Shepherdess Walk Mosaics

Shepherdess Walk.

Tuesday November 28, 2023.

I had heard of a mosaic project, within the London Borough of Hackney, and so decided to make a visit to it.

As it turns out there are two ways to access the mosaic. One is via Shepherdess Walk Gardens, which is fine, but the second, which I chose, is to take the narrow alley beneath houses and reach them that way.

The stairs leading to the narrow alley, from Shepherdess Walk, are stone and can get slippery with leaves and water, so I was careful of my footing. A small mosaic plaque, above the alley, lets you know that you are in the right place.

The narrow alley leads to an open green space, but it is to the left that the mosaics can be found, affixed to the walls of the surrounding homes, with two laid in the ground.

Besides a few parents with their small children, in the nearby park, I had the entire place to myself, allowing me time to take in the intricacies of these huge works.

Direct from Graceland: Elvis Exhibition, 2023

From Graceland to London.

Saturday October 28, 2023.

It was a beautiful morning as my friend Len and I made our way to the Arches London Bridge, to see the Direct from Graceland: Elvis Exhibition. The exhibition was bringing some 400+ pieces of Elvis memorabilia, direct from Graceland, to London, some of which had never left Elvis' home in Memphis, before. 

We arrived a few minutes before our time-slot of 11:00, but were immediately granted access to the building. The staff were pleasant and, after asking if we wished to have refreshments, directed us to the entrance of the exhibit.

Some of Elvis' personal items.

The exhibition began with Elvis' upbringing in Tupelo and had information boards affixed to the walls, while TV screens showed a young Elvis. clothing, worn by his parents, were in glass display cases, along with rare documents and other items.

A model of Elvis' childhood home.

We then moved through to his first foray into music, along with Elvis merchandise and a selection of Colonel Tom Parker's personal items.

Some of Colonel Tom Parker's personal items.

The exhibit took us through his years in the US Army, some of his favourite cars and through to a massive collection of his clothes. 

1975 Ferrari Dino GT4.

London's Transport Network Information

History of the Roundel.

London has to be one of the most interconnected cities in the world. From its 86,000 buses to its 4,100 underground trains, you can reach every part of the capital... and beyond.

Then there is the River Boat service and the Tram network. And that is before you get on to the Elizabeth line, the interlinked London Overground lines and National Rail lines

The London Underground system is composed, currently, of 11 distinct lines, serving 272 stations over 400 kilometres (250 miles). The station of Ongar is 'point zero' for measurements along the network.

Below you will find some information for each of the lines. 

('Speed' is an average for the entire line).

Bakerloo

First service: March 10, 1906

Length: 23.2 km (14.4 mi)

Stations: 25

Speed: 27 km/h (16 mph)

Central

First service: July 30, 1900

Length: 74 km (46 mi)

Stations: 49

Speed: 37 km/h (23 mph)

Circle

First service: 1863

Length: 27 km (17 mi)

Stations: 36

Speed: 24 km/h (15 mph)

District

First service: December 24, 1868

Length: 64 km (40 mi)

Stations: 60

Speed: 30 km/h (18 mph)

Hammersmith & City

First service: January 10, 1863

Length: 25.5 km (15.8 mi)

Stations: 29

Speed: 25 km/h (15 mph)

Jubilee

First service: May 1, 1979

Length: 36.2 km (22.5 mi)

Stations: 27

Speed: 40 km/h (25 mph)

Suggested names: Fleet line

Metropolitan

First service: January 10, 1863

Length: 67 km (42 mi)

Stations: 34

Speed: 45 km/h (28 mph)

Church of St Bartholomew-the-Less

The entrance to the church of St Bartholomew-the-Less.

Having recently visited the Priory Church of St Bartholomew-the-Great I thought that I should make a visit to the smaller church, set within the grounds of St Bartholomew's Hospital, St Bartholomew-the-Less.

As I expected from the name this church is definitely smaller, but it still has a long and fascinating history.

Definitely the Lesser of the two churches to St Bartholomew.

Considering the darkness that seems to have taken a hold of the interior of St Bartholomew-the Great, it was nice to enter a bright church, which seemed, at least to me, to be much more modern.

However, as it turns out, the Less is only a few years younger than the Great, having been established in around 1184.

I was thankful that it was still early in the day, so that I had the chance to explore the church without interruption. 

Inside the church of St Bartholomew-the-Less.

After a good look around and after taking plenty of photographs I made my way out into the hospital grounds. Well, since I was there and I do work in a hospital myself it only seemed the right thing to do.

Embassy of the United States of America (2017-)

33 Nine Elms Lane, London, SW11 7US.

Compared to the old embassy building in Grosvenor Square, I find this new building rather boring. Designed as a cube, this block, which is the largest American embassy in Western Europe, has a semi-circular pond, public green spaces and entry pavilions within its grounds. 

The north side of the embassy, as seen from the River Thames.

The lightweight 'sails', that adorn three sides of the building, stop direct sunlight hitting the interior and also make the building less likely to bird strikes.

Here you can see the sunlight being diffused by the outer structure.

This design, however, does make for some great photo opportunities.