Looking back at this rather short blog and seeing the nice comments, I realised it was time to get back to it. A lot has happened in Ripperland since 2008 - the construction of 100 Middlesex Street, the demolition of old buildings around Aldgate East Tube (to make way for something that hasn't appeared yet), new traffic systems and of course the new Overground line.
The latter has greatly changed the area around Allen Gardens, most notably Pedley Street. For those who aren't au fais with this rather obscure part of E1, it is home to the wonderfully evocative railway arch that leads, via some rather grubby stairs, to Cheshire Street. The arch used to be one of many, but it was the only one pedestrians could walk through; now it stands alone, but its most prominent characteristic - menacing atmosphere - still survives.
It's a very foreboding place, particularly after dark. One evening last year, I went at night to find that the one light available wasn't working. It was pitch black. On this occasion I was not alone, but safety in numbers is a concept I embrace when visiting this place in the dark hours. One would imagine that it is the regular haunt of nere-do-wells, but I have to say there never seems to be anybody around. Perhaps the drug dealers are too scared too?I often take people here, especially those interested in photography. Often, they wonder "why the interest?" but in spite if their initial lack of enthusiasm, they always go home with some great photographs.
The bridge over the railway has been used in photoshoots for such writers as Iain Sinclair and Emmanuel Litvinoff, and the stairs appeared in 'Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels'. In fact the arch area has been a location shoot for many movies, usually of the brit-gangster genre. 'Gangster No.1' is another film which used the desolate atmosphere of this place to good effect.
The area around the arch is almost unrecognisable from 3 years ago, as the new Overground cuts right through it, creating even more secluded walkways. One feels that the entire district is cut off from the nearby bustle of Brick Lane - even during the day, the area feels isolated.
Any psychogeographers out there?
