My earliest memory, of a visit to London, was when I was 8. It was a trip with my dad, in 1980.
Then there were the trips to the museums, with the Natural History & Science Museums being my favourites as a child.
After I left school, and began my working life, I would visit London with my friend Colin, at least once a month. We would take in a movie, visit the sights, check out the record shops and generally have a great day out. Back then we took the Metropolitan line to Harrow-on-the-Hill, where we changed trains and headed to Rayners Lane, where we changed onto the Piccadilly line, which would take us to our typical starting point of Piccadilly Circus. Eventually, once we got to understand the tube map and the location of places in reality, rather than their positions on the map, we took shorter routes with fewer changes.
As the years went by I became more and more fascinated with the hidden areas of London. Even then I always felt that the city was unfinished. Then, with the regeneration of the Docklands, along the River Thames and the construction of Canary Wharf and the Millennium Dome, it started to come together.
The city is still under a massive regeneration, some of which is hidden below the streets, but some, like the London Bridge station regeneration, are all too clear to see.
The idea for this website came about, in September 2015, when I visited the Bomber Command Memorial, Green Park. I was in the middle of one of my walks, which usually has a set starting point but only a rough finishing point, when a story began to form in my mind.
Once home, I began to jot down these thoughts in notebooks, before transferring them to a Word document. The story would take a couple of years to evolve to where it is today. But, then the question I had to ask myself was, 'What do I do with it?'
It wasn't long enough to publish as a book, or so I thought, until I realised that I could build a website, promote the story and, also, show off my photographs.
With a plan sorted, I began working on the site, but it needed a name. So, I used the name of the story: The Unfinished City. I purchased the domain name and began uploading photos, stories and videos.
It was while going through the literally thousands of photographs that I have amassed, that I had the realisation that I could publish the story as a book, if I added a selection of photographs to accompany the narrative. It took a while to create this website, but I finally got it up and running.
Since then I have spent a great deal of time in and around London, gradually unearthing more of its secrets.
The photographs obviously come out well, as:
After I left school, and began my working life, I would visit London with my friend Colin, at least once a month. We would take in a movie, visit the sights, check out the record shops and generally have a great day out. Back then we took the Metropolitan line to Harrow-on-the-Hill, where we changed trains and headed to Rayners Lane, where we changed onto the Piccadilly line, which would take us to our typical starting point of Piccadilly Circus. Eventually, once we got to understand the tube map and the location of places in reality, rather than their positions on the map, we took shorter routes with fewer changes.
As the years went by I became more and more fascinated with the hidden areas of London. Even then I always felt that the city was unfinished. Then, with the regeneration of the Docklands, along the River Thames and the construction of Canary Wharf and the Millennium Dome, it started to come together.
The city is still under a massive regeneration, some of which is hidden below the streets, but some, like the London Bridge station regeneration, are all too clear to see.
The idea for this website came about, in September 2015, when I visited the Bomber Command Memorial, Green Park. I was in the middle of one of my walks, which usually has a set starting point but only a rough finishing point, when a story began to form in my mind.
Once home, I began to jot down these thoughts in notebooks, before transferring them to a Word document. The story would take a couple of years to evolve to where it is today. But, then the question I had to ask myself was, 'What do I do with it?'
It wasn't long enough to publish as a book, or so I thought, until I realised that I could build a website, promote the story and, also, show off my photographs.
With a plan sorted, I began working on the site, but it needed a name. So, I used the name of the story: The Unfinished City. I purchased the domain name and began uploading photos, stories and videos.
It was while going through the literally thousands of photographs that I have amassed, that I had the realisation that I could publish the story as a book, if I added a selection of photographs to accompany the narrative. It took a while to create this website, but I finally got it up and running.
Since then I have spent a great deal of time in and around London, gradually unearthing more of its secrets.
There is one question I get asked most, about my photographs, which is, "What camera do you use?"
I usually get looked at in complete disbelief, when I answer, "My trusty Samsung phone."
This isn't a lie, or untruth, but 99% of all of the photographs, on this website, were taken with my Samsung smartphone. Beginning with a Samsung Galaxy S5 and then switching to a Samsung Galaxy S8, in 2017. In 2024 I began using a Samsung Galaxy S20 FE.
The other 1% were taken with my Samsung digital compact camera, which I no longer use.
The photographs obviously come out well, as:
- I had a request to use one of my photographs (below) in a short promotional video for an Amateur Dramatics Society. I said "yes", providing I was given credit in the video. And, I was.
- I also had a request from a lady, in the United States of America, that wished to use one of photographs (below). Again, I said, "yes".
- This photograph (below) won a photographic competition organised by the website 'Greyscape' (2024), who wanted photographs of Bastion House.
I hope that you enjoy my site and I welcome all feedback, both good and bad.
Plus, if you wish to use any of my images, which are all copyrighted, please get in touch.
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