I have only one big regret about the Greenbank spot, and that is that I was very late joining the party, and missed hundreds of fabulous pieces, simply because I didn’t know where the spot was. The hoarding is now entering its final age, as the developments accelerate towards their completion. In the twinkling of an eye, this spot and all the great art it has hosted will be gone forever and largely forgotten.
Lis, Greenbank, Bristol, April 2025
I don’t know how old this little piece of installation art from LIS is, but I don’t recall seeing it before. It is a wonderful scene painted onto a wooden disc and stuck high up on the Greenbank hoarding. This feels like a bit of a throwback to the kind of work I first saw by the artist, before she discovered spray cans. The delightful scene looks like the corner of a room or studio filled with lovely plant and fungus pictures on the wall. A beautiful little miniature, that I was sorely tempted to purloin, but I am not like that.
Doors 282 – Doors of Central London – Part III – March 2024
This is the last selection of doors from a visit to Central London back in March this year. It is an especially poignant and nostalgic collection for me because it takes me to the front door of my home where I lived with my parents in the early 1980s. I was the last of my siblings to leave home and when my parents moved to the fashionable address of 1A Montague Place, WC1E, I was starting at Newcastle University, but this was my home out of term-time, and for a little while after I left University, before I moved out properly. To be living in the heart of Bloomsbury and a heartbeat away from Soho and the West End was pure heaven for a twentysomething.
Breaking from tradition, I will write a little bit of commentary beneath some of these doors.
British Museum back door, Montague Place, London, March 2024
Our immediate next door neighbour was the British Museum, where my father would visit on a very regular basis, I only wish I had made more of the opportunity, but as is always the case when something is so readily available, my mind was elsewhere. My father had a ‘dinner party’ joke, which was to say that “on a clear day we can see the Elgin Marbles” – I can hear him saying it now, and chuckling.
My old home, 1A Montague Place, London, March 2024
Our little maisonette was dwarfed by the surrounding buildings, but it was rather cosy. The large and rather imposing gates were the delivery entrance for the museum, and I guess exhibits would come and go through these gates.
My old home, 1A Montague Place, London, March 2024
So here it is, a place where I have some very happy memories spending time with my parents (without having to share them with my siblings – an advantage of being the youngest). It feels a little strange looking at it now… it was a lifetime ago.
Black front door of my old home, 1A Montague Place, London, March 2024
The front door was nothing to write home about, but it was a decent black front door, and I don’t think it has changed at all except perhaps for a lick of paint.
Bedford Square Gardens gate, London, March 2024
As residents of the immediate area, we had the keys to the private Bedford Square Gardens, much to the envy of locals and visitors alike. It was a fabulous place to picnic and drink in the heart of the city without the gathering crowds.
Senate House, University of London, London, March 2024
Nearby is the famous London University Senate House, built in the Art Deco style of a New York high-rise. It is a stunning building which looks much taller than it is by clever positioning of smaller windows the higher the building goes, and the stepped ‘wedding-cake’ arrangement. I never made it into the Senate House, but I’ll bet it has some wicked doors, fixtures and fittings of the period.
Art Deco doors of the Senate House, University of London, London, March 2024
It also has some glorious Art Deco doors
The wine bars and coffee houses of Soho were my ‘go to’ watering holes, and my friends, most of whom lived in North London, would come in to town on our evenings out. I discovered where all the late night drinking places were, such as the Beaujolais wine bar, The 100 Club, and a funny little basement flamenco club just off Tottenham Court Road.
Underwhelming door on a beautiful shopfront, Soho, London, March 2024
Beautiful sculpture above the doors of The Resident Hotel, Soho, London, March 2024
Gardener’s hut (1925) and black door, Soho Square, London, March 2024
In Soho Square itself, there is a funny little hut, which I always thought was ancient, but was actually built in 1925 (so I found out today) as an access portal for an electricity sub-station. Who knew?
I hope you enjoyed this little tour of a part of London that will forever be very special to me, and I feel privileged to be able to share it with you via Thursday Doors.
