Going over the same old ground

In the unlikely event that you have been eagerly awaiting this update I apologize, I've just been too busy of late to think about writing.
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Somewhat rested after a week off, I returned to the City fully intent on finding certain pieces that had evaded me on prior expeditions. The previous occasions I had visited the roads that these pieces are located in I was thwarted by either a poor description of the exact location or by my eyes plotting against me and refusing outright to find the works. I was determined to seek out these pieces so over my week off I set about digging up what I could on the internet and found more precise locations of each. Primed with mental snapshots of the required information I once more ventured out into the chilly London air to nab a few more photos to add to the collection.

The first port of call was to be the 'Always Fail' rat sprayed on the walls of the Mount Pleasant mail headquarters. I was quickly learning the immediate area thanks to my frequent detours nearby to see the "Cash Machine Girl" on Rosebery Av. It turned out that I was walking past the rat almost daily but I was walking on the wrong side of the road with my eyes anywhere but where they should have been focusing. A little help from the internet revealed that the rat was next to a bus stop so pinning it down was a piece of the proverbial cake. The picture I managed to secure was taken in a bit of a hurry, perhaps rush hour is not the best time to go about blocking a walkway just so I can get a picture of some graffiti.
Later that week I went back to Westland Place, the road that Jamie Oliver's 'fifteen' restaurant is on, to snap the welding rats that I missed out in my previous blog entry. Headphones firmly plugged in and travel card at hand, I jumped onto the tube to get to Old Street station and made my way up the City Road. As I turned into the road I immediately noticed the rats up ahead and once again I found my self questioning whether I ought to get my prescription changed at the opticians. I whipped out my phone and, horror of horrors, it refused to work. Somehow the safe confines of my top pocket are not quite safe enough for the SIM card which had apparently attempted to make a break for freedom. After I had given it a severe dressing down about how the grass is not always greener on the other side, I put it back in place, took the picture and decided to go exploring.
My exploring that day mainly consisted of walking back and forth down Old Street in the hope that I would spot some of the Banksy pieces that I knew were knocking about round there. I hadn't bothered to find out exact locations nor had I any idea if they were even still running but I fancied the walk so off I went. I spent upwards of 20 minutes walking around Old Street and its back streets and didn't spot a single bloody piece. Feeling a bit put out I began to make my way to the station so I could go home and get some well deserved rest but not before spotting some of the finest graffiti I have ever set my eyes upon. I know its not by Banksy but I think it is awesome enough to upload into this blog so I will.
Next time: probably the pieces I didn't find on Old Street but I don't know when I'm going to have a chance to seek them out

Gestating with all the other rats

It seems that Smithfield has a bit of a rat infestation, I reckon buying meat from there is still fine though, these rats are only paint.

Thursday morning saw me hunting out these rats with my phone and they couldn't have been easier to spot if they'd tried. Turn left out of Barbican tube station and take the first road to your left and you are there, just walk until you see them staring right at you.

I didn't think I did too bad a job for 5 minutes 'work' spotting these so I continued with my business and began counting down the time until I could get back to the streets to spot some more. The hours flew by and soon enough I was heading home, heading in completely the opposite direction to where I live, ready to track down some more. I nabbed a quick shot of the Refuse Rat (pictured below) on my way back to Barbican where I hopped on the Tube to Moorgate got another one up to Old Street and from there headed north towards Jamie Oliver's restuarant. I'd heard that there were a few welding rats there that would have gone great with the rest of my rat filled day but I couldn't find any. Thinking they'd been buffed I turned back for home but not before catching a glimpse of JO leave Fifteen using his mobile. I would have followed him but I wasn't really in the mood for stalking. I've found out that the rats are actually further on down the road so I'll be going back soon, so I might try and get his autograph or something.


Next time: I don't know, I haven't taken any more pictures yet. =D

The Clerkenwell Road Gang

The first piece that I wanted to go check out was on the Clerkenwell Road, all I knew about it was that somewhere along the road there were a group of old age pensioners crowded around a ghetto blaster. I hadn't seen what it looked like nor did I know exactly where it was but I threw on my jacket, plugged in my headphones and went on my way to find it.

As I had no idea where I was supposed to be looking I had my eyes on stalks the whole time. Quickly flicking from one side of the road to the other in the hope that I'd see something that would reveal its location to me. In doing this I spotted a brown circle on a column a little way ahead of me. Surely this couldn't be another Banksy? The map had only shown one on this road. I pressed on eager to see what was painted on the wall and found the image you see before you. I'm still a little unsure whether or not this was actually done by Banksy but giving its close proximity to the image further down the page and the general look of it, I'm going out on a limb and declaring that it is indeed the work of Banksy.


So I had found an unexpected piece but I still had not seen what I had actually come to see. I still had no idea where abouts on the road it was located, or indeed if it was still there. The local councils and businesses often don't take too kindly to having their walls covered in art and buff them into oblivion. They might have got to it before I could. I continued up the road, still keeping my eyes peeled, when I saw a man stop by what looked like a carpark, take a picture of something and then walk off. This guy didn't look like an architect to me so I was willing to bet good money that he had found something on the wall worth taking a picture of. Unfortunately, by the time I had crossed the busy road he was long gone. I wanted to tell him about some of my finds as he had been key in finding this one. Worse news was to come, someone in their infinate wisdom had seen it fit to erect a ruddy great fence between me and the piece. The result was a picture that I'm not happy with, never fear though, I plan to return soon in the hope of getting a far more worthy picture.

