Tag Archives: urban


River Thames footpath


Rev Richard Coles, presenter on BBC Radio Four’s Saturday Live, once described the plastic bags suspended along the roadside on his drive home as looking like “Unfortunate wraiths snagged in trees”. Sadly a common feature along the River Thames. More ‘wildling’ trees along the Thames footpath near Mortlake. A ‘wildling’ Plane tree growing out of the cobbled embankment along the River Thames between Chiswick and Kew.  

Plastic bag in tree, Mortlake

Michael Hobbs


I worked on an allotment series in Richmond for Gardeners’ World magazine between 2008-10.  The adjacent plot was looked after by a very quiet Irishman, Michael Hobbs, who I got to know during my frequent visits. I loved his plot, which was like a 1960’s back garden, complete with gnomes and ornamental frogs, and I frequently left with handfuls of spare fruit, veg or flowers. These unpublished portraits were taken in 2010 after my last visits for GW.