London is such a photogenic city that I have a had time keeping my camera turned off. On Monday, my friend Ali and I did a circular walk from Trafalgar Square to Lambeth Bridge, across to the South Bank and over to St Paul’s Cathedral (where I got to test my new tripod) before walking back to Holborn and catching the bus to Crouch End. This route is part of the Jubilee Walkway, a project chaired by Vivien Leigh biographer and friend of vivandlarry.com Hugo Vickers. Our mission was to get some good shots along the walk, which offers brilliant views of some of London’s most iconic landmarks.
Mission accomplished? I like to think so. We even said hello to Laurence Olivier along the way.
I promise to have some actual Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier-related goodies on the site in the next few days (I’ve got a book review, author Q&A, and a video to put up) but as yesterday was the last sunny day before a week of forecasted rain and gloom, I grabbed my camera and headed back to Regent’s Park to take some portraits. My subject? Mother Nature. Always beautiful and always fascinating.
More photos from my walk in Regents Park can be found onflickr. I am steadily building a photography portfolio of sorts in hoping of landing a position as a photography assistant. This hobby brings me so much joy and I am eager to learn the ins and outs of the business and to get some hands-on experience working with professionals. If there are any professional London-based photographers who read this site and are looking for any help, or would just be willing to let me tag along on a shoot, I’d love to be your right hand (wo)man!
An aside: This Saturday, in honor of Vivien Leigh’s birthday, I’ve scheduled a little meet up for fans in London. It’s just a casual thing. We’re planning to meet at 54 Eaton Square at noon to lay some flowers, and then go for tea or a drink in Chelsea. If you will be in town on the day and would like to join, please let me know!
As we enter November, autumn will soon start to give way to the bare trees and cold, wet days of winter. But for now, the season is still in full bloom, even in here London. Although a sprawling metropolis, London offers plenty of sectioned-off green space filled with beautiful foliage and wildlife that have populated the area for centuries. Many of the largest parks and estate grounds were bequeathed by royalty, so they remain immaculately kept and are enjoyed by thousands, if not millions of visitors each year. This past week, in between sending out job applications and watching copious amounts of films rented from the Hornsey Library, I took my camera out to try and capture some of the magnificent color and beauty of autumn in the capitol.
Kenwood House is a certified English Heritage-managed stately home in Hampstead, North London. I took the 210 from Finsbury Park which dropped me off right in front of the gates.The house itself dates back to the 16th century and is surrounded by luscious grounds with duck ponds, bogs, romantic gardens and dark woodland bordering Hampstead Heath. Paths meander through the woods for what seem like miles, shrouded in a canopy of luscious orange, yellow, red and brown. I wanted to take advantage of the soft afternoon light, so I brought along my new 50mm f/1.4 lens, an early Christmas present from my mom, and snapped away! It is very tranquil and beautiful this time of year, and the best part about Kenwood House is that it’s free.
The Regent’s Park borders Primrose Hill and Baker Street in central London, and is home to the London Zoo. This huge park has beautiful was endowed by Henry VIII as a hunting ground and now has rose gardens, large sports grounds, and the famous Open Air Theatre, where Vivien Leigh once played Anne Boleyn in a 1936 production of Shakespeare’s Henry VIII. Sit by the lake and feed the birds or stroll through the immaculate gardens with a cup of coffee. Whatever you fancy, be sure to wear a scarf to keep you warm.
For someone who’s been dead for nearly 400 years, William Shakespeare sure knows how to make a living. His birthplace, Stratford-upon-Avon, is a virtual tourist trap for travelers who come from far and wide wanting to indulge in all things Shakespeare-related. One can learn of the town’s Tudor history at Falstaffs Experience, see plays come to life at the famous Royal Shakespeare Company, and even visit the bard’s final resting place in the Holy Trinity church–all for a price, of course.
Luckily, I had no need to elicit the services of a conspicuous-looking man in a doublet and lace, leather gloves and a wide brimmed hat on my visit to Stratford yesterday. My tour guide was the lovely Emma Parry, a long-time friend of vivandlarry.com who invited me up to have a look around. Being a fellow Vivien Leigh and Laurence Olivier fan, Emma knew all of the best sites to see.
We had lunch in a great restaurant called Edward Moon. The leek and potato soup, and mushroom and madiera chicken were fantastic–no room left for crème brûlée, sadly! Afterward, we took a walk to the Royal Shakespeare Company to see where the Oliviers performed in Macbeth, Titus Andronicus and Twelfth Night during the famous 1955 season. Although it was overcast, the walk offered beautiful views of the theatre and parkland on both sides of the River Avon. We stopped by the Holy Trinity church to pay a visit to Shakespeare himself and saw the memorial tree that had been dedicated to Vivien Leigh.
Our tour of Stratford was followed by a drive in the country to visit Emma’s home town, Chipping Campden, and then on to Broadway, both in the picturesque Cotswolds. We enjoyed afternoon tea with fresh scones, clotted cream and home-made jam at the Bantam Tea Rooms in Chipping Campden before heading over to Broadway to buy sweets in the old fashioned candy shop. The Cotswolds are the definition of a picturesque English village, and look like something out of a Thomas Kincaide painting. One of the most notable buildings in Broadway is the Lygon Arms. This famous hotel has served as a rendezvous spot for many famous people over the centuries. Notable guests have included Oliver Cromwell, J.M. Barrie, Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh, and the Kennedys.
It was wonderful to explore the heart of England with a kindred spirit. I honestly feel very lucky that this website has brought me in contact with so many amazing people. Thanks again for being a fabulous tour guide, Emma!
Consider this 31 Days of the Oliviers {days 10-15}.
There have been many posts around the classic film blogosphere lately documenting visits to cemeteries where the rich and famous are interred. Okay, so all of these posts have come from Meredith at Dear Mr. Gable, but they’re fascinating. I have a long-standing fascination with cemeteries, particularly victorian ones such as Bonaventure Cemetery in Savannah, GA, and Highgate Cemetery in North London (which I visited a few months ago and posted about on my photography blog). They are beautiful, somewhat creepy and endlessly fascinating. There are many burial grounds in London. Whether out in the open or inside cathedrals, if you visit one you’re almost guaranteed to spot a famous person’s grave.
Today I went to snap photos at a place that’s slightly different from your traditional cemetery. Golders Green Crematorium is one of the oldest crematoria in Britain. Its gates opened in 1902, and it has been providing non-secular cremations and funeral services for both celebrities and the general public ever since. Fans of Vivien Leigh may find it interesting because she was cremated here in 1967 before her ashes were scattered at Tickerage Mill. Some of the notable names who still remain at Golders Green include Ivor Novello, Alexander Korda, Elisabeth Bergner, Keith Moon, Sigmund Freud, Conrad Veidt, Anna Pavlova and Peter Sellers, among others.
The grounds and garden are very beautiful, especially now that the foliage has donned Autumn colors. It was very quiet and peaceful when I visited this afternoon, with only one or two people resting on the benches in the garden, taking in the afternoon sun and possibly thinking of a departed loved one. As it is a crematorium and not a cemetery, there are no grave stones. Ashes are kept in urns inside the chapels or are scattered on the lawns in the garden. Plaques adorn the walls as well as sit at the base of rose bushes and trees that have been dedicated in memory of the dead.
Golders Green Crematorium can be reached via Golders Green tube or by bus from Golders Green road. It’s very easy to find–located just across the street from the Jewish cemetery.