If you have made it this far, you probably like doors, and you really ought to take a look at the No Facilities blog by Dan Anton who has taken over the hosting of Thursday Doors from Norm 2.0 blog. Links to more doorscursions can be found in the comments section of Dan Anton’s Thursday Doors post.
Some readers of this blog may not know that it is called Natural Adventures because it was started as a digitisation of a journal I kept during an adventure I had in the Falkland Islands in 1988 when I was a young man. I was a fisheries scientist working for the Falkland Islands Government, and at this point in the Journal had spent several weeks at sea on a Japanese squid jigger called the Koei Maru 30, and very much looking forward to some shore leave.
For context, it might be worth reading chapter 1, ‘An ill wind‘.
The full series of posts are in the ‘Falkland Journal, 1988′ category of the Natural Adventures blog, to be read in reverse order (from the bottom up).
Wednesday 13 July 1988. Koei Maru 30
Well, I’m jolly batey (pissed-off) this morning. I have been told that in fact we’re staying out for a day longer than planned because, well, I don’t exactly understand why. Still, it has really pissed me (and many of the crew) off.
There was I this morning thinking that my sampling was the last I was going to do and feeling a little sad about it, when in fact I shouldn’t have done.
Actually, I’m not going to do a sample tomorrow – I’m going to be laid back and do gangion (jargon) counts only! So there!
I have just finished ‘One Hundred Years of Solitude’ what an incredible end – I never guessed. So Clever. I wish I could create something like that. A most enjoyable book, despite me taking so long to read it.
Thursday 14 July 1988. Koei Maru 30
Once again a miraculous sunrise – if nothing else, I shall miss these when I leave these islands for good.
I have been racing through William Golding’s ‘Rites of Passage’ which is a topical and easy to read book. I am enjoying it.
A small bird (a petrel of some sort – perhaps a white-chinned petrel) (more likely a storm petrel) was sitting in the squid gutter. I took some piccies of it – poor thing is very bedraggled – I don’t know how these birds get in such a state – perhaps it is a disease or something – I don’t know.
Storm Petrel, Koei Maru 30, South Atlantic, July 1988
Well, tomorrow we really will be in Stanley and my feet shall embrace terra firma for the first time in 34 days – what a luxury it will be, not to have to compensate for thee rolling of the ship – it is wearisome in the extreme.
A cutting:
Basking shark article, Falkland Islands, July 1988
Perhaps the Marine Conservation Society will be relevant to me one day – I hope so – it is a body I admire and would like to be involved with – perhaps I’ll drop them a line.
Friday 15 July 1988. Koei Maru 30/Port Stanley, Emma’s Guest House
A dull day, but home time. Up early.
So many problems – arrived in Stanley – the crew were all in good spirits.
The meeting with the Fishing Master, JJ (the Falkland Fisheries chief officer), me, Okida (the vessel owner?) and Crag went dismally. JJ insisted on 120 days. What a bloody nightmare. Poor Phil will have to take the brunt of the crew’s discontent.
It is all such a cock up, and working on the KM30 will be a nightmare for observers.
SHIT, I feel like a traitor, and they treated me like one. So sad.
My desk at Fishops, Port Stanley, Falkland Islands, July 1988
I listened to granny’s tape letter – so good to hear all her news. Very sweet. I love her all the more for hearing it.
Went to Sean’s for chops with Phil – got very pissed – Back to Anna and Sean’s and then very, very drunk – a nice welcome home.
Saturday 16 July 1988. Port Stanley, Emma’s Guest House
I’m feeling morose. I have just realised how short my UK leave is. It is depressing. I’m also concerned about the long-lining. I am so angry with the Ice Master, who is being incredibly immature and hurtful – the Fishing Master too.
Phoned home and D and they all sound well. D sounded a little down, I can’t wait to be with her again. I miss her so much – this week will be a trial.
Crag has handed in his notice and will be leaving in late August. This is very sad. After he goes, there’ll only be Sean, Phil, Drin, Dan and Liz. I’m also depressed because I’m going to be spending a lot more time at sea when I come back, on a ship that hates me!
Natural adventures 