Through the Eyes of a Londoner

Steam travel in London

2011-03-21T23:23:00.000+00:00

Not too long ago, I spoke about Steam trains out of London. Today, I want to follow-up from that post.

Steam trains fascinate me.
They've always had.
The only time i've ever been on a steam train was on one of UK's many heritage lines; preserved and maintained voluntarily by avid lovers of these old relics.
The only problem i've ever had with these lines (and it's only one problem) is that it's just too short.
I mean, when you read the old Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot novels (or watch the films on TV), you see the bygone age of steam with passengers travelling many miles between two major cities or more. You can't get that experience on a heritage line.

This leads me on to the reason for this blog post. I spoke briefly last time about a steam train that travelled on britain's mainline (in the modern era --- i.e, last year) from Paddington to Plymouth and back!
Until last year, despite my interest in these steam trains, I never knew you could get a steam train from a busy London terminal to another major city in the UK.

But, you can! In fact, anyone can.... just book one of the many chartered special trains that operate throughout the year.

See my previous post on the subject for booking information.

Tornado on tour in South-East London

Unfortunately, I don't own a camcorder at present, and so I couldn't share with you film clips of these old trains. And so, I did a little digging and came across the following film from YouTube of a modern chartered steam train service flying through South-East London from Victoria bound for Kent.

After doing some research on the actual steam engine used on this train, I came up with an amazing fact!

The actual steam engine wasn't refurbished ------ it was a modern build! (when this film was taken, it couldn't have been that much over a year old!)

Who says mainline steam travel was dead!?

According to Wikipedia:

60163 Tornado is a main-line steam locomotive built in Darlington, England. Completed in 2008, Tornado was the first such locomotive built in the United Kingdom since Evening Star, the last steam locomotive built by British Railways, in 1960. Designed to meet modern safety and certification standards, Tornado runs on the UK rail network and on mainline-connected heritage railways. The locomotive is named after the Panavia Tornado military jet.

Learn more about the 60163 Tornado via the Wikipedia article.

Until next time.....

An Underground Blog.......

2011-01-28T14:12:00.000+00:00

Well, not quite an underground blog! ........... it's a blog all about the underground!

and that's the kind of blog that I'm interested in!

The great thing about London, as far as I'm concerned, is it's mass transit system (a huge part of that Mass transit system is the Underground). Now, I know not everyone will agree with my statement here; but I have reasons why I make this statement.
First of all, we really need our underground --- Whoever hasn't suffered when tube strikes are in effect?

And second ---- I love the underground, and have always loved the tube, ever since I was a child.

Earlier this week, I was given a heads up about this blog ('Going Underground's Blog'), written by Annie Mole (blogging about the tube for 9 years).

Purely focusing on the London Underground, this blog was written from the perspective of a normal commuter.

The Londonist were kind enough to conduct an interview with Annie Mole for our benefit, so head down to Londonist Out Loud: Annie Mole to hear the full interview!

London Underground Digital Art

Those of you who have been following my other Blog, Digital Art, would have seen this picture already; but for the benefit of loyal readers of 'through the eyes of a Londoner,' I thought that I'd share this picture of an 'A' stock Metropolitan line train.

See "The Demise of the old 'A' stock trains," posted earlier in this blog for further information about the 'A' stock trains.

Until next time.......

London Underground --- Metropolitan Line 'A' stock train

A work in progress......

2011-01-24T23:21:00.002+00:00

I just thought that i'd fire off a new blog post this evening to inform everyone about the new layout changes for 'Through the eyes of a Londoner.'

As you may already know, I really enjoy writing this Blog as I have a keen interest in my home city and I still feel that I haven't exhausted the last of it's treasures. There's much more to talk about!

At the moment, there's still much to be done with the Blog in terms of layout and links, etc, so please bear with me as I iron out the various bits and pieces; and stay tuned for more info about London!

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As you probably already know, I write about London. Not just London in general, but the parts of London that get missed by the average commuter, tourist or even Londoner!

and so, this blog has great potential to attracting like-minded people who are interested in London. Especially tourists who are planning to visit.

This blog would be of particular interest to websites / blogs who have a similar theme to mine, and especially those sites who offer discounts and tickets to top attractions in the City.

Please contact me using the information bellow for more information (Gauranteed to be very reasonable rates).

