grunge

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

Click images to enlarge

I use this London Underground station to traipse to and from my day job every day. It’s on the Hammersmith and City line so isn’t deep beneath the surface – but certainly feels that way.

Many stations on the Tube network have been spruced up in recent times, but not Great Portland Street. One end of the platform is a dank, sodden and seemingly long forgotten corner where water drips and lies in pools.

This brief snapshot was taken at the weekend. During the working week it’s heaving with passengers – sometimes I’ll wait for the next train rather than attempt to shoehorn myself into a non-existent space.

But it gets us Londoners around. And I love the atmosphere of these photographs which you don’t find on the bright, squeaky clean stations of the city network.