Twickenham riverside with nice sky -# 134/2011

Just a nice standard "City Daily Photo".

The steamer calling in at Hammerton's Ferry - # 48/10

RuT goes back to its roots with this simple shot of the regular steamer from Kew to Hampton Court via Richmond and Kingston calling in at Hammerton's Ferry opposite Ham House.  Passengers can take the ancient ferry across the water to visit the great 17th Century house at Ham, or the more modest, Marble Hill House on the Twickenham side. 

Richmond roofline 14 - # 09/104

HELP! I'm all boxed in!! (A funny little modern attic extension on a charming little cottage).

In Twickenham, one of the communities that is part of the Borough of Richmond, Twickenham and Barnes, there are several narrow, sloping lanes that run directly down to the river from the main road which is higher up the gentle slope of what were once the old banks of the Thames.

These lanes are full of small cottages and old store rooms and work shops that were once part of the tiny riverside community that never dreamed it would become an affluent suburb of the mighty capital city that dominated the world for about 100 years. (Watch out America - you have barely 50 years left before you lose your title).

I'm boxed in too. Not much time to get out and take photos at the moment.

Marble Hill at night - # 08/190

I showed Marble Hill in full sunlight about 9 months ago. This recent (sun-down) night shot does it full justice and shows the excellent work of the lighting experts who have managed to display it so well. The house sits beside the Thames. (On reflection I should have cropped out some of the dark lawn - but even so it's a nice view of the house).

Crane walk, final- # 08/138

Rain clouds pass, the spring sunshine appears. The River Crane presents a classic curving shot for the camera.

River Crane magic- # 08/137

Rain drops on the lens, sunlight breaking through, bright shining, fast flowing water, muddy bank. Wilderness within the boundary of the mega-city.

Small river, powerful river, moment for reflection - # 08/136

The crystal clear waters of the Crane are powerful enough to drive water wheels. Depending on where you stand the waters catch the light to throw different and pleasing patterns.

River Crane image - # 08/135

When the ice cap that covered Britain melted (it stopped a few miles north of what is now London) it poured out a load of gravel that is now the flat land of Heathrow LHR airport and it also blessed us with a number of small, clear fast-flowing rivers. You have seen something of the Brent which became part of the Grand Junction Canal, so now I'll show you something of the tiny, but delightful River Crane. I urge locals and tourists to discover it and walk along the Crane valley.

This image was taken on a very wet day in March.....I had a delightful walk, the sun came out, and the frequent bus back to Kingston came within 5 minutes when I reached the Hanwell Rd.

The hard and the soft - # 08/131

Roofs, walls and bushes, and a tiny little curl on the top corner: the Embankment, Twickenham.

Grey, and abrasive - # 08/125

I feel the need to explore "Dark Side". Some of it will be B&W; some colour but with light and shade as the real subject, rather than the thing shown. It will be angles, nooks and crannies and shapes. Just for a few days it will be the Richmond area, but what the camera sees and the hand contrives to make it into: not the "conventional" landscape snap shot.

Here is Regal House, Twickenham, a 60s-70s "urban renewal monster". You could be in Communist Eastern Europe or 60s London or Paris; anywhere in Europe recovering from war. In fact you could be anywhere but in a harmonious comfortable frame of mind. Just be afraid and pray that it never happens again.

Old Twickenham 1 - # 08/122

Walking through the core of old Twickenham close by the old St. Mary's church (remodelled in the 18th century) we are reminded that this was a very small riverside community, built on a rising slope to avoid floods and take advantage of the good landing point offered by the river bank.

Walking through gives an experience of sudden light, sudden patches of shadow, changes in level, a rich sense of rough texture and vegetable colour, and a variety of angular shapes.

The arrival of the railway changed all that - 19th century urban sprawl took over!

An unexpected find - # 08/116

If you get caught by the in-rushing high tide flooding across the road in yesterday's photo (and if the high tide is severe, watch out!!! - It will be up to your knees) you will have to make a quick detour up the rise of nature's natural embankment, now known as Sion Rd.

This row of 18th century houses (about 1720 I believe) is an unexpected find in such a place. But it is on higher ground and the old builders probably knew what they were doing. Notice that the white-walled house, closest to us, and lower down, has a set of steps up to its raised entrance.