Kind regards....
richard.blogger@hotmail.co.uk

The Demise of the old 'A' stock trains

2011-01-23T21:32:00.001+00:00

Source:Metropolitan Line Train Taken Away For Scrapping | Londonist

I decided to write this in response to the above blog post found at the Londonist.

As you read this, London Transport are in the process of integrating their new 'S' stock trains into the Metropolitan line (part of London Underground -- sub_surface section) while the old 'A' stock trains which were around since the 60's are gradually sent to the scrap heap.

Personally, I'm rather saddened by this. I've always loved the 'A' stock train carriages. Among all the underground trains in service at the moment, their unique in one respect. Instead of the seating being positioned opposite each other along the length of the train (where everyone who's seated is sitting facing everyone else), the old 'A' stock has seating arranged like the old Victorian carriages.
I like this arrangement better as I hate sitting opposite everyone (I'm the kind of person who doesn't like to accidentally look at anyone for longer than a second, and so have to read, or, failing that, read the ads above everyone! -- maybe that's the point of the seating arrangement...)

The seats are also large and comfortable.

one obvious fan of the old 'A' stock train has made a tribute video of the old train. Check it out here:

Yea... it's old. It creaks.... Some people hate them....
But, if like me, you're among those who love them, be sure to Visit London (or, hop one one if in London) QUICK! before they depart altogether!

Interested in the new 'S' stock train? ...... check out the video here (they're just entering service):

Personally, I hate these new trains.... Well, to be fair, I never actually rode on one yet. But still, my first impressions on these trains is that they're just too modern for me. I'm a history fanatic, and part of me likes to cling on to the old stuff that little bit more.

How about you?
What are your thoughts on the new trains?
Comments are welcome!

Until next time!...

Visiting.... Living in London?.............Want to win an Ipad?

2011-01-21T13:07:00.001+00:00

Don't take my word for it...
I'm not giving you the chance to win an Ipad.... I can hardly afford one myself!
But the Metro paper is!........ read on to find out more.

At this point, let me categorically stress that I'm in no way affiliated with the Metro paper at the present time and so I don't gain from this blog post.
I'm just as interested in this as you. No, not really for the Ipad (but it would be nice), but for the exhibition itself.

The Exhibition

According to the Metro paper on Monday, "Metro has joined forces with the Museum of London," "to give readers the chance to have their pictures (photographs -- italics ours) on display in front of thousands of visitors."

Are you an enthusiastic photographer (I know I am, just check out my Digital Art blog if you don't agree!) ?
Then you would be interested in this exhibition for the chance to submit your work.

Submit your work by February 18th

The exhibition runs from February 18th to September 4th (admisision free). So you have the 18th as the final deadline.

You will need a Flickr account, and you submit your work to the "London Street Photography Metro" group.
Check out the group rules at the group's home page.

Until next time.....

Victorian Road signs circa 1866-1917

2011-01-08T22:56:00.002+00:00

I've written previously about Victorian Road signs (or, in particular, a Victorian Road sign) dating prior to 1866. This time, I'm going to talk about Victorian road signs that date from 1866 till 1917 (when the postcode changes again).

What's interesting about these road signs that i'm sharing with you here is that these were found in the Brick Lane area of East London (photographed by me in the middle of 2010). What makes this interesting is that these very signs were up during the time Jack the Ripper were prowling these very same streets. In a way, these signs are the silent witnesses of those bygone days.

As you can see from these photographs, these signs bore the 'E' suffix. As already commented on with my previous post on Victorian road signs prior to 1866, road signs in East London bore the 'NE' suffix.
on this subject, Wikepedia makes this comment:

"The original NE district created in 1858 was in North East London, but this was abolished in 1866; parts were transferred to the N and E districts, while others were removed from the London postal district altogether."

