I spent last night photographing Christmas trees at stations across London. I know how to have fun. In fact, I did have fun. Got to see the city and work out just how easy it is to walk between stations. Walked Liverpool Street station to Fenchurch Street station to Tower Hill Underground station. Walked Charing Cross to Waterloo.
Fenchurch Street, while being possibly the most boring of London’s stations made a great photo for precisely that reason. But perhaps I only think so as I’m a Martin Parr fan.
The tree at St. Pancras is the only one to break station tree uniformity.
At Victoria, a member of staff escorts a person by wheelchair to a taxi. I’m photographing the tree when he goes out and still at it when he walks by again. He stops and asks if I’ve taken the photo yet. I explain I’ve taken one in all the stations. I say it’s my job. “That’s what they all say,” he says.
Liverpool Street: Help a lady carry a pushchair down some stairs, then outside a man falls over and his bag which has model making materials in it splits over the pavement. Offer him a spare plastic bag.
At Paddington, wait for a bus to Victoria that never comes (I sing ‘Waiting for the Bus that Never Comes’ in my head). A man engages me in conversation about the student protests. He’s a thespian and seems really quite excited that the students are protesting.
“Have you seen any of it?” he asks.
“No,” I reply, “Although my housemate was locked in Topshop earlier. He wasn’t upset with the students but wished Topshop hadn’t locked him in.”
The man laughs, “I suppose it wouldn’t be too bad if you were an avid shopper!” he says before ambling off to ask if the bus will ever arrive. (It didn’t).
It might be worth noting that Charing Cross doesn’t have a tree. Most disappointing. At information, the guy said, “We don’t need one, there’s one in Trafalgar Square that’s big enough. The one that’s given to us annually by Norway.”
So this is the part where you come in. I’d like to invite you to take photos of trees in stations near you. I bet you’re excited! I’m offering a (very small) mystery prize to the best one and will put them in a blog post. Send them to me at sophie@quno.com or find me on Flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/qunospotter
