The London Daily Newsletter Monday 10 July

Wood Lane cottages (1890)
Old cottages in Wood Lane, c. 1890.

These cottages stood on a turning near the Shepherds Bush end of Wood Lane on the east side. A drawing of the cottages appeared in the West London Sketcher, in July 1889, suggesting that they were ripe for improvement. It was about this time that a photographer was dispatched to record the scene before the inevitable demolition.

TUM Book Club: Tube Mapper Project
Photographer Luke Agbaimoni created the Tube Mapper project allowing him to be creative, fitting photography around his lifestyle and adding stations on his daily commute.

The Underground is the backbone of the city of London, a part of our identity. It’s a network of shared experiences and visual memories, and most Londoners and visitors to the city will at some point have an interaction with the London Underground tube and train network. Photographer Luke Agbaimoni gave up city-scape night photography after the birth of his first child, but creating the Tube Mapper project allowed him to continue being creative, fitting photography around his new lifestyle and adding stations on his daily commute. His memorable photographs consider such themes as symmetry, reflections, tunnels and escalators, as well as simply pointing out and appreciating the way the light falls on a platform in an evening sunset. This book reveals the London every commuter knows in a unique, vibrant and arresting style.

The Fighting Temeraire (1838) This is a renowned oil painting created by the English artist J.M.W. Turner. It was exhibited at the Royal Academy in 1839 and is currently housed in the National Gallery in London. The painting depicts the HMS Temeraire, a famous 98-gun ship that played a significant role in the Battle of Trafalgar, being towed by a steam tug along the Thames in 1838. The ship was being taken to Rotherhithe in order to be dismantled and sold as scrap. Turner was known for his atmospheric and evocative paintings, often focusing on maritime subjects and the effects of light and weather. Although it is unclear whether Turner personally witnessed the towing of the Temeraire, he used artistic license in the painting to convey a symbolic meaning that resonated with the viewers of the time. The choice of the Temeraire as the subject of the painting was influenced by its historical significance and the public attention surrounding its sale by the Admiralty. In the painting, the Union Jack is not seen flying on the ship, but rather a white flag, symbolizing its transfer to private ownership. In 2005, the paintingwas voted the nation’s favourite painting in a poll organized by BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. Furthermore, in 2020, a depiction of the painting was featured on the new £20 banknote alongside Turner’s self-portrait from 1799

JWW Turner

Video: Flying into LCY
A simulated flight into LCY courtesy of Google Earth Studio.