicle :-((

 

Having re-visited the old Vortex club in Wardour Street – I made my way east to ‘Seven Dials’ on the outskirts of the Soho district – to track down another of London’s infamous ‘Punk’ venues – ‘The Roxy’ in Neal Street.

 

Normally Neal Street in the Seven Dials district would be rammed with people at any time & day of the week – however, this is what it looked like the day before the 2nd Covid19 lockdown

 

An old photo of ‘The Roxy’ punk venue in Neal Street-Seven Dials – as it was in the late 1970’s.

 

At its height of popular4ity in the late 1970’s – posters and flyers for The Roxy would be seen all over London

 

 

In 2017 a commemorative plaque was displayed on the exterior wall of the building in Neal Street which was once the infamous punk venue The Roxy

 

At its height of Punk popularity in the late 1970’s – posters and flyers for The Roxy would be seen all over London

 

Poly Styrene & X-Ray Specs – on stage at The Roxy club – late 1970’s.

 

At the height of Punk popularity in the late 1970’s – posters and flyers for The Roxy would be seen all over London

 

Siouxie & The Banshees on stage at The Roxy in Neal Street in the late 1970’s

 

When The Roxy club eventually closed down – the property became one of the flagship stores for Speedo swimwear

 

Today – the old Roxy club in Neal Street is undergoing further renovations to accommodate another new business venture

 

The old ‘Roxy’ club in Neal Street, as is it looks today – undergoing yet another round of serious renovations

 

Me – alongside the building in Neal Street that, in the late 1970’s was once the legendary ‘The Roxy’ club

 

Me – at one of the entrances to the tranquil ‘Soho Square’ – just a couple of minutes walk from ‘Tottenham Court Road’ tube station

 

Inside a tranquil ‘Soho Square’ Gardens – the day before the 2nd Covid19 lockdown in Oct 20

 

Inside the lovely ‘Soho Square’ gardens – the day before the 2nd Covid19 lockdown in Oct 20 – There days its magnificent ‘hut’ houses gardening and street cleaning equipment – but it is said that in olden days it used to conceal the entrance to a number of secret tunnels that networked out to various destinations in Soho.

 

Me – alongside the beautifully preserved & historic ‘hut’ situated in the middle of Soho Square gardens.

 

In 2001 Kirsty MacColl’s family & friends obtained agreement from the authorities to dedicate a memorial bench to her memory, in Soho Square Garden.

 

Displayed on the memorial bench is a commemorative plaque which quotes part of a lyric from Kirsty MacColl’s “Soho Square”:- “One day I’ll be waiting there – No empty bench in Soho Square” – A very touching tribute to a very talented and under-rated British artist.

 

The late Kirsty MacColl

 

Kirsty MacColl & Shane MacGowan in a still from the legendary promo music video for the all time Xmas classic ‘Fairy Tale of New York’ .

 

Me – taking the weight ‘off me plates’ on the “Kirsty MacColl” commemorative bench located in Soho Square gardens-London W1.

 

A deserted Tottenham Court Road tube station concourse – the day before the 2nd covid19 lockdown – normally one of the busiest tube stations in London

 

Me – doing a ‘Jam’ (eg “Down in the tube station at Midnight” – but at 2pm) at Tottenham Court Road tube station – on the day prior to the 2nd Covid19 lockdown :-((

 

 

* Remembrance Sunday 2020 & the amazing “Poppy Cabs”

Posted on by Posted in Military, Streets, WW1, WW2 .

On Remembrance Sunday 2020 – London Shoes experienced a ‘first’, when my London cabbie mate Lee, asked me if I wanted to accompany him into London to ‘be there’ for the occasion.

This year’s Remembrance Day service at the Cenotaph was a unique occasion, for 2 reasons:-

1. 2020 marks the 100th anniversary of the unveiling of London’s symbolic and much revered Cenotaph memorial in Whitehall.

2. Because of the Covid19 virus, it is the first year ever that veterans of the armed forces have not been allowed to participate and attend, to pay their respects and honour their fallen comrades – nor conduct their customary march past the Cenotaph memorial.

