Nairn's London - A Photographic Tribute to Ian Nairn

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About Nairn's London - A Photographic Tribute to Ian Nairn

In 1966, Ian Nairn published 'Nairn's London', it was a guide book and personal commentary on the places and sites which fascinated, pleased and annoyed him.

Giles Waterfield in the Independent March 2007 summarises the book succinctly and beautifully:

What is exciting about the book is that he explores every corner of the city and includes so many unfamiliar things: Eastbury Manor House in Barking ("ready made for hauntings and screams out on the mud-flats"), a great variety of pubs, the places where the town meets the country, "the close-built fairyland" of Bromley. More than any other writer I know, he evokes the experience of being in a place and explores the emotional as well as aesthetic impact of a building.

The most amazing thing about Nairn's London is that it takes you off the beaten track and to look at and appreciate buildings and places which you would not otherwise see. Ian Nairn gets you to pay attention to detail and gets you to contemplate the subject matter - it is a wonderful guide book and it is not out of date because many of the places and buildings on which he commented are still around.

I guess most people will not have Nairn's book in their possession, but don't worry - look at the discussions and see if your photos fit the places on which he has commented. For those, who are not familiar with the book, your comments on your work would be most welcome. If you are familiar with the book and have it on your possession, please feel free to join the group and start submitting.

It would also be quite useful to have the location of your photo mapped, this will help people to go and look for the said site.

Do not worry about repitition of other peoples' submissions, everyone has their own dimension and way of looking at things - so anything should be worthy of note.