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Wednesday, November 30, 2011

First Female Tube Driver passes away

Hannah Dadds, the first female Tube driver on London Underground (LU), passed away on 26th November 2011, aged 70, following a long period of illness.

Opening of LTMs exhibition The Right Heels for the Job by London Transport Museum

Opening of London Transport Museum’s exhibition, ‘The Right Heels for the Job’ c1995

Born in the East End of London on 16th October 1941, Hannah originally started out as a ‘railwoman’ in 1969 and went on to work as a ticket collector and guard. In 1978  after a period of training & much ribbing from her male counterparts, she became a Tube driver on the District line. She was later joined by her sister Edna and together they formed the first all women crew on the Underground. I blogged about her pioneering story on International Women's Day last year which proved to be an inspiration to many people.



Hannah left LU in 1993 but her legacy continued and in 2004 she was invited to one of the Queen’s Women of Achievement lunches.

Howard Collins, Chief Operating Officer at London Underground, said: “Hannah Dadds changed the working life of women on the Tube, and the way in which many people viewed Tube drivers.

“I had the great privilege of working with Hannah and her sister in the 1980s, they were a great team, positive and enthusiastic about their role and their pioneering responsibility. She was an esteemed member of our workforce and my condolences go out to her family.”

Hannah is sadly missed by her family, friends and ex-colleagues at London Underground.

Related Post
The Tube's first female driver


; Posted by annie mole Wednesday, November 30, 2011 Permalink COMMENT HERE
http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2011/11/first-female-tube-driver-passes-away.html

Walking London's Lost Underground & Railway Stations: Do Not Alight Here

Ben Pedroche has written a lovely walking guide book for London for anyone with an interest in the Tube, old buildings, urban exploring and London's history.
Do Not Alight Here has 12 walking routes, each journey takes the reader past disused & derelict Tube and train stations, hidden structures, abandoned tunnels and lots more.

Down Street Tube (closed) by OliverN5


Ben also maps out a series of Tube journeys that show what can be seen through the darkness of the tunnels, and a series of London's train journeys for a look at trackside remains of many stations covered in the walks.

Ben said "It's been something of a labour of love for me, with months of research
and travels around the city! I've made it a point right from the start to try and make it a subject that appeals to everyone - from the hardcore train specialist, to the keen urban explorer, Tube fanatic, casual reader and everyone in between. It's being published by Capital, who have a long list of successful titles about London's transport history
."



Most of the walks are illustrated with recently taken colour photographs. Highlights include a 2 hour walk starting at Green Park and finishing at West Brompton, taking in the remains of Down Street Tube station and bricked-up platforms on the Piccadilly Line that hid Cabinet War Rooms previously used by Churchill and covers Brompton Road Tube (pictured below).

Brompton Road Station Front by Annie Mole


Then there's the "not strictly abandoned but still a hidden gem" of 23/24 Leinster Gardens. A spot on the District & Circle line where in-between Bayswater & Paddington, there had been a cutting made underneath some houses. During construction, two houses had been taken down to allow the cut & cover tunnel to be built beneath, and a false house front had been put back in its place so as to disguise it.

Train at Leinster Gardens


Going to see the Leinster Gardens themselves may be a bit disappointing as it's just a fake house front. But if you go round a corner you can hear the distinctive rattle of a C-stock type train from somewhere down below. If you're tall enough you can peep over the wall and get a picture of the trains going past.

He also covers the Necropolis Railway Station (something I recently blogged about for Completely London in a post on London's Secret Memorials).

Westminster Bridge Road Station by R~P~M

Brookwood cemetary is outside of London in Woking but is notable for having a private railway running through it. From 1854 - 1947 it would carry both coffins and mourners, by the London & South Western Railway, to a private Necropolis Terminus just outside of Waterloo Station between York Street and Westminster Bridge Road.

Do Not Alight Here is released on December 5th 2011 but can be pre-ordered on Amazon.  Also , to mark the launch of his book, Ben will be holding a book signing at London Transport Museum on Saturday 3rd December 2011 from 2pm - 4pm.  For more on Ben & his book, there's a Facebook page which covers his interest in London's Lost Tube & Railway stations.

