A Victorian Stroll around Belgravia

Perhaps as a counterbalance to last week's Naked Bike Ride, this weekend (somewhat more soberly, but no less fun) saw a Living History Weekend in London.

I and a number of chums were asked by Grosvenor Estates to do a bit of Victorian Strolling around Belgravia.

There were oodles of pictures taken, including those taken of us by the tourists, but let's start with a couple of pics uploaded from my mobile phone: of Me...



















and of my regular strolling companion for the day, Oliver Carson...


Yes, girls, he really is that handsome, 26, and married (sorry).













So here's the story:

It seems that weekend of 20th/21st of June was Living History Weekend in London (organised mostly, I believe, by the Museum of London). Anyway, Grosvenor Estates - who seemingly own most of Belgravia - got in touch with an Events Company with a view to sprinkling a few Victorian characters around the place occasionally bumping into some of the various Walking Tours of the area that were going on that day.

So there I was amidst a number of young actors (who had previously raided the National Theatre's Costume Store!) ready to stroll the day. Here's a group shot:

[L-R: Ray Frensham, Oliver Carson, Joel (?), Polly Maberly, Edward Hayes-Neary, Luke Owen and Daniel Pinto]. Well, that's most of us, anyway.

So we were split up into groups - myself and Oliver; Joel, Polly and Edward; Luke and Daniel - some were given character back-stories and we were given general areas to stroll. The idea being during our pleasant strolls we would occasionally cross paths with the other players and also with tourists and the walking tours that peppered the area at weekends.

I have to say for the time we were out and about strolling (approx. 11am - 4pm...with a few breaks for refreshments) Oliver and I had splendid time: exploring the area as if we owned the place (amidst the beautiful architecture and the Mewses, you don't know how easily I slipped into the role), chatting, greeting every passer-by on the street we encountered [they must've thought "those crazy Brits"].


The logic of splitting us up and spreading us out seemed so appropriate for the event (and much more "right" than the practise of many re-enactment events where everyone meets up at Point A and strolls through the town en-masse to Point B).


At the end of the day, my feet rather sore, we all agreed we had had a thoroughly splendid time (and the money, of course, came in handy!). And considering that, on that day, so many of the Re-enactment traditionalists were either at the Broadstairs Dickens Festival or at the final day of Ascot or abroad at a huge Battle if Waterloo reenactment event, I think our little troupe gelled wonderfully.

Indeed, so pleased were the Events company with the say, Sean the organiser is considering putting together a little team to hire us out on a regular basis. Watch this space. (To that end I've just started a Facebook Group, London Victorian Strollers - private for the moment).


All Photos taken by Sean Canning (except Nos. 2 & 3 downloaded from my mobile phone.

Naked Bike Ride in London - PICTURES!!!

So there I was yesterday (Saturday 12th) casually strolling through the back streets of Savile Row, London - with my tailor, as it happens - and suddenly we were confronted by this.....

...yes, that's right: loads and loads of...bicycles. Look at them! Big ones, small ones, some brand new, quite a few in not-so-great condition, some with bells on, some with big horns on....lots of 'em....Bicycles.

OK, so it was a Naked Bike Ride (I think it's the first in the capital?).

Naturally, I had to whip out my trusty...er...mobile phone to capture the moment.

There were about three thousand of them and they just did not stop. They held up the traffic for over twenty minutes while they all streamed through.


Occasionally they would stop (the corner here proved a bit of a bottleneck) and suddenly one woman shouted at me "Look! People with clothes on!"





I replied: "Yes, well, you see one, you've seen 'em all".




I came away thinking: 'Only in London or New York...or maybe Sydney could this happen'.



At least it was a beautiful sunny day for it.










I did see a few curious piercings, however...








Click on the photos, they will open out to their full glory - believe me, I did it and never realised the pictures would come out THIS big!

This is how I looked in 1981 (my first TV appearance!)

OK, so this is how I looked in mid-1981 (I'm the chap selling records in the clubs and from my Mail-Order office - yes, always wearing the bow tie!). [The programme transmitted in August, so it was filmed about June/July 1981].

[The bulk of the interview is in Part 4; I'm also about one minute into Part 6, with more of the interview running under the visuals].

The programme, a 30-minute teen documentary strand called Twentieth Century Box, is from October 1981, only shown in London. It also marks Danny Baker's very first job in television.







(Thanks to Ian and all for transcibing my VHS tape for YouTube).

Kensal Green Cemetery: a Photo-shoot - 2 (Barry Smith)

Referring back to my blog of 25th April (2009), here are the rest of the photos taken at the Kensal Green Cemetery and Catacombs on 23rd April this year.


This selection was taken by Barry Smith, the Chairman of the Friends of Kensal Green Cemetery. I hope you enjoy.


