 Monument, London, UK The City of London is an interesting place to photograph. Like the rest of London, it changes, but somehow holds onto the past.
I don’t walk through the streets and side streets of the City of London often enough for my liking, particularly with my camera. However, I often enjoy it when I do. Recently, I was walking from London Bridge to Bank tube station.
Monument is a reminder of when London was burning in the Great Fire of London in 1666. Burning from the 2nd to the 5th London, 1666, the fire destroyed quite a lot London. It’s almost hidden away, tucked behind office buildings with its top hinting of its presence.
Wandering the meandering streets of the City, I am reminded of organic nature of how London has grown. Unlike Paris or New York grid-like streets, London streets wander in any which direction they fancy.
Passing a clock hanging from a building, it makes sure I am not loosing myself taking pictures and arrive to my destination on time.
City of London, UK
Waiting at the Royal Exchange, I begin to people watch the office workers who are passing, pausing or simply taking a moment before going off somewhere else.
The buildings and statues hint at how London has seen itself, but I am really starting to appreciate the interaction between its buildings and the people working there and passing through it.
 Scooterworks Bar & Cafe, London, UK Sitting in the Scooterworks Bar and Café on the Lower Marsh near Waterloo I was enjoying the company of a couple of friends, and the local cat. The café is one of those slightly hidden and eccentric places where one can retreat to from the hustle and bustle of a metropolis like London.
It is where the locals know, and everyone else stumbles upon if you’re lucky. It’s character and originality draws you in for a coffee or tea or a drink, and a chat with a friend.
The kitsch items aren’t tacky, or even out of place with the old signs and advertising reminiscing of times past. With a couple of cats warming a corner or a chair and the din of conversation and coffee making filling up the background, the afternoon slipped away through our finger tips.
There are a few places in London that seem timeless, and where a good afternoon can be enjoyed with good company and conversation while watching the world pass by the window.
 Dover Castle, Kent, UK Founded in the 12th Century, Dover Castle dominates the cliffs along the Kent coastline which look over the channel to France. It is the largest castle in England and has been described as the "Key to England" due to its defensive significance throughout history.
The weather, history and the people passing through the Castle have certainly left their mark, particularly on the walls. While visiting the Castle last January, I wished the walls could talk, and in many ways they did.
The weather has worn the thick stone walls and the sun peeps through the windows, casting its shadow down the hallways and stairs inside. People have written their history on the walls – and am sure they will continue to do so – giving a human face to the grey stone walls.
I was drawn to photographing the buildings in black and white, and had wished I hadn’t run out of film. The histories presenting themselves on the walls, as elsewhere in the Castle, seemed timeless in black and white. However, the vibrant colours of the furnishings – giving them an almost childlike effect – demanded colour film.
 Dover Castle, Kent, UK Even the walls in colour gave a very textured effect – as did the black and white.
It was a shame I didn’t have time to finish wandering around the Castle, and hope to revisit – along with my camera and some more film.
 Folkestone, Kent, England Visiting Folkestone, Kent, late last year, my friend took me to the Folkestone Harbour station, a disused train station at Folkestone Harbour. The harbour station provided a rail connection for boat trains from London which connected with the ferry services to Calais and Boulogne.
The station closed to regular passenger train services in 2001. However, the line and station continued to be used by the Venice-Simplon Orient Express (VSOE) and railtours.
It is part of Folkestone history that is slowly being eroded away by the elements, and is hidden away from city view. My friend had only recently found it through a recommendation through a friend, and I was very happy for her to show me. We spent a bit of time photographing it, on a moody day where the rain threatened and the sea waves were high.
The surroundings, and the weather, asked to be photographed in black and white. I couldn’t resist the haunting moodiness of the place.
Folkestone, Kent, England
In the middle of the tracks was a random statue of people. Neither of us really knew what it was for, but I was able to incorporate it into my photos of the train station. They add something to an otherwise derelict and lonely station – a gentle reminder of those who passed through in days gone by.
 The Crescent Wood Tunnel, London London has many stories hidden away within its boundaries. Some are forgotten, others are myth and memory. Yet others are hidden away amongst the concrete of the city, and within its parks, only known to the locals.
I walked, recently, from Crystal Palace to Forest Hill via Sydenham and Dulwich. I am really beginning to appreciate the green spaces within South London, and really enjoyed walking through Sydenham Hill Wood, which has a local nature reserve, and its neighbouring Dulwich Wood.
What I discovered was a disused railway, which has been reclaimed by nature within the nature reserve and surrounding woods. The Crescent Wood Tunnel was part of the (now dismantled) Nuneaton to Crystal Palace line. It now houses a hibernaculum for long-eared bats – which was built by the London Wildlife Trust.
Further along, I came across the Cox’s Lane Footbridge. This footbridge crossed over the Nunhead to Crystal Palace railway line, which opened in 1865 to serve visitors to the Crystal Palace (which was located in Crystal Palace Park). After the 1936 fire which destroyed the Crystal Palace, the line lost much of its traffic, and was closed in 1954.
Cox’s Lane Footbridge, London, UK
I really liked The Folley, which is a ruin remaining from a Victorian garden. It seems a bit out of place in the nature reserve, but hints to its splendour in the Victorian age.