You might also like
Walking the London Underground, Overground - Walk The Lines
Aldwych Underground Station Tours - November & December 2011
Aldwych Tube Station - Blitz Tour
Photos of Ghost Tube Station Brompton Road Tour
Old Tube stations could be Re-Opened
Houses near the London Underground - Leinster Gardens on TV
Alastair Campbell, Peter Mandelson & Down Street


; Posted by annie mole Wednesday, November 30, 2011 Permalink COMMENT HERE
http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2011/11/walking-londons-lost-underground.html

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Battersea Tube Extension Plans - Backing Expected by Osborne

Today's Treasury's Autumn Statement is expected to back the extension of the Northern Line to Battersea as part of a £30bn investment plan.

Approval to
build two new London Underground stations on the Northern Line as part of a £5.5bn revamp of Battersea power station was backed by the mayor, last year.


It's part of a multi-billion-pound programme of funding  designed to "get Britain's economy moving". Along with the Tube stations will come a redevelopment of Battersea Power Station, which will include shops, office space and leisure facilities. It's expected this will create 25,000 jobs and 16,000 homes.


Battersea Power Station and Plane


The BBC report that "The landmark will be restored to generate green energy in the future, but its chimneys will be demolished and rebuilt, as they are "beyond repair". The Grade II listed building opened in 1933 and generated power until 1983."

Battersea Power Station Model and EcoDome


The pictures above are from a walking tour of Battersea Power Station I did back in July 2008 when the plans were only just being formulated.

Amazing to see that this now looks likely to be completed by 2016.

Related Posts
Northern Line Extension to Battersea - Have Your Say
New Tube stations planned with new Battersea Power Station
Battersea Power Station Tour & Tube Plans


; Posted by annie mole Tuesday, November 29, 2011 Permalink COMMENT HERE
http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2011/11/battersea-tube-extension-plans-backing.html

Sunday, November 27, 2011

Aldwych Underground Station Tours - November & December 2011

Well done if you managed to get tickets to London Transport Museum's
Tube station tours of closed London Underground station Aldwych which sold out within a few days of going on sale. Such is people's interest & passion for discovering more of hidden London right now, it bodes well for projects like Ajit Chamber's Old London Underground Company which, in consultations with the Mayor of London & TfL, is attempting to re-open closed Tube stations like Old Brompton Road for tours.

IanVisits was one of the first people to go on the new round of Aldwych Tours which started on Friday 25th November and run until Sunday 27th November.  Visits from Friday 2nd December to Sunday 4th December are also sold out.

Original Strand tiling under posters. by IanVisits

His full set of pictures are on Flickr He said of Aldwych "Although only closed in 1994, it holds a special fascination for most people as it is still visible above ground, and even when open was hardly ever used so even the heaviest of tube travellers are unlikely to have been there.

It is also one of those stations that has a dual hidden history, as even when open, only one of two platforms was in use – so you have one old platform, and one even older one
."

Other photographs from pencefn show a view looking south at the Eastern platform and the disused lift shaft.

Eastern platform by pencefn


Bottom of the centre lift shaft by pencefn

Alan Perryman's pictures show the popularity of the tours and some of the beautiful old posters still preserved the Tube station walls


100_0140 by Alan Perryman

100_0128 by Alan Perryman

More old Posters at Aldwych can be seen on Minifig's set of pictures


Posters by minifig


And at Copwatchers set

100_2265 by copwatcher

Even the less well preserved posters have a sense of mystery & fascination


100_2285 by copwatchet

Have fun if you are going along today and next weekend.

Through Londonist I discovered a great video of the loast day that Aldwych was in operation back in 1994 "Watch about 40 seconds in as the station attendant casually drops down onto the tracks and clambers all over one of the rails."


More old London Transport videos can be found on Fred Ivey's YouTube Channel

You can keep up to date with The Old London Underground's progress and activities by following them on Twitter @oldunderground, subscribing to  their blog or liking their Facebook page.

