The Sphinx statues in Crystal Palace Park are remnants of the park’s glory days when it was the Victorian playground - a playground which housed The Crystal Palace, which occupied the area from 1854 to 1936.

The Park may not be as glamorous now as it was when The Crystal Palace stood in its boundaries, but its charm and character draws me back. The graffiti-ed Sphinx statues, the crumpling statues and stairs, and anatomically incorrect dinosaurs are reminders of Victorian grandeur, curiosity and scientific thought.

I have photographed Crystal Palace Park in all seasons, and have enjoyed the changing moods, colours and difference in light. While I enjoy photographing the dinosaurs, I am increasingly drawn to the other side of the park, which isn’t as maintained as the area of the dinosaurs. The decaying grandeur of the statues and stairs draw me in.

A week ago, I was walking through the park and taking photos along the way. I was enjoying a bustling park on a Saturday afternoon with nature in slumber. The muted colours gave me a subtle palate to work with, and accented the crumpling remnants of Victorian splendour. The 2 films I was shooting on focused my attentions on what really caught my eye.

I was photographing the Sphinx statues, and was really enjoying the light falling across the faces of a couple of them. I was particularly drawn to one. Its eyes had been drawn in with black marker – making them look less dead. The statue looked as though it was still surveying the park from its perch. The statue has seen many changes since it was placed in the park – and I am sure that it will bear witness to future changes.

For me, the eyes drew me in – and I could relate at its gaze. The parallel is I often feel like I am perched somewhere taking photos of what is around me. I have sometimes gone back to re-photograph something or an area and have picked up something different or any change that has happened – however subtle. 

One of my favourite places in London is the Crystal Palace Park, with its fleeting memories of The Crystal Palace.

Originally erected in Hyde Park, London, in 1851, The Crystal Palace housed the Great Exhibition of 1851. Designed by Joseph Paxton, the exhibition space to display examples of the latest technology developed in the Industrial Revolution.

The building was moved to a new park in Penge Common after the Exhibition, and stood in the area from 1854 to 1936 - when it was destroyed by fire. Walking along the promenades, you get the sense of its grandeur. It must have been amazing to visit in its day, and did attract huge crowds.

Not much is left of The Crystal Palace in the park, but what is left is a ghostly, and crumbling, reminder of what was there. What catches my eye is the promenades, with the stairs leading up to both, and the last remaining statues and sphinxes.

The remaining statues have a life and stories of their own. They seem to be surveying the park, keeping watch over the hustle and bustle in the modern day park. I often wonder what they would say if they could talk. 

It’s a shame that many of them are no longer around, or have been damaged. 

But they do give a sense of a bygone age. 

The stairs up to the promenades, and the crumbling stone work around them, give a sense of the decadence of the place, but also of its fragility. One does get a sense that nothing lasts forever, no matter how spectacular it is.

Recounting my steps back down the stairs, I found it interesting how, even in the modern day, people continue to use, and enjoy, the space where The Crystal Palace once stood.

I would have enjoyed to see The Crystal Palace in all its glory when it was build. However, I do enjoy the hints of it in its decaying decline. It will be a place where I will return again and again with my camera to capture its fleeting memories.

The looting and violence in London, and elsewhere in England, in the last week or so shocked many and raised fundamental questions about British society and the reasons why people did it.

I found it surreal to be out during the day in areas of London which were fairly unaffected, but to be watching the devastating effects of the violence and looting on the news at night. Even my local shops in south east London were closing early and locking down in order to protect themselves. A handful of shops were even targeted in my local area, and the violence in Croydon hit very close to home.

While much of the violence hurts the very fabric of local communities, the boarded up and burnt buildings – both residential and commercial - are a physical reminder of the trauma that happened in the riots.

In the aftermath, I did wander around my local area as well as Clapham to see the damage for myself. The initial clean-up had obviously taken place, and the police were more visible on the street.

However, I found it interested to see how the boarded up windows had become a vehicle for the communities to communicate – whether to say that businesses were still open for business ... 

Or messages of support...

While many have lost much, or even everything, there seems a bit of community defiance at the damage that has happened. Simply writing on a wall with a pen to share ones feelings. And in Clapham, people stopped and read what was being written. 

The National Sports Centre, situated in the middle of Crystal Palace Park, is a good example of a functional and modernist, if not slightly brutalist, architecture. 

Opened in 1964, and a Grade II* listed building, it is steeped in sporting history. It is situated on the original Crystal Palace Football Club’s football ground, and the site also hosted the FA Cup final from 1895 to 1914 as well as other sports. 

How sports are housed says a lot about a nation, and where sports sits within it. Sports venues tend to be bold statements on a nation’s sporting pride. Although, the National Sports Centre is being usurped somewhat by the Olympic Park in Stratford, it has played a significant role in Britain’s sporting heritage. 

As a photographer, I find myself drawn to modernist architecture as it often lends itself well to be photography. However, on a personal level, I have mixed feeling towards modern architecture. When done right, it can be light, airy, spacious and forward thinking. When done poorly, it is brutal and unwelcoming. 

Not surprisingly, the National Sports Centre is a very functional building, and the modern architecture reflects the 1960s. It is a bold, modern statement and looking towards the future, and state of the art for its time. 

What really drew my eye to the Centre were the lights in front of the building. The white, pointed structures can be easily mistaken as art. It was not until I was leaving the Centre that I realised they were lights – as I only ever saw the building during the day. 

The white structures give contrast and texture to the grey concrete of the Centre. They are almost space-like. 

Often I am passing by the National Sports Centre en route to somewhere else, but have taken snapshots on my digital point and shoot digital camera. 

I do plan, however, to take photos on a larger camera. However, I have yet to decide whether to take them in black and white or colour. It may be best to photograph them in both!