City Road Basin, Regent's Canal, London

click photo to enlarge
The Regent's Canal is an 8.5 mile long waterway that passes through the north of central London from the Grand Union Canal at Paddington to the Limehouse Basin (and the River Thames) in the east of London. It was built between 1812 and 1820 by the engineer James Morgan working for the architect John Nash. Its purpose was to aid the redevelopment of this part of the city.

Today the canal still has minor commercial uses but is predominantly recreational with narrow-boats a common sight at various points, many acting as floating homes. The tow path is a combined footpath and cycleway, forming a pleasant, traffic-free route through these densely built areas of London. Canal-side sites are, like any open or disused space in the city, a magnet to builders, and flats continue to spring up at many points along the route. Here, at the City Road Basin in Islington, warehouse conversions and new-builds of both traditional and determinedly modern design sit side-by-side.

photograph and text © Tony Boughen

Photo Title: City Road Basin, Regent's Canal, London
Camera: Olympus E-M10
Mode: Aperture Priority
Focal Length: 20mm (40mm - 35mm equiv.)
F No: f4.3
Shutter Speed: 1/640 sec
ISO:200
Exposure Compensation: -0.3 EV
Image Stabilisation: On

Flats by the Regent's Canal, London

click photo to enlarge
Britain once styled itself a "nation of house owners". This was by way of contrast with other European countries where flat (apartment) dwelling was much more common. It was always something of an overstatement, because major UK cities, in particular, always had a lot of flats, and so too did some large towns. However, there was some truth to it. But, no longer. The increasing cost of housing, the rapidly growing population, the tendency for people to live in smaller family units (or singly), and the pressure on spare land on our relatively small island have produced a real change in the past thirty or forty years. Flats have sprung up everywhere.

Even small towns have flats now, and large cities have ever increasing numbers, either newly built or converted from commercial, business or industrial premises. Nowhere is this more noticeable than in London. Today's photograph shows some of the balconies on a block of flats built on land by the Regent's Canal in Islington, London. They are unexceptional as flats go. What prompted my photograph was the way that each balcony, in some small way, appeared to tell something of the owner. I was interested in what the owners had chosen to put there out of either desire or necessity - table and chairs, bicycle, pot plants, barbecue, washing, nothing.

photograph and text © Tony Boughen

Photo Title: Flats by the Regent's Canal, Islington, London
Camera: Olympus E-M10
Mode: Aperture Priority
Focal Length: 52mm (104mm - 35mm equiv.)
F No: f5.5
Shutter Speed: 1/125 sec
ISO:400
Exposure Compensation: -0.3 EV
Image Stabilisation: On

Greenwich Square's public space

click photo to enlarge
Over the past year, in our visits to Greenwich, I've watched the Greenwich Square development start to take shape. This mix of housing, retail space, leisure facilities and a public square is being developed on the site of the former Greenwich District Hospital. Some of the apartments, as can be seen by the balcony furniture in today's photograph, appear to be inhabited, but elsewhere there is much work to be done before the scheme is complete.

What has interested me, especially, about Greenwich Square is the public square at its centre. More particularly, I'd like to know if it is really a public space with all the rights and responsibilities that entails, or is it actually a private space to which the public are admitted on terms devised by the owners. An increasing number of these private/public spaces are being built in cities across the country. London's most frequented example is the ridiculously named "More London" near Tower Bridge, the only seemingly public place I have ever been told that I must stop taking photographs. The most recent private space to be described as public ("London's highest public park") is the Sky Garden at the top of the tower at 20 Fenchurch Street (the "Walkie Talkie"), London's ugliest tower by a big margin. It admits the public but it certainly cannot claim to be a public space. So what is the square at Greenwich Square? We'll eventually find out.

Incidentally, the colour of the cladding of these apartments makes me ask this question once more.

photograph and text © Tony Boughen

Camera: Sony RX100
Mode: Aperture Priority
Focal Length: 37.1mm (100mm - 35mm equiv.)
F No: f4.9
Shutter Speed: 1/125
ISO: 160
Exposure Compensation:  -0.3 EV
Image Stabilisation: On

Two Spalding warehouse conversions

click photo to enlarge
In the UK finding new uses for old industrial or commercial buildings often results in them being converted into living accommodation. From power stations to old agricultural barns, fire stations to tea warehouses, apartments of varying sizes and prices are very often the first choice for a redundant building. It's not always the case; I've seen churches that became recording studios and cafes, a police station that became a restaurant, and more than one corn exchange transformed into a theatre. However, on a relatively small island with an ever growing population, housing of one form or another will often take precedence over any other use for a surplus building.