You might also like
Aldwych Tube Station - Blitz Tour
Photos of Ghost Tube Station Brompton Road Tour
Old Tube stations could be Re-Opened 
Old Posters found at Richmond Station
Guided Tours of Tube Poster Artists at Museum Depot Acton 


; Posted by annie mole Sunday, November 27, 2011 Permalink COMMENT HERE
http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2011/11/aldwych-underground-station-tours.html

Saturday, November 26, 2011

Cally Road Tube artist for Remembrance Day

Remembrance Day was a couple of weeks back, but just received an email from
Sara Coutinho who took  this shot of Kim, the lovely station assistant at Caledonian Road London Underground Station who draws brilliant works on announcement boards.

Caledonian Tube Artist Kim for Remembrance Day

Sara said "Not sure if you have seen the latest work of Kim Lynch, was at Cally Road recently and thought this one was awesome. The theme is the Remembrance day and the drawing is quite detailed."

Really beautiful.

You might also like
Tube Staff that make you smile
Caledonian Road Tube Artist
Cally Road Tube Artist Inspires Song
Artists working on London Underground stage Second exhibition


; Posted by annie mole Saturday, November 26, 2011 Permalink COMMENT HERE
http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2011/11/cally-road-tube-artist-for-remembrance.html

Thursday, November 24, 2011

Katherine Jenkins Busking on the Tube

Operatic star Katherine Jenkins went busking in disguise at Leicester Square London Underground Station on Tuesday (22nd November) and managed to make £10 in the process.


The operatic 'diva' and star of last year's Christmas Dr Who special, dressed down in a brown wig, knitted jumper with holes in, ripped jeans and boots. She spent 45 minutes at Leicester Square Tube, performing some of her biggest hits including Time To Say Goodbye.

Beforehand she said to
The Evening Standard: "It's a really fun concept and it will be really interesting, but it is probably the gig I've done that's most out of my control. I have no idea how people will respond and most people on the Tube are so in their own world anyway that I don't know if people will respond."

"I get on public transport now and again, I mostly drive though. But I used to get the Tube when I was studying so I know what's it's all about. I always listen to buskers, but I've never busked before."

"We're trying to do something that's so far removed, I've always been quite a glamour girl. I really like my outfit but I've never performed in flat shoes and I'm normally in full on evening dress."

Afterwards, Katherine said: "I was really, really enjoying myself. On the initial first note I thought, ‘Oh God, I don’t know how this is going to work out. It was quite an operatic number and I wasn’t sure how it would be received.


"But by the second number commuters were stopping and some were moved to tears. The people were really lovely. One guy said I had made him late for work."

Katherine plans to donate the money she raised to a ­homeless charity, added: "It has got a great acoustic down there. I actually didn’t want it to end."

Did you see her perform on Tuesday? It's pretty clear from the video that the disguise didn't work and everyone recognised her. She even managed the amazing feat of actually getting people to pay attention to her on the Tube and not walk by as though having a superstar opera singer on the London Underground was an everyday occurance.

You might also like
Rihanna on the Tube
Cally Road Tube Artist Inspires Song
What's going to happen to Tube buskers?
Queen of the Underground is Queen of the Underground


; Posted by annie mole Thursday, November 24, 2011 Permalink COMMENT HERE
http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2011/11/katherine-jenkins-busking-on-tube.html

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Tottenham Court Road Tube VIDEO - Northern Line Re-opens soon

TfL are gearing up to re-open the Northern line at Tottenham Court Road (TCR) on Monday 28th November after a final closure this weekend. They've produced a video of photos which give people an exclusive behind-the-scenes peek at the work on the Northern line platforms at TCR station over the past few months.


From the pictures you can see the huge scale of the engineering being carried out behind hoardings just inches away from passing trains.

When the platforms closed in
April 2011, more than 100 people were working around the clock to complete the works, which involved the removal of 800 tonnes of cast iron segments from the tunnel lining and the installation of more than 1,000 tonnes of new steel tunnel sections.

A full station upgrade which will transform the station by 2016 with increased capacity, new entrances and step free access.

David Waboso, Capital Programmes Director, said: 'We would like to thank passengers for their patience whilst the Northern line platforms have been closed.

'There is still further work to be done behind the scenes at the station and passengers will notice that the platforms only have a temporary render finish on the walls.

'Our priority has been to reopen the platforms as soon as the heavy civil engineering works were completed and they could be used safely by customers.

