The London Walker

A night-time walk, passing through St James’s Park last night heading down to Whitehall and the river, revealed some interesting photography as well as a variety of challenges. Is it me or is London illuminated slightly less? Some of the grand buildings like Westminster Cathedral and the Houses of Parliament seem to be hardly lit at all. Needless to say, it didn’t dampen the spirits; being out and about in town is such a pleasure at any time of the day. There’s always something new to see, and the city was crowded with people from all across the world, having a walk after dinner and enjoying themselves and the sights of London.

Walking from Green Park station, its nice to head down to the Mall using the footpath on the eastern perimeter of the park, at night its lit by the warm glow of old Victorian gas lamps. I’ve begun to develop a keen fascination for the lovely old gas lamps which are still in use across the city, and I want to investigate further their incredible stories, its well worth visiting the @london_lamplighters to find out more, its a real area of expertise and beautiful stories.

This image, alas, is of an electric one, I thought I’d grab a shot however, appreciating how it appears from the darkness and gloom. It has a nice graphic feel.

While most of London’s street lighting has been modernised, a small but fascinating number of lamps date all the way back to the late Georgian era. If you take a closer look, you’ll discover that a few are still gas-powered, the tell-tale flutter of small flames, casting a gentle glow, a light from a bygone age.

These rare surviving lamps, found mostly around Westminster, Green Park, and St James’s Park, along with a few beauties in the passageways of Covent Garden, serve as a living reminder and offer a glimpse of how London once illuminated its streets before the widespread adoption of electric light.