Now that some of the restrictions of lockdown are being relaxed, is it over? Near where I live there seem to be more people on the street, so has the empty city passed into history? Probably not quite yet. In its May issue the Libraries Newsletter asked for personal accounts and pictures from readers. Response wasn’t immediate, but by word has spread and we have received pictures from residents and staff (sometimes one and the same) which Isabel and I have been sorting into groups by location and theme. This is part of an ongoing project to tell the story from this neck of the woods.
Some of them you will know, like this one.
Others will be harder to place exactly. (Although I could show you a James Hedderly picture showing the same stretch of the riverbed. Here)
Other images are new but becoming familiar.
And complicated.
Some shops make do with just the feet.
This informative notice gives you plenty of time to read.
You don’t have to spend your time reading. There are plenty of tranquil spots where you can quietly contemplate the new normal.
Where is that?
Or this?
Battersea Park?
Some empty streets:
Hortensia House.
Rear windows.
A lone figure.
The distinctive brickwork of the Worlds End Estate.
The London Riverside tower, (work suspended?)
Blantyre Street.
With a little bit of reflection.
An empty playground, with a view of Chelsea Westminster Hospital in the background.
A lone jogger taking her daily exercise.
There are no credits this time. Image rights belong to the individual photographers. We’ll see how that works out. But we are still collecting. Send us more pictures, (email zerofish@gmx.com for the moment) or written accounts of things that have captured your imagination, or just leave a comment below. We’ll continue this series of posts alongside our regular blog activity. I might even get out a little and take some pictures myself.
Dave Walker
The Library Time Machine 
June 8th, 2020 at 9:27 pm
The top photo, Kings Road, I’ve walked past that building site recently, it’s odd just that slab of wall having been preserved, I wonder if it is listed/protected because of the Friese-Greene plaques.
August 4th, 2020 at 11:55 pm
Hi Dave,
I find your blog posts about Chelsea very fascinating, so thanks for the ever evolving history.
Back in the early or mid 1980s I got a job as a cocktail barman in a dodgy cocktail bar that I believe was in Manresa Road. Trying to remember the name, but can’t for the life of me. Does this ring any bells with you?
Best,
Alix.