'As works to upgrade the station continue, we ask passengers to continue to bear with us
.'

Will be good to see it finally open again and will be very interesting to see what it looks like when fully upgraded in 2016.


; Posted by annie mole Wednesday, November 23, 2011 Permalink COMMENT HERE
http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2011/11/tottenham-court-road-tube-video.html

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

London Underground Poster Diary 2012

Was lucky to receive a lovely email asking if I wanted to see a copy of a
London Underground Poster Diary for 2012 focussing on Tube posters from the 1930's. As I'd already planned to go on London Transport Museum's Guided Tour of their Tube poster archive, this wasn't a question that needed much thought.

London Underground Poster Diary 2012

I'm very old school when it comes to diaries and use a fairly chunky Filofax, but I think this is the year when it will be finally be consigned to the drawer marked "you are no longer in the eighties, this is the 21st century".

Here's what the diaries publishers - Frances Lincoln had to say "London Underground is renowned for its poster archive and the Tube has become 'London's longest art gallery'. Historically these eye-catching posters enticed prospective travellers indirectly by focusing on the destination rather than the mode of travel and as the Underground expanded so did its potential destinations - from the inner city, through suburbia and beyond to the rolling countryside. The London Underground Diary 2012 focuses on posters from the 1930s - these are bolder, brighter and more adventurous than those of the 1920s and their imagery varies from traditional naturalistic scenes to more radical geometric and even abstract interpretations of a subject."

The diary is nicely themed so that the posters largely match the seasons in the months they relate to. This goes to show how London Underground posters themselves were produced to encourage travel around seasonal activities.

Blackberry Time - September - London Underground Poster Diary 2012

The diary also features some fun Tube facts and trivia - so you could set up an impromptu London Underground Pub Quiz if you liked.


Boat Race - London Underground Poster Diary 2012

Lord Mayors Show - London Underground Diary 2012

Under the leadership of Frank Pick, the London Underground were well known for getting famous contemporary designers & artists to produce posters. The diary features work by Abram Games, Fred Taylor, Walter Spadbery, Austin Cooper, Laura Knight, Charles Pears (pictured below), Paul Nash and Man Ray. It also includes early work by up and coming artists such as Edward McKnight Kauffer and Graham Sutherland before they were famous.

The Student - London Underground Poster Diary 2012

If you love the 1930's, art-deco, Poirot, pre-second World War period or just the London Underground in general, this really is a great diary.  It normally retails at £12.99 but you can currently buy it on amazon for £7.66.

You might also like
Old Posters found at Richmond Station
Sense & The City Photographic Display - Call for Entries - London Transport Museum
100 Years of Iconic Tube Posters
Abram Games - London Transport Museum Event
Guided Tours of Tube Poster Artists at Museum Depot Acton


; Posted by annie mole Tuesday, November 22, 2011 Permalink COMMENT HERE
http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2011/11/london-underground-poster-diary-2012.html

Monday, November 21, 2011

Tube Memorials & London Remembers Re-launch

Last week I was very kindly invited to a party for the re-launch of the
London Remembers website. Quite simply it aims to capture, online, all of London's memorials. The new site has been developed by the guys behind Londonist's site & its editor Matt Brown gave an introduction to the site & how he met Richenda, the lady that runs the project.

Matt from Londonist at London Remembers Site Re-Launch Richenda from London Remembers

I'm a bit of a fan of blue plaques and memorials, so was pleased to see the site was easy to navigate and really liked the "On this day" section and "Puzzle Corner" - both a good inspiration for blog posts & pub quizzes.

It was good to see the memorial for the people who died at Bethnal Green Tube station in the worst civilian disaster of the second world war & the commuters who lost their lives in the King's Cross Tube fire in 1987 and a blue plaque for Frank Pick, London Underground's MD in 1928, who was responsible for commissioning the Tube's classic Johnston font and the man behind much of design we admire so much today - including the Tube Posters where his eye for up & coming artists meant that people like Abram Games, Man Ray, John Nash, Paul Nash & Edward McKnight Kauffer produced some outstanding Tube artworks.