The Remembrance Day Service in Whitehall usually sees up to 1,000 military personnel plus 10,000 service veterans and members of public in attendance – but due to the Governments Covid19 restrictions on non-essential journey’s, in an effort to quell the spread of the virus and to protect the health of attendees – only 150 military personnel and 26 former service men & women were allowed to attend the event and be included in the march-past parade.

My mate Lee has been a fully-fledged London cabbie for the past 6 years – having spent just over 4 years prior to that, studying and eventually passing the prestigious and grueling exam that is ‘The Knowledge’.

For the past 6 years  Lee has also been a proud member of the much respected ‘Poppy Cabs’ organisation – an initiative that started in 2009 and was set-up by London cabbie ‘Mike Hughes’ – who still organises this support service every year.

Poppy Cabs are a group of licenced London cabbies who give up their time to provide a free service to make it easier for ex service personnel to travel to, from and across London – so that they can attend the Remembrance Day parades at the Cenotaph.

It is estimated that for the 10 years that the ‘Poppy Cabs’ have been in existence, they have probably provided over 10,000 free journeys for veterans.

Whilst the laying of the commemorative wreaths and the march-pasts is taking place at the Cenotaph, the Poppy Cabs line-up along Westminster Bridge.

When the parades are finished Poppy Cab Marshals escort the veterans, some of whom may be disabled, back to their cabs to transport them back to their required destinations, that could be anything from main-line stations – or military personnel accommodations such as the Union Jack Club & the Victory Services Club – or quite simply back to their homes – all free of charge.

Remembrance Sunday is a day when quite simply hundreds of London cabbies and their Poppy Cabs come together to support the country’s veterans – because without the services of the Poppy Cabs, a vast majority of the veterans would simply not be able to attend the Cenotaph event.

London cabbies see their Poppy Cabs as their way in paying back a small part of the debt they feel they owe the service personnel veterans.

However –this year, the Covid19 virus has posed the biggest challenge since Remembrance Day parades began 100 years ago.

This year, the 100th Anniversary of the Cenotaph – the services of the Poppy Cabs was not required as it would be in previous years.

However, out of respect and tradition, my good friend Lee and some of his fellow London cabbies, still wanted to be present for this year’s unique occasion in the history of Remembrance Days – not only to be there for the chiming of Big Ben at the 11th Hour and then observe the 2 Minute Silence – but to also be on hand should any of the ex-service personnel in the area require assistance and transportation.

Although not ‘essential travel’ for me personally – I felt the opportunity to travel up to Westminster to pay my respects and to be part of the, albeit extensively reduced, ‘Poppy Cab’ tradition – especially for this year’s unique Remembrance Day experience – was just too good an opportunity to turn down.

Despite the extraordinarily and extremely visible high volume of Police presence, and the closing of all approach roads and side streets leading into a barricaded and boarded-up Whitehall – to stand in the middle of a cordoned off and almost deserted Westminster Bridge – to hear the chimes of Big Ben at the 11th Hour – to observe the following 2 Minute Silence – to witness all the Thames emergency services paying their respects on the River – to witness the total respect shown by everyone around me, particularly the small number of Poppy Cab drivers who had still ventured up there, knowing full well the uniqueness of the situation –  is something that I shall never forget, and I’m so pleased that I am able to capture the experience, via my London Shoes social media portals.

Like everything else in life these days, Covid19 has had a massive impact on the life & times of a London cabbie, as it has with many other jobs, professions and the people behind them – and I really do fear, as do all cabbies – for the future of this iconic, globally recognised, historic 350 year old London profession.

I truly hope that life will return to some kind of normality at some stage soon, and that people wherever they may be from – will get the opportunity to return to see the sights, sounds and people, of this wonderful capital city – and hopefully next year’s Remembrance Day Service, will see the Poppy Cabs back out there in full force.

Hope you enjoy the photos accompanying this blog, and that they help tell-the-tale.

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See below the entire gallery of photos taken to accompany this blog

 

Me & Lee and his ‘Poppy Cab’ – set-off for our journey up to Westminster for Remembrance Sunday 2020

 

A ‘Poppy Cab’ lapel badge that my London cabbie mate Lee very kindly gave me for our 2020 Remembrance Sunday commemoration

 

Lee – pointing out some of the many historic landmarks on route to Westminster

 

Lee’s ‘Poppy Cab’ parking up on a rank, prior to the Remembrance Sunday parade.