And a final reminder to jog you memory: the Cemetery has its next Open Day on saturday 4th July (from 11am - 5pm), and I know it sounds gruesome but actually it really is a fascinating experience.



You can also pre-book a Tour of the Cemetery itself for £2 and a tour of the Catacombs for £3 (both bargains at those prices).

Bratislava Hot Serenaders: Tatransky Express

Time to cheer myself up again with another track from the splendid Bratislava Hot Serenaders. (I think I shall end up posting a new song each month, until I run out of tracks!).



I now have Four of them on my Facebook friends list: Jana Dekankova (harmony singer - she's the one in the middle) and two of their trumpeters, Juraj Bartos and Rastislav Suchan:


Left-Right: Juraj Bartos, Ľubomír Kamenský, Rastislav Suchan.

...and clarinettist/saxophonist, Pavol Hod’a:

I’ve been talking to some friends (who saw them in Bratislava recently) about how we can get them to the UK. I know they would go down a storm at Glastonbury (that’s in a June), and on Later with Jools Holland (not sure when their series start/ end); and on something like Strictly Come Dancing (their series runs from September to the end of the year). Anybody any more ideas?

Portrait by Spencer Murphy

They say a picture paints a thousand words, so I shall just post up the Portrait done by Spencer Murphy on the evening of Eccentric Awards at the Arts Club in London (April 1st). Thank you. [Click on the picture and get the full version in all its glory].

Now, I very rarely take a great picture, especially posed portraiture, but to say I am pleased with the results is an understatement. (I'm happy to say Spencer appears pleased with it too - anyone for a signed, limited edition, print???).

Just visit his splendid website. www.spencermurphy.co.uk

Kensal Green Cemetery: a Photo-shoot - 1 (Adam Brown)

Thursday 23rd April was Saint George’s Day - patron Saint of England - and I was somewhat cheered to discover that nearly all the local florists and supermarkets had completely sold out of red roses (the symbol of St. George). Perhaps in times of recession there is a resurgence in displaying signs of national pride, especially in these times when we Brits have been pretty-much brainwashed to feel ashamed of celebrating our national day.

Anyway, I was looking for a red rose for a buttonhole. That evening I had been invited over to Kensal Green Cemetery (in North-West London), to turn up in my Victorian clothes for the preview of a photographic exhibition called Response - displaying the works of three students: Adam Brown, Hassan Cadinouche and Susan Martin; their responses to the cemetery itself.

So, just opposite Kensal Green tube station stood the Cemetery, a vast place going on for miles with huge, imposing iron gates for an entrance. And inside: acres and acres of wonderfully carved stone monuments and family vaults - a Goth would never want to leave!

And so to the Anglican Chapel: each of the three photographers had taken pics of different aspects of the cemetery and each were using a particular type of metallic printing process which completely escapes me but looked very effective.


After I’d had a jolly good walk round the exhibition, I got chatting to the Cemetery Chairman, Barry Smith, and then he just casually mentioned “would you like to visit the catacombs?”.

Within seconds we were descending into the vaults of the cemetery: tunnels and tunnels of arches and alcoves and more tunnels running endlessly into the semi-darkness. And. Looking around: floor-to-ceiling of compartments and grills and stone-sealed shelves - just like an Italian Cemetery - with coffins, over 2,500 of them (but with space for over 4,000). Hundreds of years of decaying wood and lead, of metal filagree grills and stone inscriptions mixed with various floral tributes (made of metal and plaster) preserved under glass domes.

Maybe it was the semi-darkness or the dampness down there or just witnessing the way the Victorians took Death seriously, but there was a wondrous feel of gothic decay all around. [Horror movie location scouts take note!… Saw VI ?].

Immediately I told Barry to fetch his camera (which he’d left upstairs) and we started taking a series of shots - these will take a while to get to me, but I shall post them up in a later blog. It was just as well the strip-lighting was working (although Barry and I later revisited the catacombs, this time in total darkness, just carrying a couple of paraffin lamps).

Later still, Adam Brown and I went underground again for some more portraitures, a few of which I’ve published here.

You’ve heard the term ‘darkly atmospheric’? That about sums up the Catacombs. Talk about Hidden London! Kensal Green Cemetery was a revelation. And to think I’ve lived in the capital nearly all my life and never even knew this subterranean place existed.

The Response exhibition carries on until Thursday 7th May.
The Cemetery is planning an Open Day on Saturday 4th July.

Here are a few useful links:
www.kensalgreen.co.uk [the Cemetery]
www.kensalgreen.co.uk/documents/KG_Open_Day.html [The 4th July Open Day]
www.response-exhibition.co.uk
www.alpha-beta-photography.co.uk [Adam Brown]

All photos in this blog (5-8)taken by Adam Brown, Except: 1,2 & 4 (Cop. Con) and 3 (archways) by Hassan Cadinouche.