10.10.12
Green London: Crystal Palace, the Isle of Dogs, Ladywell and Brockley, a set on Flickr.
My 42nd photo set in my ongoing project to photograph the whole of London by bike brings together a few disparate elements, photographed in July, and united under the umbrella title of “Green London” — firstly, a few photos from Mudchute Farm and Mudchute Park, on the Isle of Dogs, which I had put aside when I posted a set of photos of a journey around Canary Wharf to which these were the green prelude.
The second group of photos — 12 photos of Crystal Palace — were taken on a rainy afternoon, and had been sitting around until I decided to join them up with the “Green London” photos — not just the Mudchute idyll, but also some photos taken locally to me — in Ladywell Fields, a popular spot by the River Ravensbourne, which, further downstream, feeds into the River Thames at Deptford Creek, and on Hilly Fields, the wonderful hill-top park near my home, with its wonderful views out over south east London and beyond, and, at strategic points, its glimpses of Canary Wharf and the O2.
As with the two previous “Green London” sets (see here and here), these photos are the equivalent of a chill-out session, and I’d be tempted, personally, to put on some roots reggae and to take a few minutes to enjoy these reminders of summer. As I was cycling yesterday around Hampstead Heath and down to St. Pancras via Kentish Town (photos to follow), the change in the seasons was all too apparent. It was a lovely, warm, sunny morning and early afternoon, before the clouds came over, but the leaves have turned on the oaks and are starting to turn on the beech trees, and the air is thinner somehow, less full of the richness of summer.
I’l be back soon with some more photos from north of the river, but for now, I hope you enjoy these glimpses of green that are often all that keeps Londoners sane.
Andy Worthington is the author of The Guantánamo Files: The Stories of the 774 Detainees in America’s Illegal Prison (published by Pluto Press, distributed by Macmillan in the US, and available from Amazon — click on the following for the US and the UK) and of two other books: Stonehenge: Celebration and Subversion and The Battle of the Beanfield. To receive new articles in your inbox, please subscribe to my RSS feed — and I can also be found on Facebook, Twitter, Digg, Flickr (my photos) and YouTube. Also see my definitive Guantánamo prisoner list, updated in April 2012, “The Complete Guantánamo Files,” a 70-part, million-word series drawing on files released by WikiLeaks in April 2011, and details about the documentary film, “Outside the Law: Stories from Guantánamo” (co-directed by Polly Nash and Andy Worthington, and available on DVD here — or here for the US). Also see my definitive Guantánamo habeas list and the chronological list of all my articles, and please also consider joining the new “Close Guantánamo campaign,” and, if you appreciate my work, feel free to make a donation.
Investigative journalist, author, campaigner, commentator and public speaker. Recognized as an authority on Guantánamo and the “war on terror.” Co-founder, Close Guantánamo and We Stand With Shaker. Also, photo-journalist (The State of London), and singer and songwriter (The Four Fathers).
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10 Responses
Andy Worthington says...
When I posted these photos on Facebook, I wrote:
So here’s a summery green interlude – some photos from July of visits to the surviving terraces below the burned-down Crystal Palace on Sydenham Hill, Mudchute Park and Farm on the Isle of Dogs, and two favourite parks close to home: Ladywell Fields beside the River Ravensbourne, and Hilly Fields on the hill-top near my home in Brockley.
...on October 11th, 2012 at 2:01 am
Andy Worthington says...
Ruth Gilburt wrote:
yay!!! xxx
...on October 11th, 2012 at 2:01 am
Andy Worthington says...
Thanks, Ruth. I thought you’d appreciate some local photos!
...on October 11th, 2012 at 2:01 am
Andy Worthington says...
Ruth Gilburt wrote:
aaah, Crystal Palace car park, where I recall Ruby skidded off her scooter aged about 5 or 6, sliced both knees open so badly, we had to just get back into the car and go home 😉 )))
...on October 11th, 2012 at 2:02 am
Andy Worthington says...
So, er, any happy memories of Crystal Palace, Ruth? We used to meet with friends in the park and eat a huge fry-up at the cafe and then wander round looking at the Victorian dinosaur sculptures when Tyler was little. Those were good times!
...on October 11th, 2012 at 2:02 am
Andy Worthington says...
Ruth Gilburt wrote:
yes, we’re fond of the dino’s too but I love the Hillyfields shots, in particular…as you might expect 😉 x
...on October 11th, 2012 at 2:02 am
Andy Worthington says...
I have a whole set of Hilly Fields photos that I took in the early morning about a month ago, Ruth. I think you’ll love them! They’re in the queue, however. Who ever thought my version of excess would end up being, “So many photos to upload, so little time?”
...on October 11th, 2012 at 2:03 am
Andy Worthington says...
Ruth Gilburt wrote:
haha…yes 😉 x
...on October 11th, 2012 at 2:03 am
Andy Worthington says...
Christopher John Webster wrote:
Like what you’ve done with Cry Pal…
...on October 11th, 2012 at 2:03 am
Andy Worthington says...
Thanks, Chris. I aim to please … I need to pay another visit, catch the dinosaurs this time around, and then head out to – oh, say, Penge and Anerley.
...on October 11th, 2012 at 2:03 am