The train down to London on Saturday had those rare sliding windows in the doors. I noticed this as we approached King's Cross and took a few slow-shutter pictures out into the night. We passed industrial buildings, homes, offices, trees, trains, the Arsenal stadium and the last few East Coast Main Line stations.
Places
Waiting for dawn /
I went to Brighton on Wednesday to take pictures for some new Lifeboats ads. I arrived at London Bridge station much earlier than I needed to for my 07:12 train so wandered round outside for a bit taking these pictures. The first one sadly at 05:17 and the last, through the train window, at 07:41 as the sun came up over cars parked at Gatwick Airport.
The People's Pool /
Back in June I was asked to photograph a site visit to east London's Haggerston Baths. An architect friend wanted pictures for a proposal to Hackney Council on the future of the building.
The baths were closed by the local authority in 2000, after almost a century of public service and it has now invited 'expressions of interest' to develop the site. My friend's group is proposing a community-based alternative to the predictable commercial schemes.
We spent an hour on a guided tour of the place and I used the time to take these pictures. Years of neglect have left obvious damage which some visitors have sadly made worse.
How does such a historic public resource become redundant and fall into such a miserable state? What would the people who designed, built and enjoyed Haggerston Baths think?
Hackney Gazette - Haggerston Baths on the Market
At the opening ceremony in 1904, the Vice Chair of the Baths Committee, Alderman E J Wakeling, swam the length of the bath under water.