Source: Wikepedia -- NE Postcode

Regarding the E suffix, Wikepedia continues:

"The current E postcode area was originally formed in 1866 as a merger of the E and NE areas created in 1858. In 1917 the postal districts were numbered alphabetically by their location;^[3] the districts usually cover a wider area than their names might suggest. As of 2004, the district names do not form part of the postal address.^[2] Due to high demand, sector 9 of the E1 postcode district was split and recoded in 1999 to create an E1W postcode district around Wapping;^[4] the rest of the district did not gain an additional character. Where districts are used for purposes other than the sorting of mail, such as use as a geographic reference and on street signs, E1 and E1W continue to be classed as one 'district'. The E postcode area contains two non-geographic postcode districts for high-volume business users, E77 and E98.^[5]"

Source: Wikepedia -- E Postcode

A road sign seems very inconspicuous, or very easily missed when going about our daily life, but if you're a history fan like me, sometimes it's worth-while stopping and taking stock of our surroundings. Especially if we're visiting or touring London.

If you want to check out these particular signs for yourself, head on down to the Brick Lane area in East London (a short walk from Aldgate and Liverpool street stations -- A walk I heartily recommend) and see them for yourself. The area is a treasure trove of old buildings and streets dating back not only to the Victorian era but to the Georgian era too!

Until next time.....

Steam train service out of London

2011-01-02T22:46:00.000+00:00

Bittern class Mayflower

On September 11th last year at around 10:00 pm, I was standing on platform one at London Paddington station shivering.

No, I wasn't catching a train........... I wasn't waiting for anyone....
.................. I was just waiting for a train......

No, not just any train. I was waiting for a steam train. In fact, this particular train was late (not surprisingly given the usual mainline train 'track-record.'); it was due to arrive about an hour earlier. But given that this train had just travelled over 400 miles round-trip from Plymouth over Britain's modern rail-tracks (presumably giving way to the regular services, taking on water, etc -- but don't quote me), I think we can forgive this particular service.

Now, why am I talking about steam trains in this blog?
Well, for one thing, as probably noted already in this blog, I am totally fanatical about history and historical things from the past; and this train fits the bill. Plus, the train has departed and arrived in one of London's busiest rail terminals.

1st Class Carriage

why should this interest you?
Well..... did you know that there are chartered steam services running from London throughout the year?
Until late last year, I didn't even know.
Not only in London, but throughout the United Kingdom. Chartered steam trains also call on major cities up and down Britain's mailine rail system.
This particular train on the 11th called on the following stations:

London Paddington
Slough
Reading
Newbury
Plymouth

.... And back again after it's Passengers spent the day at Plymouth.

If you are interested in rail tours for 2011 (it's a new year and a new brochure!), you can book mainline steam tours via "The Railway touring Company".

You won't be disappointed!

See you onboard!.......

Until next time!..............

The Last Gate

2010-12-26T19:04:00.001+00:00

Temple Bar Gate --- Paternoster Square in background

At one time, London was surrounded by high walls, a testament to it's stature of a historic prized city worthy of protection and defence. London was a City of monarchs, a seat of Government. From the Romans to the Georgians, London was fortified, intersected by impressive city Gates.

Today, all we can see are remnants of the old walls (in fact, you can even see Roman wall ruins), and no city gates except one, survive.

Temple Bar --- inside Gate, towards St. Paul's Cathedral

Today, I want to talk about the last gate, Temple Bar. Today, Temple Bar survives in a new location in London, in paternoster Square. Paternoster square underwent a major refurbishment in 2003 and now Temple Bar, the last surviving gate in London serves as the entranceway to this square from St. Paul's Cathedral.

If you are visiting London, be sure to check this gate out. I will be adding more information about this gate and the square in due course, including it's history and more pictures.

Until then..... stay tuned!

Until next time.......

Links to more information:-

>Temple Bar --- Wikepedia

Miniature London

2010-11-30T20:48:00.002+00:00

Miniature London
Originally uploaded by RichardBlogger2010

Recently, I've had a temporary volunteer job just off Brick Lane in East London; and so I've regularly passed through Spitalfields to either go for lunch or to take the bus home after work.

I really enjoy the walk as I see the changes in architecture as you leave the Brick Lane area (Victorian, Georgian buildings) and enter the City boundaries (modern corporate type architecture and offices).

In Spitalfields, there is a sculpture done in concrete on permanent display, and I really like it. And so, i've taken a picture of it and dressed it up a little.

If you want to find this sculpture or even, explore the Spitalfields market, you will find this off Bishopsgate, just up the road from Liverpool Street Station. Enjoy!

Until next time....

Entertain yourselve at Covent Garden!