However, it is lacking some other major London Underground Memorials & as Richenda insists on taking all the photographs herself, when I was chatting to her, I nerdily pointed out that she needs to add the following:

The London Bombings Monument in Hyde Park for the 52 people who lost their lives on July 7th 2005


Monument in Hyde Park to the Victims of the London Bombings on July 7 by The Londoneer

Harry Beck - London Underground Tube Map designer who lived in Finchley & died on 18 September 1974 - he also has a plaque at Finchley Central Tube station

Harry Beck blue plaque sleepymyf



There are a number of memorials for Alfred Hitchcock on London Remembers but the amazing mosiacs at Leytonstone Tube Station are missing. Hitchcock, was born in Leytonstone in the East End of London in 1899 and in 2001 a series of 17 mosaics illustrating his life and scenes from films were installed at the Tube Station there.

Hitchcock Leytonstone London Underground Mosaics - from ticket hall

I'm sure there are a lot of others which could be subject of another whole post and that's not including London railway memorials too.

Richenda has such great reasons as to why the memorials may be missing including "We have the memorial but have not yet published it on the website (known technically as a “back-log” and it’s too darn big). We have not yet searched that area. This applies to a lot of London, but we are working on it."

I wish her every success with the website and if I or she are missing any other Tube related memorials please let us know in the comments.


; Posted by annie mole Monday, November 21, 2011 Permalink COMMENT HERE
http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2011/11/tube-memorials-london-remembers-re.html

Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Tube MD hits back at Driverless Train Job Loss Figures

You may have seen reports from the RMT recently who are claiming that  TfL's plans to install
driverless trains will lead to the loss of 1,500 jobs and leave passengers with almost no staff on trains in an emergency.

Mike Brown, London Underground's MD, spoke to The Financial Times a few days ago to dispute the number.

I have no idea where they get that figure,” he said “A machine can never properly replace a person. I just need to be able to ensure that people are doing the right roles fit for the future not some role in a ticket office that sits more comfortably with the Railway Children film.”

Engineers at Kew Bridge Steam Museum
Steam trains fine as heritage but Railway Children image shouldn't apply to current staff

Mike Brown has been with London Underground for the past 20 years. He started working as a manager of a team of cleaners at Neasden depot in 1990, and made his way up the ranks to become chief operating officer. Brown left in 2008 to run Heathrow Airport but returned to London Underground last year to take the MD role.

Mayor Bloomberg with Mayor of London Boris Johnson and Mike Brown, chief executive of London underground at Westminster underground station. (Photo Credit: Chris Ratcliffe)
(Mike Brown on far left of photo - Photo Credit:
Chris Ratcliffe)

Brown admits that he faces a challenge convincing the Tube's 21,000 staff about the possible moves to driver-less trains but is adamant that the changes will not affect interaction with the public.

He claims it would not take much to upgrade the system now to driverless trains and added “what I’m not going to do, because it wouldn’t be the best way to spend public money, is to take a sledgehammer and start knocking down driver’s cabs on existing trains. And that is why this is about the train procurement after the one I am in at the moment.”

This implies that changes will come towards the end of the decade when work starts on upgrading the Piccadilly & Bakerloo Lines. But obviously there is still a lot of work to do before that with 70% of the network due to be modernised, leading to a 33% jump in capacity.

Look the technology does exist, Paris is running with a fully automatic line, line 14, and line 1 in Paris is being converted as we speak. I was in São Paulo a few weeks ago on a deep tube line that is fully automatic. I don’t believe [driverless trains] are less reliable, I don’t believe they are less safe.

When the Tube was first invented we had steam trains, we don’t have steam trains any more. Progress happens and nobody would believe me if I said there wasn’t the prospect of change in the future.”

Thomas Wicksteed  Engine 
We do have steam trains - just not in regular service!

What do you think? Do you think he's correct about it "not taking much" to upgrade the system, I've heard some people say the cost will be very high - would you like to see this reflected in your fares? Will the RMT have to come kicking and screaming into the 21st Century? Are we likely to face more strike threats as Brown's latest comments acknowledge that driverless Tube trains will happen reasonably soon?


