Monday 28 July 2008

My Commute

For Tangobaby - with my cheap, elderly digicam.

A platform ...

Platform

A view from the train ...

Satellite dishes

These are round the back of Television Centre, just down the road from my office. If you've ever watched John Simpson bleeding for his viewers on BBC News, it probably came through one of these. I've often wondered if they really have to be white all over - if they can have a boring little logo, couldn't they be painted to look like giant daisies? I asked someone who knows and he said it probably helps, technically, that they're mostly white.

The awesome roof of St. Pancras International, with a statue of Betjeman, the poet, visible on the bridge.

Roof

If Paddington is the Valhalla of trains, this is Freya's hall of clouds. It was recently restored and repainted in the original colour. I don't need to go upstairs here when changing between my usual trains, but it makes a nice picture. If they have to close the underground station for overcrowding, you can walk to Euston, or for about the same amount of time you can come up here and get a reasonable crêpe and a cup of tea and by the time you've finished it will probably be open again.

Here's Sir John Betjeman:

Betjeman

The statue is here because he liked the place and wanted it to be properly restored. Notice the gothic arches behind him; the eminent Victorian who designed this and the vast steel roof saw no cause to change the style because of he changed technology; apart from the inspired idea of painting the roof sky-blue.

The clock.

Clock

Nearly home

Clock tower

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I just love these commute photo-essays. I'm going to have to think very hard about how to creatively display for you my trek down the hall.

tangobaby said...

Ms. Hedgehog!!!

I love this post and your commute and all of the details, and how super fun! Those glass vaulted ceilings must be beautiful.

Can I give you more photo assignments?!

I am trying to remember what stations I was in, but it was so long ago...sigh...but I remember how impressive the whole underground was, me just a lowly one from the Colonies. ;-)

msHedgehog said...

The glass roof is beautiful, and features rather nicely in this Eurostar ad.

What impresses me about the Tube is pretty much that it works at all.