2010-10-05T21:33:00.001+01:00

Using one of the brilliant apps freely available for the iPhone and the IPod Touch, and with the aid of apple's free wireless, I am writing this blog while sitting on the curb at Covent Garden. As I write, I'm listening to live music at 9:30 pm from an excellent singer with a guitar. He's drawing a large appreciative applause from the top balcony of the Punch and Judy. Covent Garden is well worth a visit at any time. There's always entertainers, always something to keep you entertained. But at night.... There's live music. Well, at least at the times I've visited. At night, the atmosphere is relaxed and calming. Just what you need in the recession when you're feeling low. The singer is just now singing his last tune of the night... Until next time..... Stay tuned. More at Through the eyes of a Londoner (Blog)

Goodge street

2010-09-20T15:55:00.001+01:00

Goodge street (Print B)
Originally uploaded by RichardBlogger2010

Hi all,

I just had to write something today as it has been too long since my last post.

Here is a picture of Goodge Street heading West towards Mortimer Street in Central London. Goodge Street is located roughly between Euston Road and Oxford Street / Tottenham Court Road.

All IT enthusisasts, or those interested in electronic gadgets will find plenty to see in this area.

Stay tuned.......

About "Through the eyes of a Londoner"

2010-08-28T13:17:00.003+01:00

Hi all, I just wanted to write a quick note outlining the main objectives of this blog.
Basically, this is a blog about London through my eyes. I've lived in London all my life, walked the back streets, seen the hidden corners, discovered the hidden gems that the average visitor (or even resident) have never seen or even noticed.

This is a blog for Londoners and tourists alike (of particular value to tourists) as it is packed to the rafters with valuable, interesting, fascinating and exciting material. Throughout, I literally link to any resources that have a bearing on the posts that I've written, and also cross link my previous posts that have a bearing on what I've written. That way, you get as much information as you want and deserve in that particular subject.

Throughout, you'll notice some photographs that I've taken (and indeed, purchasable prints are available). All photographs featured are of London and are London related.

Finally, let me finish by welcoming you to this blog, and to extend an open invitation to come again. This project has certainly proved to be an exciting one for me, and should prove to be a project that would continue for quite some time as literally, London is so big and so full of hidden gems at every corner that I'm sure this blog could continue for some years to come.

Please be assured, this blog is regularly updated several times a week at least.

Got an idea or place in London that needs researching? contact me.

Queensway

2010-08-28T00:04:00.006+01:00

Queensway
Originally uploaded by RichardBlogger2010

This is one of my favourite station interiors on the tube. Recently refurbished. The light, subtle shades, reflections and dark paint really do work well together.

I always use this station to frequent the local queensway computer fair (open all week) and so have noticed the improvement that came with this refurbishment.

Visitors to London will certainly appreciate nearby Kensington Gardens; which is directly across the road from this station.

If you like this picture, prints are available via Redbubble (available for sale as Greeting cards, Matted prints, Laminated prints, Mounted prints, Canvas prints and Framed prints).

The Gherkin

2010-08-25T21:32:00.004+01:00

The Gherkin
Originally uploaded by RichardBlogger2010

Taken last Thursday as I passed through Devonshire Square, EC1.

I enthusiastically reccomend anyone visiting London to explore this area (immediatly to the east of Liverpool Street and Bishopsgate) as it has a lot of modern and Victorian / Georgian architecture. Some buildings are Victorian or Georgian in origin but have been refurbished.

Well worth a visit.

If you're interested, You may purchase this picture via Redbubble.

Sunrise over Victoria Park

2010-08-23T23:14:00.006+01:00

Sunrise over Victoria Park
Originally uploaded by RichardBlogger2010

I thought that you would like a shot of Victoria Park in the early morning light. Not only was it a nice view to be had, but the fresh early morning air was a close second.

For those who are visiting London, Victoria Park is one of the places to go. I will talk more on the reasons why at a later date. Stay tuned.

You may purchase this picture via Redbubble

Homeward Bound

2010-08-21T22:15:00.003+01:00

Homeward Bound
Originally uploaded by RichardBlogger2010

Back in May 2006, I was doing my regular commuting stint from Croydon into Central London and decided to capture this shot from out of my window.

I quite like how it turned out as it captures the atmosphere and tension of the rush hour period.

Fancy a free lunch?