The other day we were walking around Spalding, Lincolnshire. The weather was sunny and the light clear and sharp. It was a good opportunity to photograph buildings. When I came to review my collection of shots I was prompted to reflect on the images of two Georgian warehouses that have been re-purposed (as modern parlance has it). One is barely recognisable as a structure from the eighteenth century, so complete have been its successive makeovers. Gone are the warm bricks to be replaced by painted render that is moulded to resemble ashlar blocks. The central hatches have been converted to windows and the hoist has gone too. In 1947 a main entrance with a hint of "Moderne" about it was created. It is now, I believe,either apartments or offices, with the name, White House Chambers.

The second example was formerly a warehouse belonging to the company of F. Long, but is now multiple apartments. It is a later conversion and has retained much more of its original character. Look at this building and you can immediately see its past. The original brickwork with its imperfections has not been too heavily modified. The rows of windows remain, as do the central hatches, but they are less integrated into the facade than in my other example. No attempt has been made to disguise the anchor plates of the tie rods that brace the building against lateral bowing; in fact they have been made into features. And, the pantiles of the roof, though probably not original, are characteristic of the period of the building unlike the concrete tiles of the other warehouse.

It seems to me that the way these warehouses have been converted exemplify two of the main approaches to such a task: treat the original building as a shell to be updated and made serviceable without any particular regard for its past, or retain the character of the original while doing sufficient to achieve its new purpose. Thankfully, today, the latter approach is more usual.

photograph and text © Tony Boughen

Camera: Nikon D5300
Mode: Aperture Priority
Focal Length: 66mm (99mm - 35mm equiv.)
F No: f8
Shutter Speed: 1/125 sec
ISO:100
Exposure Compensation: 0.33 EV
Image Stabilisation: On

Proximity as a photographic device

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Proximity, juxtaposition, adjacency - open the thesaurus and choose your word. Whatever you call it, the photographic device of arranging two, often very different (but sometimes oddly linked) objects in the frame, is one of long standing. Depending on the objects that are chosen this compositional approach can be arresting, humorous, thought provoking, surreal and much else. It's something that I like to do when the situation arises, and a technique that I will often go out of my way to engineer into an image.

I've touched briefly on the subject before, but anyone who has looked through my offerings on this site will recognise the frequency with which I put the idea into practice. I've used a trompe l'oeil bull and a passerby, old and new architecture, primary colours, a traffic sign and a poster, a futuristic public bench and a roller coaster and many other pairings in an effort to bring something new and different to my compositions.

On my recent stay in London the echo of the unusual colours of the ready-mix concrete lorry and the block of flats called for a photograph that made something of the slightly odd proximity of the two. The adjacent railway bridge gave something of a frame to my shot and the whole was lifted by the low sun and deep shadows of the early morning. Not as obvious a juxtaposition as in some of my photographs, but one that pleased me. Incientally, I've commented to my companions on more than one occasion that I really like the architectural treatment of the exterior of this building. Thus far I've found no one who agrees with me!

photograph and text © Tony Boughen

Camera: Sony RX100
Mode: Aperture Priority
Focal Length: 14.2mm (38mm - 35mm equiv.)
F No: f5.6
Shutter Speed: 1/160 sec
ISO: 160
Exposure Compensation: 0 EV
Image Stabilisation: On

Acers and architects

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I've written elsewhere in this blog about the way architects use trees and shrubs around buildings (see here and here). As far as trees go many appear to have a predilection for what I call "lollipop" trees, that is to say those trees that don't grow very tall and which can be easily pruned to produce a clear straight trunk topped with a pile of roughly spherical, elliptical or cone-shaped foliage. The species that lend themselves to this kind of treatment and which, therefore, abound around new buildings (at least in the UK) are: rowan, whitebeam, False acacia, bay laurel, crab apple, flowering cherry, acer, etc.

Recently, as I've travelled around, I've been struck by the number of new buildings that have been planted with acers of one kind or another, but especially those cultivars with leaves that turn a bright orange/yellow in autumn. I know from experience that though acers are hardy if sheltered they can be damaged by late spring frosts and cold winds. Consequently I'm a little puzzled at their apparent popularity in open, windy locations where they are frequently going to receive intermittent tending and are likely to be relatively dry in summer due to the hard surfaces around them. Perhaps landscape architects know something about these trees that I don't.

