from industry to illustration: New River Head

Exciting news in the London neighbourhood of wonder | wander | women as English icon meets London landmark. Beloved Roald Dahl illustrator Quentin Blake founded the House of Illustration, which opened an exhibition space in Granary Square, Kings Cross.

  

Now the House of Illustration is rebranding as the Quentin Blake Centre for Illustration. The Centre is expanding, and now it's found an amazing piece of London history to house it - the Engine House at New River Head.

In a country as old as late Roman history, the word "new" is relative. The New River was opened in 1613, a man-made river created from natural springs to help pipe fresh water into London homes.

the merry and magical magpie

There are magpies in the neighbourhood! 

This little scavenger of the corvid family has populated the imagination of humans since we noticed its beautiful black-and-white pattern and its chattering, cheeky nature.

Enjoying London at home.

It's now been nearly three years since the COVID pandemic, and people are still being infected at an alarming rate. As of today there have been an average of 69,638 new cases and 221 deaths every day. Now Boris Johnson has announced he will eliminate the requirement to self isolate, setting COVID-positive patients free to infect many others. Which means wonder | wander | women will stay at home. But we still want to enjoy and support our favourite neighbourhood shops and cafes, and we still can.

London Review Bookshop, Bury Place

finding new spaces

Unlike the tidy grids of New York, the streets of central London wander around oddly shaped properties, cross themselves, and split off in small paths that may lead to a dead end. Walkers in a hurry usually stick to their prepared routes or rely on map apps to keep from getting lost.

side streets and secret avenues

Back in the Before Times, wonder | wander | women liked to walk for the sake of it, and we especially liked to meander.

Shoreditch Town Hall

tiny wanders

Now that may cities are out of lockdown people have been going around in greater (maskless) numbers, so we've mostly been walking at home, with the help of the very energising Leslie Sansome. In lieu of the sights of the neighbourhood, we enjoy what comes flying into the garden.

cold dews, falling leaves

It's fascinating to live in a country with visible seasonal changes. London seasons don't match up to New Jersey seasons, much less to the measure of the Chinese solar terms, but we have our own seasonal observances here.

Mural by Seb Lester

small things: healing through walking

“Exploring the world is one of the best ways of exploring the mind and walking travels both terrains.” 

― Rebecca Solnit, Wanderlust: A History of Walking

more buildings | NYC

The last few months have had wonder | wander | women out and about in New York City. Adding to our growing collection of interesting buildings.

A constant reminder that urbanites like us live in the deepening shadow of their escalating concrete towers.

Mere minuscule meanderers in the muck and mire of nonstop construction and deconstruction that breaks all bounds and barriers.