 

Lee – on a rank in his ‘Poppy Cab’

 

Our totally unique bespoke ‘Poppy’ facemasks – which we used specifically for our Remembrance Sunday up in Westminster

 

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the unveiling of London’s symbolic and much revered Cenotaph memorial in Whitehall – which first took place in November 1920 two years following the end of WW1

 

For the 2020 Remembrance Sunday – the whole of the Whitehall area surrounding the Cenotaph memorial, were ‘no-go’ areas and were boarded-up by the authorities for this years 100 Anniversary event.

 

A photo showing the extent that the authorities had gone to, to restrict any public access to Whitehall and the Cenotaph

 

Just one of the many military related statues displayed in Whitehall, close to the Cenotaph

 

Another photo showing the extent that the authorities had gone to, to restrict any public access to Whitehall and the Cenotaph

 

Another of the many military related statues displayed in Whitehall, close to the Cenotaph

 

A completely cordoned-off to traffic Westminster Bridge – shortly before Big Ben rang out to signal the 11th Hour of the 11th Month – followed by the 2 Minute Silence

 

The emergency services of the River Thames ( the River Police / Thames Lifeboat / Fire Services ) all paying their respects on the River

 

A deserted Westminster Bridge prior to observing the ‘2 Minute Silence’ – under normal circumstances the Bridge would be lined with ‘Poppy Cabs’ parked-up and waiting to transport the thousands of ex-veterans to their required destinations following the Remembrance Sunday parade at the Cenotaph

 

Me & Lee – on Westminster Bridge – looking towards Westminster – wearing our bespoke Poppy Masks – having just observed the traditional “2 Minute Silence” at the 11th Hour on the 11th Month

 

Westminster Bridge – looking towards Westminster – immediately following the traditional “2 Minute Silence” at the 11th Hour on the 11th Month

 

Me & Lee – on Westminster Bridge – looking towards the South Bank – wearing our bespoke Poppy Masks – having just observed the traditional “2 Minute Silence” at the 11th Hour on the 11th Month

 

The River Thames emergency services( River Police / Lifeboat / Fire Services ) after paying their respects on the River

 

Mike Hughes – the originator of the amazing ‘Poppy Cab’ initiative back in 2009 – making his way back across Westminster Bridge following the “2 Minute Silence”. Mike still organises this amazing supportive service for veterans every year.

 

Some of the ‘Poppy Cab’ boys up on Westminster Bridge for this years Remembrance Sunday event – The founder of the ‘Poppy Cab’ initiative, Mike Hughes is in the yellow hi-vis jacket with my mate Lee to his left.

 

Me & Lee grabbing a quick cuppa up in Whitehall – before heading off back home to Romford

 

Some of the Mets Mounted Police – making their way back to the Scotland Yard Stables

 

 

Me & Lee – setting off for home, following our morning up in the Westminster area to pay our personal respects to the fallen on Remembrance Sunday 2020 – Covid19 virus or not – “WE SHALL REMEMBER THEM”

* “Meard Street” -London W1 – the Soho street stuck in a time-warp

Posted on by Posted in Historic Buildings, Streets .

Last week’s jaunt out saw my London Shoes head ‘up west’ to the Soho district of the ‘Smoke’, for the specific purpose of exploring a famous street that is virtually next door to the Barclays Bank branch in Wardour Street, where I worked from 1974 to 1978 when I was a teenager – and yet it’s only now, some 47yrs later – that I’ve discovered the existence of this particular street.

So – the subject matter in question for this week’s London Shoes blog is the unique “Meard Street”–London W1 – a small Soho street stuck in a time warp, and with an amazing history.

Meard Street is located in the heart of London’s Soho district, and runs between and connects Wardour Street to Dean Street – Its unique houses depict an almost perfect example of ‘Georgian’ architecture – which covered the period of time between 1713 and 1830, and is regarded as the greatest period of English architecture.

It is named after a ‘John Meard’ (the younger) who was a carpenter and later became a nobleman.

