My visit to the Northern Heights
Line at Finsbury Park proved to be disappointing. I walked along the disused
track, which has been converted to a nature reserve, until I came to the former
Crouch End station. Although the platforms were clearly visible, there was only
a muddy path running between them where the track had once been. I felt that
without the track, it looked more like the nature reserve it had become and not
the disused railway line that I was hoping for.
In the work of the photographer I
had researched, Joel Sternfeld, his work entitled ‘The High Line’ clearly
showed the railway tracks still in place. This allows the image to be viewed as
intended, whereas if I had taken the abandoned Crouch End station, the viewer
would have seen an area of nature reserve with a built-up concrete structure
that, if you had not known what you were looking at, would not have portrayed
the image I was hoping for.
Still working with the theme of
abandoned/disused railways, I researched various websites including:
The reduction of route network
and restructuring of the railways were referred to in the Beeching Cuts. Two reports written by Dr Richard Beeching in
1963 and 1965 identified 2,363 stations and 5,000 miles of railway line for
closure because of increasing competition of road transport. Protests saved
some of the lines and stations, but mass closure happened which left stations
and tracks to decay, which left me thinking there must be a suitable one to
photograph.
The online sites showed many
interesting areas of some of these stations. However, further research into the
ones that I felt might make really good photographs, again proved
disappointing. A lot of the images online had been taken a few years ago and
redevelopment had started on some, so much of the remains had been demolished. It
seemed that the ones that had not had worked started on them yet, had the
tracks removed either for health and safety reasons or just for the fact they
would have been stolen and sold for scrap. Another setback was that it would
have been impossible for me to gain access into a part of the old station to
get the images I required.
Whilst doing my research, the
Derelict London site was divided into categories and Cemeteries and Churches
caught my eye. There were plenty of images that I thought could fit into my
theme of abandoned/derelict places, but again as with the railway photos, lots
had been taken a few years ago and were now demolished. However, I have
narrowed my choice down to two that are suitable.
St Dunstan in the East is
two walls remaining of a church near Tower Hill in London dating back to 1382.
This church was partially destroyed by the Great Fire of London, rebuilt by
Christopher Wren and reduced to a shell in the Blitz. All that remained was the
tower and the steeple. It was decided not to rebuild the church again, but the
two remaining walls have beautiful architecture. However, my research into this
made me realise that this does not come under my abandoned/derelict theme as the
area has been converted into a walled garden by the local authority. Shrubs and
flowers grow through the windows and around a paved seating area where people
can escape the hustle and bustle of city life. As this is constantly
maintained, this will not fit my criteria.
St Lawrence’s Church in
Brentford, Middlesex looks just the same now as on the site. So that is where
my research has taken me. I am still going with the abandoned/disused theme,
but applying it to a church rather than a station. The concept is how nature evolves when places are left derelict and abandoned.
My next step is to find a
photographer who takes similar images and look at these. David Spero takes photographs
of derelict or abandoned buildings that have been converted to churches. But
what I shall take is the more traditional-looking church. I shall also research
issues that architecture that is out of character with the area brings. I know
there are lots of places in London where contrasting buildings sit together, so
I shall look up some of these images.
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