I love the London Underground. The map, the posters, the slightly unnerving feeling that the Central Line train is coming into the station a little bit too fast and the relief that no one has thrown themselves on the tracks. My love for the network is not sullied by having to use it all the time – I don’t use the Tube to get to work. […]
Monthly Archives: August 2012
Throughout the Second World War, the British Isles were on the front line. Its cities were pulverised – first by the relentless bombing of the Blitz and then, just as victory seemed within grasp, by V-1 and V-2 rockets. Of all the complaints made by a war-weary population, food rationing aroused the bitterest resentment. The public accepted the need for restrictions – approximately 70% of the […]
Coronation chicken
Over the summer images of Greenwich have been broadcast around the world. During the Olympic Games, Greenwich Park provided a stunning backdrop to the equestrian events. The towers of Canary Wharf made for a startlingly urban juxtaposition to the trees and grass of the park. Greenwich boasts many jewels such as the Royal Observatory, the Royal Naval College and Queen Anne’s House, but my favourite Greenwich […]
Weel done, Cutty-sark!
London’s St James’s Park is one of the capital’s most popular and iconic open spaces. It forms the backdrop to stunning views of Parliament to the east and Buckingham Palace to the west. Weeping willows brush gently against the waters of the ornate lakes that glisten between pristine lawns and sumptuous beds. For a long time the park formed the central expanse of the private gardens […]
The price of privacy
Stephen Irvine, 15 August 2012 This week I ask you, dear readers, to bear in mind the simple, well established refrain that applies to most aspects of life on this wretched rock of ours; ‘what goes up must come down.’ That may sound like teaching your granny to suck eggs, and the example set by luminaries from Leslie Grantham, Prince Naseem Hamed and Gary Glitter through […]