Comments on: The Last Days Of London https://spitalfieldslife.com/2025/07/12/the-last-days-of-london-ii/ In the midst of life I woke to find myself living in an old house beside Brick Lane in the East End of London Sun, 13 Jul 2025 11:46:25 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 By: achim https://spitalfieldslife.com/2025/07/12/the-last-days-of-london-ii/#comment-1752812 Sun, 13 Jul 2025 11:46:25 +0000 https://spitalfieldslife.com/?p=203877#comment-1752812 I was about the same age as Colin O’Brien when I took my first pictures with a simple Agfa click camera. And the recordings were quite good, both technically and in terms of content. But following a subject like ‘the last days’ is of course brilliant! I really admire that.

The story of the shoe repair shop is beautiful in a special way and that of Jim’s Café touchingly sad… And as for Woolworth’s: I love it too and here in our town the fourth and biggest one has recently opened!

By the way: I was also in England in August 2007 and enjoyed being able to sit in the pub smoke-free!

Love & Peace
ACHIM

]]> By: Lynne Perrella https://spitalfieldslife.com/2025/07/12/the-last-days-of-london-ii/#comment-1752086 Sat, 12 Jul 2025 13:00:58 +0000 https://spitalfieldslife.com/?p=203877#comment-1752086 Other than to heap praise on photographer O’Brien and his astute urge to capture things in their
“last days”……… this series reminded me of the many places I have lost in my life. And although I was not wise enough to photograph them, I have been tapping away at my personal memoir in order to seize and preserve those long-lost places and events. Not a linear chronological document (lord no!) but just “chronicles” that I write for my own enjoyment. Highly recommended!

Thank you GA for bringing us these insights, day by day. Yes, your “turf” is London, but your
stories are always universal and awaken such kindred feelings. Many thanks to you and your
readers.

]]> By: Kim Rennie https://spitalfieldslife.com/2025/07/12/the-last-days-of-london-ii/#comment-1752053 Sat, 12 Jul 2025 12:03:25 +0000 https://spitalfieldslife.com/?p=203877#comment-1752053 The bus is an RLH (a sort of lower height version of an RT bus and designed to fit under low bridges). It was one of a number of ‘guest’ vehicles that ran for free over the 38 route on its last day of conventional Routemaster operation.

]]> By: Mark https://spitalfieldslife.com/2025/07/12/the-last-days-of-london-ii/#comment-1751989 Sat, 12 Jul 2025 09:32:40 +0000 https://spitalfieldslife.com/?p=203877#comment-1751989 Great pics from the late lamented.
Took some pics of my own local Woolies in a Suffolk town on its last day of trading. Little bit of history disappearing forever from the High street. My mum worked there part time for donkeys years. Now a Q.D. haunted by the happy presence of my departed wonderful mother. Like everyone, who doesn’t miss the old pick n’ mix.

]]> By: Bailey Jones https://spitalfieldslife.com/2025/07/12/the-last-days-of-london-ii/#comment-1751982 Sat, 12 Jul 2025 08:50:05 +0000 https://spitalfieldslife.com/?p=203877#comment-1751982 I love Colin’s photos. He had a great talent.

]]> By: Michael West https://spitalfieldslife.com/2025/07/12/the-last-days-of-london-ii/#comment-1751973 Sat, 12 Jul 2025 08:29:02 +0000 https://spitalfieldslife.com/?p=203877#comment-1751973 Love these…any chance of another book ? In the penultimate pic that’s not a Routemaster ( nor even its main ancestor the RT as in ‘ Summer Holiday’)…. I’ll have to ask around for what type it is.

]]> By: Frances Christine Bevan https://spitalfieldslife.com/2025/07/12/the-last-days-of-london-ii/#comment-1751966 Sat, 12 Jul 2025 08:24:29 +0000 https://spitalfieldslife.com/?p=203877#comment-1751966 What a talented photographer Colin O’Brien was. Such evocative photographs. Thank you GA for keeping his memory and his work alive.

]]> By: Peter Robinson https://spitalfieldslife.com/2025/07/12/the-last-days-of-london-ii/#comment-1751945 Sat, 12 Jul 2025 07:48:53 +0000 https://spitalfieldslife.com/?p=203877#comment-1751945 That’s not a Routemaster

]]> By: Greg T https://spitalfieldslife.com/2025/07/12/the-last-days-of-london-ii/#comment-1751936 Sat, 12 Jul 2025 07:21:30 +0000 https://spitalfieldslife.com/?p=203877#comment-1751936 Clapton Pond 2005
That is NOT a “Routemaster” – it’s a much older bus, probably an “RT”, but I’m not entirely sure.

]]> By: James Russell https://spitalfieldslife.com/2025/07/12/the-last-days-of-london-ii/#comment-1751917 Sat, 12 Jul 2025 06:55:08 +0000 https://spitalfieldslife.com/?p=203877#comment-1751917 Fascinating photos of a lost element of London. The penultimate photo isn’t actually of a Routemaster bus – it looks like one of the even older RT ones!

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