2010-08-21T20:57:00.002+01:00

According to the Londonist, you can come along to the Polo bar, Bishopsgate (176 Bishopsgate, EC2M 4NQ) for a free Bacon roll!

From 7.30am Thursday 2nd September to 7.30am Friday 3rd September 2010.

Check the link bellow for more information.

24 Hours of Free Bacon Rolls at One of London's Oldest Caffs - Londonist

Unearthing the past: Rediscovering Victoria Park Station

2010-08-17T22:28:00.001+01:00

It always amazes me what I find when I look more closely at the old buildings, viaducts, bridges, roads and places that literally dot and saturate London.

For example, we take for granted the North London line (now London overground from Richmond to Stratford), and yet there's so much that was a part of that railway that now is lost to time and redevelopment.

The London overground line (previously the North London line) used to be part of a much bigger railway of Victorian invention and initiative. This was way before the UK railways came under Government control. Back in Victorian times, they built railways everywhere.

But now, what's left of them can be seen in old buildings and perhaps signs, stairs and walls.

I've managed to unearth an excellent site with full pictures and history of these disused stations and lines that at the very least, can be seen online.

It's clear that much time and attention has been given to this project and I've read with fascination things that I've walked past but never knew was there!

Here's an article about Victoria Park station: "Disused railway stations: Victoria Park

I hope to have more to share about this station later. Stay tuned.

Related posts

>

Victorian Road signs circa pre 1866

2010-08-13T13:33:00.010+01:00

Where I live, in Hackney East London, for some time I used to pass by this old sign in Cassland Road (E9 postcode). For a while, I never really took note of it just noting that it appeared quite old.

It was only in March of this year that I really wanted to know just how old this sign really was. So I dug around came across these sites in Wikedia (London Postal District" - Wikepedia, "N.E Postcode area" - Wikepedia).

I was actually rather fascinated at the age of the sign (and there are more dotted around the East End! just look up from time to time). Apparently, according to Wikepedia, the postcode came into use around 1856 till 1866 when the area was merged with the 'e' postcode (look around Brick Lane, and you will still see the 'E' suffix signs still up). London at that time, got so big that they had to portion london up into different postal codes instead of having one big system as you would for a town at that time.

This is really an interesting piece of postal history and a relic of the time.

Check back often, as I will be adding more images of signs from this time period.

Related sites:

Broad Street - Dalston BR

2010-08-10T22:08:00.007+01:00

Further to my recent post, I've just seen this article while googling. For the history enthusiasts among us, this is well worth a read. Especially after my last post!

Related Sites

> "Abandoned Stations:" Broad street.

Dalston to Broad Street (What there was before the overground extension)

2010-08-10T21:54:00.008+01:00

While travelling on London overground from Dalston Junction to Whitechapel last week, I overheared a conversation between two people who sat opposite me. As we all know, the stretch of the line between dalston Junction and just before Shoreditch High Street was closed for quite some time (the line used to stretch from Dalston Junction to Broad Street (Terminal next to London Liverpool Street station).

Now this guy was quite excited and animated about the new line (I share his sentiments) and he could see that the line was built over the old line and he wondered what was there before it. His partner didn't know. I had a dig around youtube and found an old clip dating from the late 1970's of the route from the driver's cab. I thought that I'd share it with you here (hope you don't mind the music --- Looks like it was from an old radio station).

Anytime you take a ride on the overground, look out for remnants of the old line!

Related posts:

>Through the Eyes of a Londoner: Broad Street - Dalston BR

Welcome to London!

2010-04-13T23:00:00.008+01:00

Hey all,

Just a quick welcome note as this is the first post of what I hope would be a long and successful blog.

London holds a special place in my heart, purely for the reason that I was born, raised and grew up in this city. I have travelled through virtually every corner of this huge city, had a passion for it's mass transit systems and been totally enthralled by its rich history; still seen in the form of antiquated buildings dotted about.

So if you're a tourist, someone interested in history, or a person who takes an interest in the city in general, this is the blog for you. On a regular basis, as I go about my daily life, I will be taking pictures, discussing the history, culture, places to visit, everything.

If you have pictures that you've taken, perhaps of an old building, an old sign, etc and would like information on what you've taken, feel free to send a copy to me and i'll dig up some information for you or relate personal experience on that particular area or building in this blog.

Stay tuned for more posts....