jfFrank blog

Jan 02

Happy New Year 2019!

Pop by 'n say hi!Happy New Year 2019! Happy New Year 2019! So may the New Year be a happy one to you, happy to many more whose happiness depends on you! So may each year be happier than the last, and not the meanest of our brethren or sisterhood debarred their rightful share, in what our Great Creator formed them to Enjoy – Charles Dickens. Wishing you every happiness for 2019! Happy New Year! Black and white capture of steps on Waterloo Bridge with Ilford HP5 35 mm film. About us We post regularly on Photo Exhibitions in London and a wide range of topics. Topics range from to travel and healthy living as well as photography. Of course, we feature jfFrank photos in each post. Have a look through our galleries and other posts to find out more about us and our work. You can always find the latest posts here, for example. The site features photo galleries on four themes, namely: Memories, Moments, Escapes & Places. Pop by ‘n say hi! Leave comments and feedback further down below. By all means, follow follow us on twitter: @jfFrankFoto to receive updates frequently. Also, you can see more on […]

Dec 24

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Merry Christmas 2018

Pop by 'n say hi!Merry Christmas 2018! Wishing you, your family and friends a very merry Christmas 2018. Also hope all your dreams and wishes for 2019 are realised! Black and white capture of St. James’s Church Piccadilly made earlier in the year on Ilford HP5 35 mm film. About us We post regularly on Photo Exhibitions in London and a wide range of topics. Topics range from to travel and healthy living as well as photography. Of course, we feature jfFrank photos in each post. Have a look through our galleries and other posts to find out more about us and our work. You can always find the latest posts here, for example. The site features photo galleries on four themes, namely: Memories, Moments, Escapes & Places. Pop by ‘n say hi! Leave comments and feedback further down below. By all means, follow follow us on twitter: @jfFrankFoto to receive updates frequently. Also, you can see more on Instagram. We endeavour to ensure the accuracy of the information contained in all our web pages. Despite this the content is naturally subject to change and we cannot guarantee its accuracy or currency. We reserve the right to make changes to […]

Dec 19

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10 London Department Stores

Pop by 'n say hi!10 London Department Stores With Christmas just a week away, we take a quick look at 10 London department stores. With some of them being so historic, it seems a good time to visit. That’s not just because it is Christmas, but also because in recent years, department stores have been failing and closing. Debenhams (featured in our list of 10 London department stores) which traces its history back to 1778 London has raised fears with poor sales figures recently. Another favourite, House of Fraser was sold as part of a £90 million rescue deal earlier in the year. It is not just department stores, retail sales have been sliding recently with consumers tightening belts. Their major concern seems to be growing Brexit uncertainty. This has affected online retailers as well as traditional ones. Rising costs and online competition are affecting UK, traditional, brick-and-mortar retailers though. The conclusion is it might be worth getting into historic department stores while you still can as their future may be uncertain. Here is a list of 10 London department stores and what they are known for. We have included names of nearby photography galleries as no visit to central […]

Dec 17

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Trafalgar Square London

Pop by 'n say hi!Trafalgar Square London Trafalgar Square London sits near the top of anyone’s checklist on a sightseeing visit to London, together with Buckingham Palace, Big Ben and the London Eye. Although the square has a lot of history itself; it is not just historic nationally, it also features in photography history. Henry Fox Talbot, the father of the negative-positive photography process took photographs of Trafalgar Square while it was being constructed in April 1844. Fox Talbot invented the negative-positive process which was the first to allow multiple copies to be made from a single photographic image. This was probably one the first photographs ever made. Today Trafalgar Square is a major magnet for tourists. While you can always just take pictures around the fountains, there are some interesting features around the square. On the square you have Nelson’s column and various plinths and statues, including the so-called Fourth Plinth. The Fourth Plinth sat empty for years before becoming probably the most famous public art commission in the world. Behind the Fourth Plinth is the National Gallery and on an adjacent side you will find St. Martin in the Fields church. Nelson’s Column Nelson’s Column commemorates Admiral […]

Dec 13

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London Photography Exhibitions December 2018

Pop by 'n say hi!London Photography Exhibitions December 2018 As this is out last update before the Christmas break, first of all, before getting into this London Photography Exhibitions Decemeber 2018 post, we would like to wish all of our regular readers a restful break over the Christmas period and a joyful and prosperous 2019. We will be back with regular weekly updates in January and there will be some other posts in the interim. To finish the year we add an exhibition currently running at the Queen’s Gallery at Buckingham Palace. That display is the first exhibition to focus pioneering photographs by Sir Roger Fenton. This images from the Crimean war were taken when photography was still in its infancy. A time hard to image now, with images ubiquitous in modern lives. As well as that exhibition there are continuing exhibitions at Atlas Gallery, Flowers Gallery and No 20 Arts. These three displays can loosely considered to be related by the theme of our relationship with the planet and its environment. There is more on these as well as other exhibitions below. Huxley-Parlour Gallery Renovation Be sure to check opening times before visiting galleries over the Christmas break. Note […]

