The Standard Deviant
inanimated.co.uk
As other people have said, go down to Croydon to the shop called Mr Cad, it is a treasure trove for cameras, and good deals on paper and film. The gentlemen who work there are always ready to have a laugh. It's not exactly in the centre of Croydon, but only about a 10 minute walk from East Croydon station or West Croydon.
The website really doesn't do the shop justice. http://mrcad.co.uk/shop/help.php?section=findusdetail
Croydon could also be an interesting and certainly unusual place to walk around taking photos. On the streets you can see people coming from all over the world. The architecture is a mixture of a small amount of Tudor-era, Victorian/Neo-Gothic (have a look at the town hall), and then mostly 20s/30s and a lot of post-war offices. The main airport for London was in Croydon so it was an obvious target for bombing in the second world war.
The website really doesn't do the shop justice. http://mrcad.co.uk/shop/help.php?section=findusdetail
Croydon could also be an interesting and certainly unusual place to walk around taking photos. On the streets you can see people coming from all over the world. The architecture is a mixture of a small amount of Tudor-era, Victorian/Neo-Gothic (have a look at the town hall), and then mostly 20s/30s and a lot of post-war offices. The main airport for London was in Croydon so it was an obvious target for bombing in the second world war.
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Paul T.
Veteran
I salute you, sir. It takes a brave man to champion the architecture and ambience of Croydon.
I was once offered the opportunity of moving office to Croydon, or taking redundancy. After consulting with my team, we chose the latter.
Sparrow
Veteran
And the rest of us showed great restraint in not dwelling on the Luftwaffe's shortcomings
smasher
Established
Andy: Nice shot on the Bakerloo!
+1 for the Soane. Bizarre collection of paintings, prints, and architectural oddities.
If you're into cycling, there are some great bike shops near the British Museum, too.
Day trips: If you can manage it, get to Bath!
+1 for the Soane. Bizarre collection of paintings, prints, and architectural oddities.
If you're into cycling, there are some great bike shops near the British Museum, too.
Day trips: If you can manage it, get to Bath!
The Standard Deviant
inanimated.co.uk
And the rest of us showed great restraint in not dwelling on the Luftwaffe's shortcomings
My point was exactly that Croydon only has its modern image of being a drab, tower-block ridden place because of the Luftwaffe. Otherwise there'd be a lot more of the 20s/30s/19th century architecture left. Sadly some interesting buildings around the edge have been demolished in the past few decades, including an art deco Egyptian-detailed factory (I am too young to remember this one myself).
Sparrow
Veteran
It was mostly in jest, and yes many places get labeled like that, local towns here in west yorkshire get a bad press too and still contain some gems
The Standard Deviant
inanimated.co.uk
Don't worry, it made me smile, and I wasn't offended. And as with everywhere else I've lived, there are good and bad aspects. It certainly isn't paradise, and I've never lived in the centre, in fact, quite the opposite, and the edge is very green.
smasher
Established
I think Prince Charles once said that Greater London suffered as much from postwar urban renewal schemes as it did from the Blitz.
He's right.
He's right.
wgerrard
Veteran
As for permits to take pictures on the tube, who knew?
I've scanned the Transport for London site. While their policy regarding the need for permits to shoot or film commercially in the Tube is outlined in detail, I found nothing explicitly permitting or banning casual photography. The consensus elsewhere seems to be that tourists can grab a couple shots. From the number of Tube shots I see on the web, someone is taking pictures.
The TfL site does say tourists should not use flash, citing the potential to momentarily blind drivers as trains emerge from the tunnels into stations.
I'd think, too, that setting up a tripod would attract unwelcome attention.
JayGannon
Well-known
wgerrard
Veteran
The context, at least as I read it, of that section is that it's directed to pros and wanna-be pros, not at casual tourists. All the guidance is targeting those groups.
And that's the problem. The site's open to interpretation.
Maybe someone should apply to the Film Office asking permission to take, say, three snaps on the Bakerloo with their EP-1 and see what happens.
And that's the problem. The site's open to interpretation.
Maybe someone should apply to the Film Office asking permission to take, say, three snaps on the Bakerloo with their EP-1 and see what happens.
Andy Kibber
Well-known
j j
Well-known
Or wrong, depending on your view. There are plenty of older monstrosities as well as newer ones. Few of the modern landmarks he complains about are more hideous than his mum's house.
not_in_good_order
Well-known
I'd recommend taking the tube to Hampstead, which is an area I enjoyed quite a bit when I was in London. Take a look on google maps if you get a chance.