; Posted by annie mole Wednesday, November 16, 2011 Permalink COMMENT HERE
http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2011/11/tube-md-hits-back-at-driverless-train.html

Monday, November 14, 2011

Guided Tours of Tube Poster Artists at Museum Depot Acton

Great news for all lovers of London Underground posters & art. London Transport Musuem are running
guided tours of their collection at the Museum's Depot in Acton from this Saturday 19th November, with a Q & A session afterwards.

It is warmer down below - London Transport Museum

The Art of the Poster - London Transport Museum

They said: "Over 100 years ago Frank Pick commissioned the first graphic poster (No need to ask a P’liceman, by John Hassall, 1908) for London Underground. Under his guidance London Transport went on to commission works from some of the world’s best known artists including Man Ray, Abram Games and Edward McKnight Kauffer some of which will be seen during the tour. 
Abram Games Poster
Some are also on display in the Museum, Covent Garden. In groups no larger than 15, visitors will be guided through a century of art and design. Tours last approximately 75 minutes.


Museum (depot) by darquati
Museum (depot) by darquati

There are two tours each day, with the first starting at 11:00 and the second at 13:00.

Saturday 19 November 2011
Saturday 28 January 2012
Saturday 28 April 2012
Saturday 28 July 2012
Saturday 27 October 2012

Tickets must be pre-booked Online or by telephoning London Transport Museum's Booking Office on 020 7565 7298.  Prices: Adults £10; Concessions £8.50.  Full details here.

UPDATEIanVisits, JemimahKnight , BrendanMission and myself went along on Saturday 19th November - it's a really amazing experience & even though photography is not allowed in the store & collection rooms (to protect the posters & original artwork) we were stunned to see such a huge collection of wonderful posters.  We were treated to short tour of the Museum Depot afterwards and here a few pictures from that part - that alone would have been worth £10 as the depot is only open to the public a few times a year and is usually heaving. Wonderful to see it so quiet.


Ianvisits chatting to  Museum Depot Volunteer John


You might also like
Old Posters found at Richmond Station
Sense & The City Photographic Display - Call for Entries - London Transport Museum
100 Years of Iconic Tube Posters
Abram Games - London Transport Museum Event
London Underground Poster Diary 2012


; Posted by annie mole Monday, November 14, 2011 Permalink COMMENT HERE
http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2011/11/guided-tours-of-tube-poster-artists-at.html

Wednesday, November 09, 2011

Call of Duty Game Features Tube

I know nothing about gaming, but apparently the latest version of some big game called "Call of Duty" came out on Monday. This one's subtitled "Modern Warfare 3" and has picked up a bit of media attention for the fact that it contains a London Underground level.

I'll leave Jon Justice to tell you about the rest:

I've been playing it and I've attached some
screenshots. Although I was hurtling through it at speed, I did notice a few odd things 
2011-11-08_00013

2011-11-08_00055

You're in a truck, pursuing a Tube train down a line and you pass through a station. It turns out that it's Westminster, which is a little odd as a few minutes later your driver shouts about how you'll be in Westminster station in a minute. 

2011-11-08_00019
I do quite like that when you pass through that first station some of the passengers on the platform scatter and run, whereas others are a bit more London about things and stand their ground, completely ignoring the truck full of SAS chaps chasing a Tube train. 

2011-11-08_00001

 I was also slightly puzzled by how a train can go from Westminster station immediately into an above ground section, but seemed odder is that the train has "Westminster" on its destination board. Do trains terminate at Westminster? I don't think I've ever heard of that.


2011-11-08_00047

But what is funny is that, despite spending hundreds of millions of dollars on the game's budget, Activision wouldn't pay TfL's fee to use the signage and maps. The station name appears on a black rectangle with nary a roundel in sight. The map looks odd, like they've simply made it up, although I can't quite read what it says. 


2011-11-08_00043

In fact, there's a curious lack of signage anywhere in the station.


2011-11-08_00014

It's just about possible to get a look at the interior of a carriage before it gets blown up. I can't remember what the right moquette is, but is that one correct?

All very curious."


Thanks for all of that Jon, my guess is that games company probably did approach TfL and that TfL told them to get lost as they wouldn't want to endorse a game which involved blowing up loads of their trains.  But I could be wrong.  What do you think about it all?