Dec 12

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Cirencester Park, Cotswolds

Pop by 'n say hi!Cirencester Park, Cotswolds Cirencester Park is at the heart of the historic town, known as the Capital of The Cotswolds. While the town is known for its charming classic Cotswold architecture and history, the park is a perfect setting for a Cotswold winter walk. Although there is free public access to the park, it is actually owned by the 9th Earl and Countess Bathurst. Their Grade II listed country house with Grade I listed gardens lies on the same site as Cirencester Park. The Manor and Park were granted to Lord Seymour (brother of Jane Seymour, Henry VIII’s third wife) after the dissolution of Cirencester Abbey. Although the Abbey is no longer standing, you can pop into the Parish Church on the same site on a Cirencester visit). Cirencester Park changed hands several times before being sold to Sir Benjamin Bathurst in 1695. Ever since it has remained in the Bathurst family. Today, the park is open daily from 8 am until 5 pm. Dogs, and even horses, are welcome though cycling and drones are not (without special permission). Dog owners must be considerate to other users of the park though. It is also a good […]

Dec 10

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Cotswolds Winter Walks

Pop by 'n say hi!Cotswolds Winter Walks While we still have a bit of time to Christmas, and also time to finalise plans for the break, we look at some Cotswolds Winter Walks you might consider for Boxing Day. There are four listed here though there are so many nice Cotswold winter walks it was difficult to filter them down. Cotswold Way Circular Walk The Cotswold Way is an 102 mile national trail from Chipping Camden Camden to Bath. Typically, the full trail is a seven to ten day walk. Having said that, there are also lovely walks along short sections to suit different abilities. Here is a four-and-a-half mile circular route starting in Chipping Camden. Crickley Hill not just a lovely piece of countryside in the Cotswold Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Crickley Hill also has archaeological importance as the site of a battle around 3600 BC. Here is a National Trust walk which starts in nearby Cranham. Stow-on-the-Wold to Bourton-on-the-Water If its postcard Cotswold village you are into then why not take a walk between these to picturesque Cotswold towns. This walk from the Cotswold Conservation Board takes around three hours. Cirencester Park although Cirencester Park is owned […]

Dec 06

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London Photography Exhibitions December 2018

Pop by 'n say hi!London Photography Exhibitions December 2018 Photography Exhibitions in London this December remind us of our environment. With topics such as single use plastics in focus at the moment, this seems a great time for these shows. Untouched landscapes, in Ansel Adams photographs, as well as a look at ‘civilisation’ feature this week. The Ansel Adams show is on at the Atlas Gallery in Marylebone. Meanwhile, further East at the Flowers gallery, there is a study of Art Photography’s fascination with the way we live. The show is inspired, in particular, by the recent release of a new book by renowned curators. Additionally, on a similar theme, Rosie Snell’s Outliers show runs at No 20 Arts in Islington. Michael Hoppen gallery in Chelsea show rare Bill Brandt work while in South Kensington you can catch Oli Kellet’s show. That show, Cross Road Blues, runs at HackelBury Fine Art. There is also an interesting free display at Somerset House. That show features photographs as well as drawings and sculpture by South African artist Athi-Patra Ruga. Finally, the Miles Aldridge and Todd Hido show at Huxley-Parlour gallery will end soon. Read on for further details on these […]

Dec 05

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White Christmas 2018

Pop by 'n say hi!White Christmas 2018 What are the odds of a white Christmas 2018? You have to go all the way back to 2010 for the last UK White Christmas. Will it be a white Christmas 2018, and where does it actually have to snow for it to be a white Christmas? Traditionally a snow flake had to land on the roof of the London Weather centre for it to be a white Christmas. Going by that measure, the last white Christmas in the UK was in 2014. However, the weather in London isn’t always representative of that across the whole country. For the Met Office, the UK’s National Meteorological Service, there is now a broader definition. For it to be a white Christmas 2018, at least one snow flake has to be observed falling somewhere in the UK on Christmas day. So that’s what a white Christmas is but will we have a White Christmas 2018? Latest forecast from the Met Office is not looking promising. Colder scenarios are currently looking less likely than mild ones. Having said that, UK weather can be unpredictable even over the short term, so perhaps there is some hope for the […]

Dec 03

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Petworth Park, South Downs

Pop by 'n say hi!Petworth Park Petworth Park in the South Downs, Southern England is a lovely Deer Park which, while previously owned by dukes earls, today it is in the care of the National Trust. The park is also home to Petworth House, a 17th century, Grade I listed Manor House. The Park in its current form dates back to the 18th century. There were elaborate Elizabethan gardens on the site from the late 16th century though. The current pleasure gardens were extensively landscaped by the famous ‘Capability’ Brown during the 1750s and 60s. Lancelot Brown was responsible for landscaping some of the most-loved British landscaped gardens at Stowe as well as the gardens at Blenheim Palace and Warwick Castle. He earned the name ‘Capability’ for his frequent expression that there was great ‘capability‘ for improving the grounds he was commissioned to work on. It was Charles Wyndham who took on ‘Capability’ Brown to landscape Petworth Park. His son, the Third Earl of Egremont was friends with the British landscape artist J M W Turner, who would spend long periods at Petworth. Turner painted Petworth Park from the lake at around 1810. To this day, there is still a […]