Bigeejit
Member
Climb to the top of the Monument for "aerial" views of the Thames if the queue for the 'Eye is too much.It's by Pudding Lane and open to the public.About 4 quid and 250 steps.Great platform at the top and shooter friendly.Monument by Bank tube station if memory serves,been a while.In Camden Town theres a camera shop called Nicholas who have a huge range of secondhand gear,but I've never bought anything there so don't know what they're like.I have been up the Monument and recommend it to anyone although it's a bit of a climb.
Andy Kibber
Well-known
St. Paul's has a great view too. Lots of steps though!
zuikologist
.........................
The Pergola at Hamsptead Heath is a good vantage point.
A slightly less fashionable place, but with probably better views, is Alexandra Palace. Accessible by overground or tube trains.
urban_alchemist
Well-known
Oh yay, my city (well, with Tel-Aviv). Let me try and wrack my brains...
Firstly, if the weather's good, you have to head up to Hampstead in North London - my beloved home. England's capital during the great plague, it was swallowed up by London but maintains its hill-station feel remaining a village amidst the sprawl, and home to intellectuals, artists and authors both living and dead. Crucially, it abutts Hampstead Heath, an inner-city forrest with swimming ponds, lush vegetation and the beautiful Kenwood House. Further afield is the village of Highgate with the Highgate cemetery - a gothic structure where Karl Marx, among others, is buried.
Further south is the West End (all of W1), a mish-mash of neighbourhoods that pretty much sums up London as a collective mess. Soho is bohemian and arty: no chain-stores, whore-houses (sorry, "Models 1st Floor"), milliners and post-production studios rub shoulders with the centre of the London gay scene; across Shaftesbury Avenue you'll find China Town and Covent Garden (theatre-town and 'hippy' stores); cross Lower Regent's St. and you're in St. James - the home of the true English (a dying breed in London), 500-year old stores and the royal households; cross Picadilly and you're in Mayfair - swish stores, ultra-trendy restaurants and the new moneyed elite; cross Oxford St. and you're in Marylebone - doctors, Jews and Arabs as well as one of the nicest High Streets in the city (Marylebone High St.) and the wonderful and bizarre Wallace Collection; cross Great Portland St. and you're in Fitzrovia - a lovely, odd neighbourhood and home of the BT Tower, London's discount electronics street (Tottenham Court Road) and Charlotte Street: my favourite collection of restaurants, pubs and bars (Koba for Korean on Rathbone Place is a personal favourite); cross further to the other side of Tottenham Court Road and you're in University Land (Bloomsbury) - students and nutty professors are the order of the day, many of the latter owning run-down book stores themselves in a haze of stale cigarette smoke, and home to the British Museum. There's also the wonderful R G Lewis for cameras (well, technically it's in Holborn, but it's within the margin of error).
All walkable in a day, and well worth it to get a feel for the centre of London.
As said above, the South Bank is great (go to the Tate Britain and then head over the river at Westminster Bridge) - walk east as far as your little legs will take you.
East End - Brick Lane's a bit of a nightmare. If you're not getting solicited by Bangladeshi curry houses, you'll be trying to avoid the upper-middle-class Hipsters that have colonised the area. For creative neighbourhoods, everything's moved to Shoreditch, Hoxton and Dalston - small contemporary galleries and stores. If you do go to Brick Lane, head around the corner to Tayyabs - the only place to get a curry, a local institution, dirt cheap and the best curry I've ever had - on Fieldgate St.
I'd also go to the Docklands - just to get an idea of where the city's headed. It's a painful, scary, empty soulless place, but interesting just for the clinical inhumanity of it.
As for photographic stuff: I've never had a problem photographing in London. I've taken photos in The City, The London Eye, the underground, The Docklands, everywhere. Just don't rock up with a tripod and you should be ok.
Specific photographic places: South Bank, South Bank centre (a brutalist maze of concrete that everyone in London is very fond of), Liberty's department store (a mock-tudor shopping emporium - and yes, I've taken photos there plenty of times), Parliament Hill (on Hampstead Heath) and/or Primrose Hill for views of the London skyline.
Hope that helps... London's a huge, sprawling mess and is so diverse that it's difficult to get to know or get your head around. But then again, that's why we love it.
PS: If you want any info about food, I think you should ask. The food in London can be either god-awful or amazing, and unfortunately, the ratio is about 90:10. I'd be happy to help, or otherwise I fear you'll end up in Angus Steak House after Pizza Express after Garfunkels....