John Meard was responsible for developing the street as far back as 1720 through to 1730 – and the properties he designed and built, are still in situ to this very day – and as a result Meard Street is one of the few surviving London streets from the Georgian period

Meard was regarded as one of his generations most skilled carpenters – particularly throughout London – and at that period of time, carpentry was one of the most sought after skills and trades, because wood was the main component material of house building and construction.

In 1735 John Meard became a ‘Master of the Worshipful Company of Carpenters’ and worked with Sir Christopher Wren on St. Paul’s Cathedral  and other iconic historical churches.

Numbers 1 – 3 – 5 & 7 Meard Street are a terrace of 4 single fronted houses, that are 4 storeys high and with a basement – and still retain their original ‘Georgian’ architectural features which include:- a dog legged staircase – 3 evenly spaced front windows – wide piers between each house – brown stock bricks – stone sills – double hung sash-windows.

Numbers 1 to 7 and 2 to 6 were the very first houses to be sold off and occupied, and are still residential properties to this very day – some 300yrs since they were built.

Official records of past residents of these Meard Street houses exist – and some of the earliest owners and residents make interesting reading, and in my opinion, could quite easily be dramatised into a TV series or film – I’m sure it would be a best seller :-))

The who’s who of Meard Street’s early owners/residents from the early1700’s, reads as follow:-

No. 1 – Burkat Shudi – a harpsichord maker

No. 1 – (1738-42) the house became the Westminster Women’s Penitent Asylum

No. 7 – (1739-42) Rev Richard Terrick – who became the Bishop of London

No. 9 – Thomas Langley – who taught architecture to ‘young gentlemen’

No. 9 – (1758) Elizabeth Flint – rented a room within the house – whose character was documented within the community as:- “generally slut & drunkard – occasionally whore and thief” 

No. 11 – (1755-70) Abraham Browne – 1st violinist in the King & Queens Band

Throughout the 18th & 19th centuries official records show that these properties in Meard Street were occupied by all sorts of people – for example:- a chess player / musicians / composers / writers / architects / enamel engravers & painters / artists & watchmakers

Fast forward to the 20th century and the Meard Street houses still retained their prestige – and were occupied by numerous well to do people, plus some dodgy ones – many connected in some way to the legal & illegal Soho night-life .

In the early 1980’s the building on the corner of Meard Street and Dean Street became the ‘Batcave’ – a club that saw the birth of the English ‘Goth’ culture – where the likes of Robert Smith (of the Cure), Marc Almond and Souixsie Sue of the Banshees, were all regulars.

Today – because of the age of the properties within it and their ‘Georgian’ architectural elegance – the houses in Meard Street are up there as being some of the most photographed landmarks in London – and if you were ever interested in purchasing one then it would set you back anything between £5m and £16m in todays market.

Apart from these magnificent historic houses – there is another ‘street fixture’ that makes Meard Street even more unique – it is the site of one of my favourite  London ‘quirky’ landmarks – the “7 Noses of Soho”.

In 1997 an artist by the name of ‘Rick Buckley’ so aggrieved at the continuous implementation of CCTV surveillance cameras on almost every street corner throughout London, and the fact that we seemed to be moving more and more towards an Orwellian type of ‘Big Brother Is Watching You’ culture – he felt that he just had to protest his displeasure and disapproval in some way.

Rather than adopting a vandalistic destructive approach to protesting, Buckley decided to adopt a more pacifistic, humorous stance to air his anger.

His plan was to place model casts of his ‘nose’ on numerous walls and buildings throughout London – right in the line of sight of various CCTV cameras, so as to ‘cock a snook’ at the authorities.

So – by conducting a number of under-cover covert operations, he secretly stuck over 30 ‘noses’ on numerous locations over London – to make his own personal protest – and one of the 7 remaining Noses just happens to be situated high up on a wall at the Dean Street end of Meard Street – very easy to discover.

London Shoes actually covered-off the “7 Noses of Soho” topic in great detail exactly 3yrs ago this month in October 2017 – so, if you were interested in finding out more, then you can find this specific blog on the ‘Shoes’ website menu.

So – that’s all about Meard Street for you – a street from another period in time, that is situated bang in the middle of the hustle & bustle of the sometimes seedy Soho – that probably still looks as elegant and refined today, as it did over 300yrs ago.

