london diary

june page 1 (1-16 june)

june page 2 (17-30 june)

i don't quite understand the connection between driving around 30 sheep from the pen that had housed them overnight at southwark cathedral to smithfield market, but it was certainly a good publicity stunt, and marked a part of a cross-section through the architecture of london that the event highlights. it also celbrated the 800 year old inalienable right of freemen of the city to drive their sheep from southwark to the city.

there were a few obvious jokes about architects and sheep - woolly thinking, following the flock and more in that ilk. the sheep actually seemed to enjoy it (so far as you can tell from sheep) and showed no signs of distress. unlike the salvation army, who had sadly withdrawn their band who were to play outside their hq following telphone threats which called the drive "the work of the devil". possibly what caused the sheep most distress where the strident shouts of some of the animal rights protestors. although i'm opposed to cruelty to animals, here the sheep were being treated well, by people who so obviously cared for them. you can't be a successful sheep farmer without having a feeling for and and understanding of them and a dedication to care for them.

i don't think the sight of the butchers in their guild dress will have upset them either, and although they were thirsty by the time they got to smithfield, there they had water and a good rest before being driven back to graze on the fells.

it certainly attracted a great number of people, and perhaps could have benefitted from a little more thought by organisers and police in how to control them, particularly around the millennium bridge and st pauls. i would certainly have welcomed being asked to show my press card to get on to the bridge. working with other photographers can be tricky, and we all sometimes inadvertantly get in each other's way, but there is a certain etiquette and awareness of what is going on.

time after time when i was taking a shot someone would barge in front of me, thrusting their cameraphone out at arms length. whenever i responded to the requests of the shepherds for more space, two others would rush in front of me.

despite all this i managed to get a few pictures. and even if someone did rudely rush in with their phone for the cutting of the tape, i think in this case it may even improve the picture.

i took a short walk around bartholomew fair, where a lot of people seemed to be enjoying themselves, before heading north on the architecture trail to clerkenwell green. the whole walk is a fascinating experience at any time if you look at the buildings around you, and it is worth downloading the map. of course there was a little more to see in architecture week. most of the buildings of interest (and quite a few more) are among those i photographed in my years of wandering around the city, although some have changed a little since i photographed them. one day i'll put more of that work on line.
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one of london's more colourful annual events is the rathayatra or chariot festival organised by the hare krishna movement. the three chariots carry representations of three deities, lord jagannatha (krishna, the lord of the universe), lady subhadra and lord balarama, and pulling the ropes grants eternal service at the end of life in the spirtual world.

the ceremony dates back around 5000 years in the ancient holy city of jagannath puri in orissa, india, but was only established in london rather more recently in 1969.

the chariots are accompanied by musicians and dancers, and there is free food for all at trafalgar square where the procession ends. this year's festival also celebrated the 108th anniversary of the birth of a.c. bhaktivedanta swami prabhupada (1896-1977), who in 1966 founded the hare krishna movement.
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i called in briefly at the west london green festivl at parson's green on my way to new malden, but there didn't seem to be much happening there. the skate rollerstroll called in briefly, but didn't stop for long.
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i was on my way to new malden, where i met up with paul to go and photograph korean supporters watching the korea v france match at one of the local pubs. both inside the pub and in the garden were a whole lot of large screens, with koreans coming to watch the game.

we got there quite a while before the start when everyone was just starting to get into the mood. soon we both had red and blue stripes painted on our faces. it was very much a community event, with everyone enjoying themselves, and emotions obviously ran high once the game had started.

along with the hundreds of koreans there were a few non-korean locals, and one french woman with a france t-shirt. i talked to her briefly before the game began, but couldn't find here later when I went to take some photographs in the crowd. so everyone in the pictures is a korea support.

when i left, a few minutes into the second half, korea were trailing 1-0. i missed the equaliser, and the after-match celebrations when the high street was full of koreans celebrating the draw.
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on wednesday 21st i took the DLR to stations in silvertown, taking pictures from the train, the platforms and around the stations. then i went to stratford to make more pictures there.
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I can't remember what I was doing on Saturday 25th June, but I managed to take pictures in Finchley, around Kings Cross and St Pancras, at a festival in Greenwich and on the Isle of Dogs.
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I think all of these pictures made on Sunday 26th June are probably in Hammersmith or Chiswick, but I can't recognise all of the locations
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some of my work gets put into nice organised websites.

this isn't meant to be like that, but you can see some of the rest at

london pictures
londons industrial history

and you can read what I think about photography at

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