Filthy nature

I walked out one morning in search of grunge. This quest took me to a stretch of London’s Grand Union Canal which is anything but pretty and quaint.

The stretch between Willesden Junction and Kensal Green in the city’s north-west straddles a major railway confluence. It’s heavily industrialised and nature has almost been squeezed out by the excesses of human activity.

Dilapidated warehouses line the banks, along with spray-painted walls and the occasional mound of rubbish. But the area is full of textures and shapes, oddly alluring to the camera.

Click first image for the full gallery experience

Tags: abandoned, architecture, desolation, graffiti, Grand Union Canal, grunge, industrial landscape, Kensal Green, London, photography, spray-painting, urban nature, warehouses, Willesden Junction

16 thoughts on “Filthy nature”

John on October 7, 2014 at 03:59 said:

Well done. I think you are so good at capturing the inherent beauty that all things possess … (we often pass things by without a second thought). I really like these!

LikeLike

Reply ↓
- mikeosbornphoto on October 9, 2014 at 13:12 said:
  
  Hi John, that’s very kind, thank you. Anything can look good if you believe it does – even the most mundane and discarded objects.
  
  LikeLike
  
  Reply ↓
LensScaper on October 6, 2014 at 18:51 said:

I used to live close to the Grand Union canal in Rickmansworth, and now in Northants its still close by. Not much graffiti or rubbish up here sadly but this looks a great source of photographic material. I think this canal passes Kings Cross too?

LikeLike

Reply ↓
- mikeosbornphoto on October 9, 2014 at 13:13 said:
  
  It does indeed, Andy. It varies from stretch to stretch – it’s positively Rolls Royce in some other spots.
  
  LikeLike
  
  Reply ↓
ckponderings on October 6, 2014 at 06:57 said:

A beautiful set of images, Mike. All that doesn’t glitter can certainly throw up gold once in a while! :)

LikeLike

Reply ↓
- mikeosbornphoto on October 9, 2014 at 13:13 said:
  
  Thank you Richard, and many a wise word spoken! This stretch is further on from the part of the tow path we covered.
  
  LikeLike
  
  Reply ↓
ehpem on October 5, 2014 at 16:29 said:

You hit the motherlode Mike! A great set, and your cropping works very well.

LikeLike

Reply ↓
- mikeosbornphoto on October 5, 2014 at 16:30 said:
  
  Thank you! I had a sense this place would deliver grunge. It’s interesting how you can produce neat and somehow ordered shots from human mess.
  
  LikeLike
  
  Reply ↓
  - ehpem on October 5, 2014 at 16:50 said:
    
    I think that often it is rediscovering the neatness and order that was there when they were first built – the engineers sensibility recovered, slightly.
    
    LikeLike
    
    Reply ↓
    - mikeosbornphoto on October 5, 2014 at 16:51 said:
      
      That’s very true. It’s just everything around it that has gone to pot.
      
      LikeLike
      
      Reply ↓
taphian on October 5, 2014 at 15:57 said:

Great work.

LikeLike

Reply ↓
- mikeosbornphoto on October 5, 2014 at 16:13 said:
  
  Thank you very much :)
  
  LikeLike
  
  Reply ↓
rabthecab on October 5, 2014 at 10:21 said:

Great set Mike. I’ll need to take a walk up there sometime. Have you tried the Lee Valley walk from Limehouse? Never been myself but I’ve been told it’s well worth a visit.

LikeLike

Reply ↓
- mikeosbornphoto on October 5, 2014 at 10:24 said:
  
  Thank you, I really appreciate that. I haven’t been over that way – is it equally squalid? This sort of mess does have a sort of perverse charm.
  
  LikeLike
  
  Reply ↓
rabirius on October 5, 2014 at 09:25 said:

Amazing collection of photos. I think photos of garbage and broken down houses have something special, because most people would ignore them.

LikeLike

Reply ↓
- mikeosbornphoto on October 5, 2014 at 09:29 said:
  
  Thank you very much. I completely agree, they are ignored but have an unlikely kind of beauty – not the unconventional kind.
  
  LikeLike
  
  Reply ↓