Big Freeze - January 2009

The worst cold weather since the 1980s brings the usual chaos and total inability of the authorities to cope, but does at least make for a photo opportunity without having to brave the cold!











© Christopher Seddon 2009

Remains of Crystal Palace

Originally erected in Hyde Park to house the Great Exhibition of 1851, the Crystal Palace was intended only as a temporary structure but in an impressive example of Victorian can do, it was reincarnated as a permanent attraction in the public space now known as Crystal Palace Park, enjoying its second royal opening by Queen Victoria in 1854.

For more than eight decades the Crystal Palace enjoyed mixed fortunes as a visitor attraction, for the main part being beset by the same problems that would dog the Millennium Dome a century and a half later. It never had enough visitors to break even, despite staging events which included the world's first cat show in 1871.

By the early part of the 20th Century the building was in decline but in 1913 it was saved from developers by the Earl of Plymouth and saved for the nation by a public subscription. During the 1920s restoration work was carried out and the attraction began to make a modest attraction, but sadly in 1936 it caught fire and was totally destroyed.

Plans for redeveloping the site and even rebuilding the palace continue to the present day, but in seven and a half decades have come to nothing.





















© Christopher Seddon 2009

Nestle Factory, Hayes

This little-known Art Deco classic is the Nestle Factory at Hayes, west London.









© Christopher Seddon 2009

Beneath the Tate Modern

An unassuming door in the Power Hall of the Tate Modern leads to a subterranean world that few have ever seen or, indeed, will ever see. The oil tanks feeding the former power station are due to be converted to gallery space as part of the Tate's 11-storey extension project. On 5 July 2009, as part of an open day, small groups of local residents and their friends were allowed down into the massive underground complex which had never previously been open to the public.





















© Christopher Seddon 2009

Telstar

It is quite unusual to be able to see a movie, leave the cinema and walk down the road to where the action took place. Anybody intending to see Nick Moran's newly-released "Telstar" might therefore want to see it at the otherwise-unprepossessing Holloway Odeon.

Starring Con O'Neill as maverick record producer and songwriter Joe Meek and Kevin Spacey as his business partner Major Banks, the movie tells the story of Meek's rise and fall, beginning with his 1962 hit single Telstar. Named for and inspired by an early communication satellite, this instrumental track was recorded by Meek's band The Tornadoes at his makeshift recording studio, located above a leather goods shop at 304 Holloway Road, a few minutes walk away from the Odeon.

Telstar reached No 1 on both sides of the Atlantic, but Meek's success was short lived. Hampered by paranoia, drug use, depression and a ferocious temper, his career began to falter and he fell into debt. Many of his problems likely arose from being an openly gay man in an era when homosexuality was barely tolerated.

The downward spiral ended in tragedy on 3 February 1967 when Meek shot his landlady after an argument about unpaid rent and then turned the gun on himself.


Holloway Odeon.


Poster promoting "Telstar" at Holloway Odeon'


304 Holloway Road today - now a convenience store.


Privately-manufactured plaque marking the location of the studio. Above can be seen a satellite dish, an ironic commentary on how satellite communication soon became commonplace.

© Christopher Seddon 2009

The Circle, Shad Thames

Located just off Jamaica Road, Bermondsey, these attractive residential blocks were among the first redevelopment projects in the Shad Thames region.





© Christopher Seddon 2009

City Hall, London

Designed by Lord Foster and opened in 2002, City Hall is the headquarters of the Greater London Authority. Located near Tower Bridge, the 45 metre high steel and glass structure is not to everybody's taste and former Mayor of London Ken Livingstone once referred to it as a "glass testicle". More than one commentator has noted that the building is a statement on transparent government!











© Christopher Seddon 2009

Tower Bridge

Part suspension bridge and part bascule bridge, Tower Bridge opened in 1894, having taken eight years to beuild. So iconic has this bridge become that non-Londoners frequently refer to it as London Bridge, which is actually the next bridge upstream.







© Christopher Seddon 2009

Trellick Tower

Designed by Ernő Goldfinger, Trellick Tower in North Kensington was commissioned by the Greater London Council in 1966 and completed in 1972. The 322ft late Modernist towerblock is now a Grade II* listed building, but Goldfinger's work has not always been to everybody's taste.

Ian Fleming, creator of James Bond, was definitely not a fan and it is no coincidence that 007's most memorable opponent was named Auric Goldfinger. Auric's real-life counterpart failed to see the funny side when the original novel came out and threatened to sue. As part of a rather bizarre out-of-court settlement, Ernő Goldfinger eventually accepted six copies of the book!











© Christopher Seddon 2009