Next time: Suddenly, rats. Hundreds of them!

The two that started it all...

Now that the rather long winded introductory post is out of the way I can get down and dirty with the nitty gritty...so to speak. It's time to get the pictures off of my Samsung (last plug, I promise) and out and open on the wide plains of the internet. I'll start where all good stories, and picture based blogs, should and that is at the beginning:

This is the photograph that started it all, if I had not walked past it that day the idea would have never struck me and I'd probably be in bed now rather than typing this up. I found this on the corner where Farringdon Road meets Rosebery Avenue right by the Mount Pleasent sorting office. It was only by chance that I had ended up down that road in the first place, I was trying to find a backroad to Kings Cross station but missed somewhat and ended up at Chancery Lane. Luckily the route I took led me right past this and I was able to get a half decent shot before the crowds wanted me out of the way.




This handsome fellow I found on the shutter of a shop in Exmouth Market. Again it was a matter of chance that saw me finding this piece. I had seen the road when I found the "Cashmachine Girl" on Rosbery Av and some of the buildings had attracted my attention. As I walked down the road I kept my eyes out for a shop where I could grab a bite to eat or a coffee shop that didn't have a queue stretching out of the door, sadly I could find neither but near one of the cafes I spotted this guy. The original picture taken of this was not great, I felt the need to hurry as the locals were giving me funny looks. On a later review of the picture I decided that it was not up to par and that I would have to take another, that lunchtime I went back to the spot only to find the shutter had been raised and the shop was doing business. Shocked at the blatent disregard shown towards my interests by the shop I left for home, to return the next morning and triumphantly take the picture you see before you.

Next time: The Clerkenwell Road gang.

An introduction

I would never have thought that a bit of black and blue paint on a bricked up window would lead me to a brand new pastime but that is exactly what has happened. Of course it wasn't just any old tag I had spotted on the wall, this was the work of Banksy, this was something special. This was something that needed to be recorded incase an over zealous council worker get a bit too familiar with brick cleaner. Out came the camera phone, my trusty Samsung E350e *, and after a few poorly framed snaps I found a shot I was happy enough to commit to the phone's memory. Pleased with myself, I continued my journey and went through the rest of a mundane day.

Fast forward to two days later and I'm walking down a road very close to where I had spotted the piece on the bricked up window and, quite by suprise, I was greeted by a strange figure seated at a coffee table. Maybe that's not so odd, there are plenty of strange people in London and the law of averages dictates that at least one of them likes to sit at a table. I'm willing to bet, however, that most of these people aren't painted onto the shutter of a shop. I had just found my second Banksy piece and after a picture was taken I was on my way again. Now with the formations of a master plan swirling around my grey matter.

Upon returning home several hours later I decided that a little research was in order. I knew that Banksy had done alot of 'work' on the South Bank and in the City but I was unsure of how far around London his work was located. Through my foraging of the internet undergrowth I happened upon this page showing the locations of many of Banksy's pieces around london in handy map form. Noticing that a few of the locations could be easily reached with a little tweaking of my regular journey, I made plans to go see them first hand and to take a picture of each to add to my collection of two.

It was at this moment the individual thoughts of the 'master plan' that had been swirling decided to crash into each other and finally form themselves as a true idea. I wasn't going to settle with just the pieces on my normal route, I would start to go out further and further until I had bloody loads of pictures saved. How many pictures constitutes 'bloody loads' I've yet to work out but it'd be safe to assume that I'm aiming for more than one and less than a thousand. This master plan, by it's very nature, won't keep me off of the streets and I've yet to find an activity that will keep me out of mischief but I'll be out in the open air and that's bound to be a good thing. Sure it may not be the most conventional of pastimes but for the moment it's the most interesting one I can think to carry out. So I shall continue until I reach my target of 'bloody loads' or get knocked over by a black cab. Which ever comes first.

It has just come to my attention that you might be wondering why you are reading this. Or rather, why I have written all of this down. Well, reader of mine, there are many reasons for why I'm writing this up as a blog. Firstly, there is little point in going ahead with the master plan if I have no one to show the fruit of my labours off too. Secondly, I wanted to make have a dedicated blog for this rather than lump it in along with the general day to day stuff of other blogs/journals I update. Thirdly, it was suggested to me, and it was a damn fifne suggestion.

Well now all of the introduction is out of the way we can get to the fun bit of posting pictures...in my next post.
Cheers for reading this far (if you have), pictures coming soon (i.e. tonight or tomorrow morning)


* I gave that special mention in the hope that one day this blog will become well known and Samsung will send me loads of freebies, it's a long shot but it could happen. By the way Samsung, if today is the future and you are reading this unsure whether to offer me free stuff or not, will mentioning that I have a Samsung monitor knocking about somewhere sweeten the deal? Let me know.