Pictures of the abandoned Heygate Estate

When I first ventured into South-East London and the Elephant and Castle area, I could not help noticing the hideously ugly buildings that towered on the other side of the high-rising Strata building. After doing some research, I discovered that the buildings made up the Heygate Estate, which used to be a council house area from the 1970's onwards. It was only a few years ago that the estate was abandoned.  

The whole area is under demolition at the moment. Last summer, I managed to get through to the estate along with a few friends. The entrance we used to get it has since been blocked, so I am quite glad we made it there when we did. 

The estate has a certain ghostly feel about it. It reminds me of the pictures I have seen of the town of Prypiat in Ukraine, which was abandoned after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster. Time is standing still, and I find myself thinking about the lives people have led there. The estate is quite fascinating in an urban decay kind of way.  

See for yourself. Here are some pictures I took:

Anyone up for Pacman Heygate-style?

A view from the estate towards the new Strata building. 

Access to the old flats and apartments is blocked by glass walls, barb wire, or metal gates.
The porches are full of abandoned furniture and rubbish. 

More rubbish, this time on the ground.

There's a lot of colourful graffiti around. 

Words of wisdom by the old surgery entrance.

Beautiful boats and royals in the rain

Tomorrow is the 60th anniversary of HRH Queen Elizabeth II's coronation. To honour the reigning monarch's Diamond Jubilee, London has turned into a zone of festivities, smiles, laughter and joy. Free events have been organised for the occasion, some of which took place last week. 

Yesterday was the day of the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant, which saw over a thousand boats from different historical eras, Commonwealth countries and organisations sail through the River Thames. Powerful military boats were followed by cute steamboats and the Queen participated in the fun by sailing on her royal barge. 

Thousands of eager spectators occupied the riversides in an attempt to secure a good view to the river. We managed to get a descent spot close to Waterloo Bridge and enjoyed some munchies and cider while watching the activities of the river. And indeed, we saw the Queen and the royal family! Prince Harry dashed off without asking for my number though. How disappointing!

We stayed for quite a while, but left before the end as it started raining heavily. 

The Jubilee festivities continue today and tomorrow, however, I think I have had my share. I leave you with a not-the-best-quality picture of the pageant.

The royal family aboard the barge.

Sunday is the market day!

A few weeks back, a friend of mine took me out for a stroll around the Shoreditch-Spitalfields area. We walked down the Brick Lane and ventured into the narrow streets and alleyways behind the Shoreditch High Street Station, which were full of colourful little market stands offering goods from fabulous mock-jewellery to worn down WWII clothing, and from second-hand Converse boots to colourfully cheeky McHammer sunshades. "Worn down junk and overpriced retro goods" would be the apt phrase to describe these quirky goods. However, I must admit, that I whole-heartedly enjoyed the walk and the general atmosphere.

Old Spitalfields Market ( building on the left).

While I had only heard of the Camden market before, I was completely swept off my feet by the Old Spitalfields Market. After stepping in to the charming Victorian building, I was in vintage heaven. I could so easily spend all of my money there. The airy room was crowded with people, but due to the high ceiling, it did not feel as crowded and crammed as the street market. The goods were far more interesting than those of the street vendors: unique fashion with an adorable vintage touch, antique furnishings with a charming touch of the years, shoemaker's leather boots and cutesy jewellery no one else would ever have.

So today, I returned, with the remains of my previous paycheque burning a hole in my pocket. And indeed, it would have, once again, been easy to spend all my money there. Instead, I tried to be practical and only buy things I needed (read: the best deals I could find). See for yourself:

A pair of (faulty) flat ballerinas, £5 (from Traffic People)

A dress and trousers, £15 (from a market stall)

Afterwards, I ventured into a continental cheese store where a cute guy was selling cheese. And yes, I just had to buy some scrumptious little piece of hard cheese. Just because the guy was a handsome French guy, just because the cheese was fantastic, just because it was sunny out, and just because I was really happy.