The tide is high - # 08/115

No glamour here. Blondie may lull us with the pleasant song of that title, but the high tide at the foot of Ferry Rd, Twickenham, brings the flotsam of modern Britain. Imagine all the rubbish repeated endlessly all around the world, over thousands of miles of rivers in every country. No wonder there are whole areas of the world's oceans thick with this stuff.

Enough said! - # 08/114

One of the old ferry points from Twickenham across to Ham. Believe it or not, it's at the bottom of Ferry Rd. At high Spring tides the water rises high up the lamp post and blocks the road.

Twickenham after dark - # 08/113

In the evening Church Lane, Twickenham, is closed to cars. Restaurants are allowed to put out tables . The street becomes free for wanderers. Live R&B music flows from the Fox Inn and Eel Pie customers overflow onto the street.

ISO 800. 1/25sec @ f2.8. 100mm. Red filter. Olympus E3

Wasting assets - # 08/112

We're continuing our walk along the riverside of "old" Twickenham, moving towards Hammerton's Ferry opposite Ham House. Not far to the right of this view is the busy repair yard on Eel Pie island. Perhaps these boats will be re-cycled one day, and sold "as new" to another proud owner.

This kind of riverside dereliction always puzzles me. The engine alone is worth a lot of money (unless it's totally burned out). But you see it all the time: derelict little "pride-and-joys" totally abandoned by owners who have realised that the idyll of a "little craft on the river" ain't so idyllic after all. However, marine dereliction is very photogenic.

Traditional fare - # 08/110

Continuing our little walk through the heart of old Twickenham beside the river we pass "the Eel Pie" inn.

I contemplated B&W because of the pleasant tones in this picture, but the colour hues are also very gentle and easy on the eye: so I went for colour, especially in honour of the floral display in the hanging flower baskets that matches the yellowish tones of sign boards so well. A good design consultant seems to have been at work here. The slight dampness of a recent rain shower makes the pavement shine, and has laid a slight misty puff over the trees in the background. B&W would have wiped that out.

Eel Pie also refers to the river island opposite Twickenham - a community of artists, eccentrics, philosophers and inventors that is so discrete and hidden away that it is hard to photograph.

Through the gate, down the alley, through the garden etc...- # 08/109

We're still in Church Lane, Twickenham. This is the alley taking us through the garden of the Fox Inn - known to have been an inn on this site since at least the 1640s.

The Bar Fly told me that this inn sells "Real Ale" from local prize winning brewers.....must check it out.

Church Lane on the afternoon of the F.A. Cup Final - # 08/108

Church Lane, Twickenham, is normally full. But last Saturday no-one was on the street and loud roars came from the pubs. The F.A. Cup Final (Soccer for the Americans among you) was played between Cardiff and Portsmouth.

Church Lane is at the tiny core of 17th - 18th century Twickenham, where houses of "town scape merit" cluster around the Georgian church. Before the coming of the railways Richmond and Twickenham were very tiny riverside communities relying on the trades of barge traffic loading and carrying agricultural products, milling grain, brewing beer, and the employment provided by a number of royal palaces and the houses of the first, second and third rate gentry who wanted to be close to royal influence.

After 1845 (beginning of the railway age) the population of these towns exploded, agricultural land was swallowed up and the scenery became definitely "urban".

Sunset looking from Ham towards Twickenham - # 08/20

Perhaps not my "finest photo", but too good to miss posting today. It celebrates the wonderful sunsets we are enjoying at the moment, and also how lucky we are here to have these river views. The lighting is all natural. The reflections in the water are from the sun bouncing off the white hulls of the boats moored at Hammerton's Ferry. The sky is pretty much "as seen". You can make out the con-trails of the intercontinental jets racing in from North America, finding their turning point near Heathrow and streaking off towards the mainland of Europe. (In this area you can sometimes see probably 20-30 planes all at different heights: if each has 300 on board that is 6,000 people in the sky!!!!). On the tow path, the puddles reflect water left behind after the recent high tide that has overtopped the bank, making the path impassable for an hour or two.

Magic!

Camera: Olympus E3 (setting- I think - WB "Cloudy" with one tick into the Amber. "Good Old Oly!")