June challenge I. (a): a new building

[spiralsheep]

Get on the first bus that comes along. While travelling on the bus, look out of the window until you see something interesting. Get off at the next stop, go back, and thoroughly investigate the interesting thing.

My report is here, with two photos.

Comments

[kake]

Nice one! Would love to see a close-up of those tiles.

[spiralsheep]

When the hoardings come down I shall be attempting to photograph my reflection in any available tiles at ground level (and, of course, blag my way into the building without the appropriate pass).

I've been trying to do the eatery challenge but my random place was a scarily trendy deli in a quaint Tudorbethan street, noted for its half-timbered wattle'n'daub black&white buildings, which I've walked down as often as any street in Worcester. Sigh. I might have to created a mutant variant of the challenge (or try the left & right from a familiar place walk next instead).

[kake]

I did the left & right one the other day! Though I had to stop sooner than I wanted to due to an evening appointment and the impending onset of rush hour. I might actually go and continue it from my leaving-off point, before I write it up (spoiler: the Thames had quite an interesting effect on the route).

[spiralsheep]

Ooo... I'm guessing you might've ended up going along the river and up&down all the adjoining alleys and urban cut-throughs. I did this once through the Inns of Court and discovered all sorts of places I never would've visited otherwise. I also found out that all the local messangers skive out of sight in the porch of the Round Church SMOKING. I hope the CofE has good fire insurance. ::tuts/lolz in their general direction::

[kake]

It was a bit more macroscopic than that... I think I need to go and carry it on and see if my theory of the continued route is valid. I do like how this one is pretty much impossible to predict from a map (at least in London).

I haven't explored any of the Inns of Court despite working in Holborn for a couple of years because I was never quite sure how to tell which bits of them are private property. I am a bit of a coward like that.

[spiralsheep]

I await your report with interest.

If you go during working hours then there're generally plenty of people milling about, although probably fewer now t'interwebz has replaced some messenger functions (physical briefs still have to be hand delivered though, y/n?). How about starting at the Round Church, which is interesting in its own right, and then radiating outwards along spokes?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_Church

It's a "non-Royal peculiar"! How could you not want to explore it now you know that?! Oh, and the surrounding areas of the Inner and Middle Temples are both non-parochial areas AND liberties.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple,_London

Although if you're a brown person (sry, I can't remember) then best not to hang around photographing the IISS, heh.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Institute_for_Strategic_Studies

Lastly, bearing in mind its history, I consider constructive trespassing of the Gray's Inn walks is more or less my duty. ;-)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gray%27s_Inn#Walks

[kake]

OK, I'm sold :) I'll go for a wander at some point, and report back. Thank you!