Today's main photograph shows the Boathouse Business Centre in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire, a building that has featured before on this blog (click here, then scroll down). It has three of these trees giving bright splashes of colour that contrast with the white and muted tones of the building and paving. At this time of year it's easy to see the strong contribution that the trees make to the building and its location. Elsewhere in this development the alder - an interesting choice - is the main tree that has been used. The smaller photograph shows the decorative swan and part of the main facade of the former Fogarty Feather Factory in Boston, Lincolnshire, now converted to flats. I've also featured this building before. If you'd like to view the full facade or read of its history see here. In this instance the acer is not planted in connection with the old building but forms part of the landscaping of a car park in front of a fairly new "shed" i.e. a superstore selling computers and associated paraphernalia. I couldn't bring myself to photograph the tree in front of that awful building with its pink paintwork so I positioned myself to include the older facade and that very unlikely looking swan.

photograph and text © Tony Boughen

Photo 1
Camera: Canon
Mode: Aperture Priority
Focal Length: 24mm
F No: f7.1
Shutter Speed: 1/640
ISO: 100
Exposure Compensation:  -0.33 EV
Image Stabilisation: On

Oliver's Wharf, Wapping, London

click photo to enlarge

Oliver's Wharf is a warehouse on the River Thames in Wapping, London. It was built by F. & H. Francis in 1869-70 for George Oliver. The building handled general river-borne cargo but had some special facilities for tea. It is a 6-storey structure constructed of yellow stock brick with red brick and stone dressing that contributes to the Venetian Gothic styling. The art critic, John Ruskin (1819-1900) popularised this particular form of Gothic through his three-volume work on the art and architecture of that city, "The Stones of Venice" (1851-3), and it was applied to churches, museums, town halls, libraries and many other public and private buildings. Here at Wapping the ornate "polychrome" brickwork, pointed windows, brick relieving arches and stone three-bay windows makes the building stand out among the more utilitarian nineteenth century warehouses that line the river.

It was undoubtedly the ornate character of the main elevations (the street and river facades are very similar) that led to Oliver's Wharf being one of the first redundant warehouses to be converted to flats. In 1972 twenty three luxury dwellings were created within its old walls. The architects responsible for the adaptation wisely left much of the original exterior details intact, and today the building is a noticeable and noteworthy feature of this part of London.

I have looked across the Thames at Oliver's Wharf many times on my walks along the south bank from Rotherhithe into the City. I've photographed it a couple of times too. However, not until a few days ago, when a bright sky with thin cloud illuminated the building very nicely, did I capture an image that pleased me. I like this shot because it has something of the quality of an architect's watercolour elevational illustration about it.

photograph and text (c) T. Boughen

Camera: Canon
Mode: Aperture Priority
Focal Length: 200mm
F No: f7.1
Shutter Speed: 1/320
ISO: 100
Exposure Compensation:  -0.67 EV
Image Stabilisation: On

Free Trade Wharf, names and ziggurats

click photo to enlarge

There was a time in the 1980s and 1990s when the language of the Conservative government, with its red in tooth and claw capitalism, infected every new industrial estate that sprang up on the edges of our towns and cities. So, the development became an Enterprise Park and its roads and offices sported names such as Endeavour Way and Venture House. There's nothing wrong with these words - they're fine words - but it almost seemed that the builders of these developments naively felt that the right names would engender the right entrepreneurial attitudes in those who set up their businesses there.

On a completely different tack (but with a connection that will be made clear shortly), when I stay in London I look across the Thames at this large, rambling, block of flats. Ever since I first saw it several years ago I've wondered about it. Its plan is clearly designed to give as many of the 208 flats as possible a balcony and river view. The whole effect is somewhat Mediterranean in feel, with a touch of Lego thrown in for good measure. However, it isn't Spain or Italy (or even Denmark) that come most to mind when I look at it, rather it's Mesopotamia and its wonderful ziggurats. It must be the pyramidal shapes, the brick facing and the slightly "tumble-down" appearance that evokes those crumbling structures from the 3rd millennium BC. I was in London last weekend and took the smaller photo then: the larger one was taken in February. When I decided to post these photographs I thought I'd better find out what the flats are called and when they were built. It seems they dates from 1984-1990 and are called Free Trade Wharf. A name very much of its time I thought. But then I thought a little harder, and wondered what had been on the site before the flats. It turns out that a group of several warehouses built in the 1790s sat on, guess what? Free Trade Wharf! So, the name isn't new, but is probably late Georgian or Victorian, and is one that resonates with the capitalistic spirit of those more distant times rather than the end of the millennium..

