onionbagblog

St Giles High Street, WC2H, The Way We See It.

“We’re off to slap bang central London this week for St.Giles High Street. Named after the Palladian styled Anglican church (and a lovely church it is too,) the road was somewhat truncated with the building of it’s most famous landmark, Centrepoint.

There’s been lots of building work going on around here and there are some new additions – somewhat incongruously coloured – but what would you expect from a street that gives you Centrepoint?”

“Something a little different for you this week. A church! We are heading slap bang into central Covent Garden for ‘The Actor’s Church’ – St.Paul’s. Built by non other than Inigo Jones, it was started in 1633 for the vast sum of £4,000.

There’s much of interest in it’s long history. Samuel Pepys noted in his diary about an “Italian puppet play,” which is believed to be the very first Punch and Judy show. And from the sublime to the ridiculous, in 2002, Gwen Stefani was married here!

You’re more than welcome to include shots of the interior of the church (I’m not 100% certain whether you are allowed though, so you might want to ask someone,) but for me the real jewel are the Church’s gardens. It’s many benches, all with dedications, some to famous people, some to not so famous people, but all fascinating.

The place is a real oasis in the bustle of Convent Garden. Enjoy!”

John Islip Street, SW1, The Way We See It.

“We’re off to one of those lovely London roads of contrast this week. John Islip Street is named after the Abbot of the monastery of Westminster at the time of Henry VIII. He’s famous for his many buildings there. The street itself doesn’t contain any of his work, but it does offer quite a vast range of buildings.

At the Pimlico end you get those typical smart, white Pimlico terraces; then we get the London Plane lined boulevard style which the Tate Britain backs onto. There’s a lovely little park here too. We then get all Peabody and following this, a bit ugly before the road mysteriously ends and becomes Dean Ryle Street (look out for this.)

There’s plenty of variety here, and I love how most people would walk along the Thames rather than this road. It makes it a bit more special, kind of undiscovered…”

Silk Street, EC2, The Way We See It.

“We’re not really heading to the location this week for the street in particular, rather it’s inhabitants. Silk Street is a bit of a back street, but it boasts the entrance to one of the most loved / hated of London’s architectural centerpieces – the Barbican Centre.

At some point we will actually visit here, but for now you’re stuck with shooting from the outside. But what choice you have – towers, golden statues, sweeping roadways. Of course it’s not just the Barbican – the Guildhall School of Music and Drama is here, and an old WWSI friend, Milton Court.

There’s plenty to see and usually there’s a bit of bustle going on around the entrance. It’s one of these places that you might find totally uninspiring to start with, but have a nosey and you’ll find plenty to shoot.”

St Martin’s Court, WC2, The Way We See It.

“We’re off to a little alleyway that has some rather grand inhabitants this week. St.Martin’s Court runs between Charing Cross Road and St.Martin’s Lane. The short run manages to pack in two theatres, two pubs and a rather lovely restaurant.

The pubs couldn’t be more different, although I seemed to have passed a rather large amount of my time in both – The Salisbury at the St.Martin’s Lane end is a great, grand old London pub; The Round Table is more of a dirty old chain, but manages to have the feel of a real local.

The two theatres are the Wyndhams and the Noel Coward.”

Southampton Row, WC1, The Way We See It.

“We might have done a part of this road by accident already this week. Southampton Row runs from Russell Square down as far as Holborn. I’ve long thought that Kingsway went all the way up to the junction of Theobalds Road, but how wrong I was!

It’s a road of such varied architecture it’s quite amazing. Just raise your head and you will see such variety. It contains the Cochrane Theatre and the Central School of Arts.

My favourite place, however, is Falkiner Fine Papers, one of those incredible shops that you would just walk past if you weren’t looking . Inside it’s a treasury of not only paper, but everything you would ever want for bookbinding.

The street is nearly always thronging with locals, students and tourists – a crazy mix.”

“We’re off to a street this week which looks like it needs a really good scrub. This is strange, given that one of London’s most celebrated restaurants lies here. West Street is home to The Ivy, the choice eatery of all luvies.

It’s not all high class though. The street is pretty run down in other areas, but still manages to pack in John Wesley’s first West End Methodist Chapel, and two theatres. The St Martin’s Theatre is home to that London tourist haven that is Agatha Christies Mousetrap, the longest running play in the history of the West End.

There’s such a range of architecture, people and feelings in this street. It’s what I like to think of as typical London.