Firstly, if the weather's good, you have to head up to Hampstead in North London - my beloved home. England's capital during the great plague, it was swallowed up by London but maintains its hill-station feel remaining a village amidst the sprawl, and home to intellectuals, artists and authors both living and dead. Crucially, it abutts Hampstead Heath, an inner-city forrest with swimming ponds, lush vegetation and the beautiful Kenwood House. Further afield is the village of Highgate with the Highgate cemetery - a gothic structure where Karl Marx, among others, is buried.
Further south is the West End (all of W1), a mish-mash of neighbourhoods that pretty much sums up London as a collective mess. Soho is bohemian and arty: no chain-stores, whore-houses (sorry, "Models 1st Floor"), milliners and post-production studios rub shoulders with the centre of the London gay scene; across Shaftesbury Avenue you'll find China Town and Covent Garden (theatre-town and 'hippy' stores); cross Lower Regent's St. and you're in St. James - the home of the true English (a dying breed in London), 500-year old stores and the royal households; cross Picadilly and you're in Mayfair - swish stores, ultra-trendy restaurants and the new moneyed elite; cross Oxford St. and you're in Marylebone - doctors, Jews and Arabs as well as one of the nicest High Streets in the city (Marylebone High St.) and the wonderful and bizarre Wallace Collection; cross Great Portland St. and you're in Fitzrovia - a lovely, odd neighbourhood and home of the BT Tower, London's discount electronics street (Tottenham Court Road) and Charlotte Street: my favourite collection of restaurants, pubs and bars (Koba for Korean on Rathbone Place is a personal favourite); cross further to the other side of Tottenham Court Road and you're in University Land (Bloomsbury) - students and nutty professors are the order of the day, many of the latter owning run-down book stores themselves in a haze of stale cigarette smoke, and home to the British Museum. There's also the wonderful R G Lewis for cameras (well, technically it's in Holborn, but it's within the margin of error).
All walkable in a day, and well worth it to get a feel for the centre of London.
As said above, the South Bank is great (go to the Tate Britain and then head over the river at Westminster Bridge) - walk east as far as your little legs will take you.
East End - Brick Lane's a bit of a nightmare. If you're not getting solicited by Bangladeshi curry houses, you'll be trying to avoid the upper-middle-class Hipsters that have colonised the area. For creative neighbourhoods, everything's moved to Shoreditch, Hoxton and Dalston - small contemporary galleries and stores. If you do go to Brick Lane, head around the corner to Tayyabs - the only place to get a curry, a local institution, dirt cheap and the best curry I've ever had - on Fieldgate St.
I'd also go to the Docklands - just to get an idea of where the city's headed. It's a painful, scary, empty soulless place, but interesting just for the clinical inhumanity of it.
As for photographic stuff: I've never had a problem photographing in London. I've taken photos in The City, The London Eye, the underground, The Docklands, everywhere. Just don't rock up with a tripod and you should be ok.
Specific photographic places: South Bank, South Bank centre (a brutalist maze of concrete that everyone in London is very fond of), Liberty's department store (a mock-tudor shopping emporium - and yes, I've taken photos there plenty of times), Parliament Hill (on Hampstead Heath) and/or Primrose Hill for views of the London skyline.
Hope that helps... London's a huge, sprawling mess and is so diverse that it's difficult to get to know or get your head around. But then again, that's why we love it.
PS: If you want any info about food, I think you should ask. The food in London can be either god-awful or amazing, and unfortunately, the ratio is about 90:10. I'd be happy to help, or otherwise I fear you'll end up in Angus Steak House after Pizza Express after Garfunkels....
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spkennedy3000
www.simonkennedy.net
Go to the Heygate Estate, near Elephant and Castle. By far the most interesting place in London right now if you ask me! Abandoned HUGE 70's housing scheme, just don't go there at night!
There is a police presence so you are safe during the day.
EDIT: should be safe. But I spent the last 7 months going down there with a 4x5" monorail and had no problems. It will be demolished soon...
There is a police presence so you are safe during the day.
EDIT: should be safe. But I spent the last 7 months going down there with a 4x5" monorail and had no problems. It will be demolished soon...
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spkennedy3000
www.simonkennedy.net
Also The Natural History museum - photography is allowed inside and astonishingly it is free. Giant dinosaur skeletons, weird stuffed animals, you can't go wrong.