The fast catamaran ferry in the photograph is one operated by the Thames Clipper company. These boats can be frequently seen whizzing up and down the River Thames between Greenwich and central London.

photograph and text (c) T. Boughen

Main Photo
Camera: Canon
Mode: Aperture Priority
Focal Length: 73mm
F No: f7.1 Shutter Speed: 1/500
ISO: 100
Exposure Compensation:  -0.67 EV
Image Stabilisation: On

Unforeseen blemishes

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As we walked around Lincoln's Brayford Pool the other day we were discussing the unforeseen blemishes that frequently appear on new architecture.
The fashion of the last twenty years or so for patches of horizontal hardwood cladding on flats and offices has resulted in dark water stains on the timber. These are unsightly, entirely predictable, and often contrast strongly with the bleaching of the wood that also occurs after the original treatment has faded. Some of the buildings exhibited stains on the concrete where rain had flowed over a metal fixing, leaving a deposit below it. Then there was the building that had panels of stained and varnished wood that alternated with glass. The horizontal bands of the dark wood had light coloured, rather hazy looking patches all over them. At a distance we couldn't make out what they were. It was only when we got closer that we realised they were spiders' webs spun by the creatures that found the narrow grooves perfect for their homes and for erecting their places of entrapment. Then there was the Hayes Wharf Tower, one of the better buildings in this location. On a sunny day the louvres that punctuate the exterior throw sharp shadows on the surface. However, at the time we passed by the sky was bright but cloudy, and in those circumstances the shadows are soft edged and it looks like there are dirty stains behind the slats (see above).

It is clearly difficult for architects to predict some of these unintended consequences that appear on their buildings, but one does wonder whether such things are considered at all during their training. Moreover, with CAD (computer aided design) it isn't beyond the wit of man to model such things. Having said that, sometimes it is the unforeseen that is the one element elevating a building above the mundane, as with the stress effects on the glazing of this building at Canary Wharf, London (assuming the architect didn't intend it!)

photograph and text (c) T. Boughen

Camera: Olympus E510
Mode: Aperture Priority
Focal Length: 40mm (80mm/35mm equiv.)
F No: f6.3
Shutter Speed: 1/320
ISO: 100
Exposure Compensation: 0 EV
Image Stabilisation: On

Former Fogarty Feather Factory, Boston

click photo to enlarge
Today's photograph title isn't a tongue twister designed to catch anyone out, but is a factual description of the building shown. South Lincolnshire has long had industries making products that use the feathers from poultry rearing, and this tradition continues today. This Boston factory was established in 1877, the date displayed at the top of the building. It advertises its connection with the manufacture of pillows and down bedding by the large stucco swan that looks down from on high. The company that erected the factory was taken over by Edward Fogarty in 1901 and Fogarty's went on to establish itself as pre-eminent in the field. Today the company has branched out into man-made fillings, and this building has been converted into flats, but the tradition of bedding manufacture continues in the Boston area.

The change of use from factory to residential premises happened with little change to the main elevation of the building because it has Grade II Listed Building status. So, the three storeys of red brick with stucco pilasters and arched windows remain, as do the decorative cornice and panelled parapet. The central and flanking doorways have been modified for its current use, but the twisted iron half-column mullions on the windows are untouched along with the heavy, pierced guard-rail above the main entrance. The piece-de-resistance of this factory, and the feature that makes it stand out from other industrial premises of this period is, however, the big swan, a symbol of the purity and warmth of the products that the factory produced.

I'd have liked to moved back a little more for my shot so that the couple of feet missing from each side of the building were included, but doing so brought in foreground clutter, and without extra height I couldn't keep it out. If I'd been carrying the Olympus with the 11-22mm lens I'd maybe have got it, but I only had the maximum of 24mm (35mm equiv.) of the LX3. However, I did notice a couple of people passing, so, realising that they'd bring scale to the shot, I waited until they were silhouetted by the central door and then pressed the shutter.

photograph & text (c) T. Boughen

Camera: Lumix LX3
Mode: Aperture Priority
Focal Length: 5.1mm (24mm/35mm equiv.)
F No: f3.5
Shutter Speed: 1/400
ISO: 80
Exposure Compensation: -0.33 EV
Image Stabilisation: On