The Folley, Sydenham Hill Wood, London, UK
What struck me was when things like almost forgotten disused railway lines and ruins from Victorian gardens can be incorporated and transformed into things complete unrelated to what they are designed for. However, they are reminders for future generations of an area’s history.
 Cotton Centre, London, UK The weather recently in London has been sunny and fairly warm for March. The sun is a nice break from the winter grey and drab. What I really enjoy is the reflections the modern glass buildings give when it’s sunny.
Today, I didn’t have to far from the office to see these reflections. Walking out of the office and around the corner, the neighbouring Cotton Centre was reflecting on itself. I couldn’t resist taking a quick snapshot.
The symmetry of the building and reflections on the windows made me appreciate this building. I often prefer modern glass buildings during sunny periods. Often in the grey and drab weather, they can be rather lack-lustre. However when the sun is out, the shine of the windows show their true radiance.
I often wonder why the architects had chosen grey and black glass-windowed buildings in More London, which are such a contrast to the yellow brick of Hays Galleria. They work well in the sunny times, which are often in the summer months, but are often bleak (and act as quite good wind tunnels too) in the winter months in London.
On a sunny day, I enjoyed the sunny reflections from the neighbouring building.
 Sagrada Família, Barcelona, Spain I visited a Barcelona a few years ago, and fell in love with the city – and Antonio Gaudi’s work. Whether you like his architecture or not, his influence on the city is remarkable. I hadn’t really appreciated his work until I saw it for myself.
One of his most famous buildings is the Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família, commonly known as the Sagrada Família. Started in 1882, Gaudi became involved in 1883 and combined Gothic and curvilinear Art Nouveau forms. While the construction is still ongoing on the unfinished building, it is impressive.
I wished I had gone into the building, but hadn’t had time to. Nonetheless, I still managed to get some impressive images of its exterior. I found the building was essentially Gaudi, and the continuing construction is sensitive to Gaudi’s plans.
Generally speaking, I prefer more protestant churches as they tend to be plainer. Gaudi’s architecture is the complete opposite. What draws me to Gaudi’s architecture is its earthliness – its rootedness in nature. Perhaps I am drawn to Gaudi’s over the top manner in a rather indulgent way.
I am generally drawn to photograph his work in colour. Somehow it lends itself to colour – its richness and earthiness would be different in black and white.
Next time I visit Barcelona, I would like to see the interior of the Sagrada Família, and take photos.
 Woolwich Arsenal, London, UK I was passing through Woolwich Arsenal train station en route home recently. It was late, and I had some time before the train arrived.
What caught my eye was some artwork at the station commemorating the workers who used to work in the munitions factories in Woolwich. The earth-tone sculptures reminding rail users of days gone by when the area supplied the British army with ammunitions.
Originally known as Woolwich Warren, the Royal Arsenal in Woolwich, South East London, carried out armaments manufacture, ammunition proofing and explosives research for the UK armed forces.
In 1671, the Warren in Tower Place was established as an Ordnance Storage Depot. In 1695, an ammunition laboratory, called the Royal Laboratory, was added and a gun foundry, called the Royal Brass Foundry, was established in 1717. The Royal Arsenal ceased to be a military establishment in 1994.
Today, the area is the focus of redevelopment in the Thames Gateway zone, but links to its past hasn’t been forgotten. A number of historical buildings are being included in the redevelopment. The artwork at the train station adds to this memory.
Regardless of whether people agree with Britain’s military past (and present), its impact has had an impact on the urban landscape, people’s working lives and society’s collective memory.
Woolwich Arsenal, London, UK
 Westfields, London, England, UK Like many Londoners, I use public transport to get around. Waiting is part and parcel of using public transport – whether it’s trains or buses. It does allow me to pause for a moment to watch the world around me.
One evening, while waiting for my train at Westfields shopping centre in Shepherds Bush, West London, a freight train passed by. I find photographing movement at night produces some interesting results.
I have tried taking photos of passing buses which were making their way to the bus depot near the shopping centre, but haven’t produced a photo I liked. However, the passing freight train worked.
It was a photo that I just managed to get – the train had nearly passed when I managed to get my camera out. I quite liked the blurring yellow with the illegible lettering on the side of the train. Even the car is almost indistinguishable.
The moving yellow is contrasted against the light up and immobile shopping centre sitting behind it. But this can be deceiving in a way. People, tastes in fashion and even in architecture aren’t as immobile as the shopping centre perhaps suggests.
 York, England, UK I have visited York a few times over the years. It is a city I could visit over and over again. It has the charm of an old city, and it lends itself to the camera lens very well.
I have so many photos to choose from, and it’s difficult to pick a favourite. York Minster has given me a number of strong images. It is a gothic church, and the second seat of the Church of England.
The Minster dominates the York skyline, and a couple of my favourite photos are taken from the Roman wall that surrounds the city. It shows the dominance of the building on the surrounding city, as well as the dominance of religion.
I have taken both black and white and colour photos of the building, and the Minster lends itself to both.
The b&w image to the left is one of my more recent images – taken a few years ago while visiting friends. It’s dominance over the surrounding buildings is quite clear, and I quite liked the wheelbarrow and gardening tools at the bottom. They give a human aspect to the surroundings.
The colour image below is an earlier image, and I liked the Minster peering through the Roman wall. It’s dominance is still there, but is contained by the stone wall.
 York, Yorkshire, England, UK
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