; Posted by annie mole Wednesday, November 09, 2011 Permalink COMMENT HERE
http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2011/11/call-of-duty-game-features-tube.html

Tuesday, November 08, 2011

Free Talk: The Londoners - The Days and Nights of London Now

Author Craig Taylor, has a new book coming out called
The Londoners - The Days and Nights of London Now, As Told by Those Who Love It, Hate It, Live It, Left It and Long for It (top title & book cover). On Saturday 19th November at Chipping Barnet Library at 2.30pm he's giving a free talk on his research & writing of the book. He interviewed 80 Londoners over 5 years including the female voice of the Tube, Emma Clarke, and Craig Clark, London Underground's lost property office clerk.

The Londoners - The Days and Nights of London Now, As Told by Those Who Love It, Hate It, Live It, Left It and Long for It
He also interviews people who have come to London for the first time about their experience of negotiating London & their first trips on the Tube.

Rachel Lichtenstein said "In this extraordinary portrait of London, told through the diverse voices of its people, Craig Taylor has taken the pulse of the city.  Hope, despair, loathing, love: this passionate city invites passionate responses and 'Londoners' is its song".

Sounds like a fascinating talk for all interested in London & not just the London Underground. 

Please phone Chipping Barnet Library on 020 8359 4040 or email ruth.newman@barnet.gov.uk to book your free place.  Nearest Tube - High Barnet

You might also like
Miss Mind the Gap Sacked
Strange things handed into TfL's Lost Property Office
Lost Collection : Art left on Public Transport


; Posted by annie mole Tuesday, November 08, 2011 Permalink COMMENT HERE
http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2011/11/free-talk-londoners-days-and-nights-of.html

Friday, November 04, 2011

Sense the City Photographic Display; Call for Entries : London Transport Museum & Londonist

How would you like to have your photographs on display at London Transport Museum next year? The museum will be running a display of 50 images in conjunction with
Londonist to create a gallery that "captures the hustle and bustle of London, and the activity that helps make London flourish and thrive."

Old Street London Underground Station

50 shortlisted images will be displayed at London Transport Museum from Saturday 21 January to Sunday 18 March 2012. The photos must be contemporary and can be submitted to the Flickr group: http://www.flickr.com/groups/sense_the_city/ by 2nd December 2011. Each person can submit up to three images for consideration.

London Transport Museum added: "A panel of experts will judge the photographs and shortlist the top 50 entries. The shortlisted entrants will be invited to a private view featuring their photographs on Friday 20 January 2012. Three final entries will be will be selected for special commendation by our advisory panel - Clive Birch (Visiting Tutor on the Royal College of Art’s Vehicle Design Programme) and Johanna Empson (Talks and Events Programmer at the Photographers Gallery), and announced at the event."
Dan Dare on the Tube


The photography project was inspired by Sense and the City: one of the best exhibitions I had seen at London Transport Museum. As well as having an excellent collection of images & artefacts from the past about how transport might look in the future, the exhibition also posed questions about mobility, society and work in the London over the next decade, and compared that with past visions of the future.


; Posted by annie mole Friday, November 04, 2011 Permalink COMMENT HERE
http://london-underground.blogspot.com/2011/11/sense-city-photographic-display-call.html

Wednesday, November 02, 2011

Mark Ovenden - Great Railway Maps of the World Talk at Stanfords

To mark the launch of his new book
Great Railway Maps of the World Mark Ovenden is giving a talk tonight at 8pm at Stanfords in Covent Garden. Mark produced the World Urban Metro Map in the style of the London Underground Map, to mark the launch of his previous book - Metro Maps of the World.

World Metro Map by Mark Ovenden

Stanfords say of Mark's book: "The first ever collection of the diversity of world railway cartography ever produced, Mark Ovenden's new book is an extraordinary compendium of historical and contemporary railway maps and posters from every corner of the world."

Find out more about Great Railway Maps of the World in Mark's guest blog post for us earlier in the year.

The talk will be held at 8pm at Stanfords Convent Garden store: 12-14 Long Acre Covent Garden, London, WC2E 9LP

Tickets - £5. You can buy tickets online here or call 020 7836 1321 to reserve a place or buy tickets in store.


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