Before heading off back east and home, I turned out of Meard Street into Wardour Street – a street that, pre-Covid19 would be rammed 24/7 with noisy gridlocked traffic and pedestrians rushing about all over the place – but sadly today – its become just another of London’s many ‘ghost’ streets.

Down at the Oxford Street end end of Wardour Street, is the old Barclays Bank building where I worked (aged 17 to 21) between the years 1974 and 1978. It hasn’t been a bank for sometime now, and has morphed into a number of restaurant type businesses throughout recent decades – and in fact it is a restaurant these days, but it was quite evident that the place hadn’t been open for business, probably since the March  Covid19 lockdown – and sadly, by the looks of it, it will probably never re-open – but it is what it is, and it will be3 what it will be!!!

Hope you enjoyed exploring Meard Street and found its little story interesting.

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See below the entire gallery of photos taken to accompany this blog

Meard Street is located in the heart of London’s Soho district, and is a street that runs between and connects Wardour Street & Dean Street – and its unique houses depict an almost perfect example of ‘Georgian’ architecture

 

It is named after a ‘John Meard’ (the younger) who was a carpenter and later became a nobleman. John Meard was responsible for developing the street as far back as 1720 through to 1730 – and the properties he designed and built, are still in situ to this very day – and as a result is one of the few surviving London streets from the Georgian period

 

‘Georgian’ style architecture – covers the period of time between 1713 and 1830, and is regarded as the greatest period of English architecture.

 

Me – outside some of the old Georgian houses in Meard Street-Soho

 

Numbers 1 – 3 – 5 & 7 Meard Street are a terrace of 4 single fronted houses, that are 4 storeys high and with a basement – and still retain their original ‘Georgian’ architectural features which include:- a dog legged staircase – 3 evenly spaced front windows – wide piers between each house – brown stock bricks – stone sills – double hung sash-windows.

 

Me – outside no’s 3 & 5 Meard Street – Soho

 

 

The magnificent Georgian architecture of Meard Street-Soho

 

The magnificent Georgian architecture of Meard Street-Soho

 

Today – there are some pretty strict laws about to protect Meard Street-Soho

 

Me – down in Meard Street-Soho

 

Signage on one of the old front doors in Meard Street

 

The magnificent Georgian architecture of Meard Street-Soho

 

The magnificent Georgian architecture of Meard Street-Soho

 

Me – in Meard Street

 

The magnificent Georgian architecture of Meard Street-Soho

 

The magnificent Georgian architecture of Meard Street-Soho

 

Apart from these magnificent historic houses – there is another ‘street fixture’ that makes Meard Street popular – it is the site of one of my favourite ‘quirky’ London landmarks – the “7 Noses of Soho”.

 

In 1997 an artist by the name of ‘Rick Buckley’ so aggrieved at the continuous implementation of CCTV surveillance cameras on almost every street corner throughout London Rather than taking a vandalistic destructive approach to protesting, Buckley decided to adopt a more pacifistic, humorous stance to air his anger.

 

His plan was to place model casts of his ‘nose’ on numerous walls and buildings throughout London – right in the line of sight of various CCTV cameras, so as to ‘cock a snook’ at the authorities. And one of them can be found in Meard Street :-))

 

The western end of Meard Street leads out into Wardour Street – once the center of London’s film-land

 

Meard Street leads into Wardour Street – a street that, pre-Covid19 would be rammed 24/7 with noisy gridlocked traffic and pedestrians rushing about all over the place – but sadly today – its just become another of London’s many ‘ghost’ streets.:-((

 

Me – standing in the middle of Wardour Street – to take a photo. Something that could never ever be achieved pre-Covid19 :-((

 

183 Wardour Street – the old Barclays Bank building where I worked (aged 17 to 21) between the years 1974 and 1978.

 

Me – outside what was the main front door of 183 Wardour Street – the old Barclays Bank building where I worked (aged 17 to 21) between the years 1974 and 1978.

 

Me – outside the old side entrance to Barclays Bank Wardour Street branch where I worked from 1974 to 1978

 

* COVID19 & its impact on the LONDON landscape – (wef July 2020)

Posted on by Posted in Quirky Topics, Streets .

This is a gallery of photos that I have put together, and will continually add to – that shows the impact the Covid19 Virus has had on the landscape of wonderful London