OUT AND ABOUT IN LONDON.

OUT AND ABOUT IN LONDON is basically a column that I used to write for a local paper that was entitled ‘My East End – The Old and The New’ and  I have kept on with it over the years just for my journals.  I usually stay  roughly within the E1/City Boundaries but venture a little further afield from time to time.  Every month I will try and add something that I hope will be interesting on to this HEADER. 

Sept 2013.

Brick Lane and Spitalfields. 

We still get the occasional visitors from abroad or even other parts of the UK who have never visited this part of London before and if they are here for long enough try to interest them in a local day out.  Short sweet and to the point – and more importantly only a five minute bus ride away - it takes in architecture , art , antiques , multi-cultural history , horror , fashion and food all in one easy walkabout. 

 

As we  get off the number 25 bus on the south side of Whitechapel High Street ,  across the road and just about still inside the E1 boundary standing out amongst some of the old remaining rag trade showrooms and fast food stores  is The Whitechapel Art Gallery. This fine looking red brick building,  a masterpiece of Art Nouveau design has been a recognised piece of art history almost from the moment it opened in 1901 bringing the high and mighty from the worlds of art and finance to this impoverished part of the East End of London – and now after a 2 year and 13.5 million pound regeneration and extension it still does. 

                                                                   Piccasso's Guernica

Funded by wealthy philanthropists  it began life in 1891 as The Whitechapel Library. Ten years later the main Gallery was added on to the existing building and with a fanfare of publicity and works by Constable , Rubens and Hogarth  the official opening of the new art gallery took place in 1901.   Over the passing years The Whitechapel Gallery  has  hosted work by some of the worlds most celebrated artists.  Artworks by many radical artists from all over the world were given space here alongside the more conventional and perhaps better known artisans and just a few of the famous names have that have  exhibited here including Modigliani , Frida Kahlo and Jackson Pollock.  Picasso also had an exhibition of his own work as well as a very special one in 1939, when his famous picture Guernica hung in the main gallery as part of an international anti-war statement. 

 

In spite of its renown , unlike the majority of other museum or galleries I have been to over the years  it has  retained a certain atmosphere of ordinariness , making it a comfortable place for people from all walks of life.   Although it now boasts a very posh restaurant as part of the new building works - with matching prices of course - the French style bistro upstairs where I still take the occasional lunch is still very much as it was , with laid back service , serving lovely food and excellent wine all at very affordable prices.  

                                                         Brick Lane by night.

Only about 50 yards along the road from the museum is Osborne Street , just a short road which very quickly turns into that well known East End highway Brick Lane,  also known nowadays as Banglatown.   A bit of an unfair description as far as I am concerned, as although there are now lots of Indian and Bangladeshi  restaurants along this long avenue, plenty of the old shops selling trendy and vintage gear still remain.

This part of London was a regular hang out for me in my teenage years, where no matter what time of the day ( or night ) you could always find something interesting to do ,to eat or to drink - and you probably still can.  Almost at the top of the lane is the Jewish bakery that opened its doors in 1901 , exactly the same year that the Whitechapel  Gallery did theirs .  Veer to the left and keep on going and you will eventually come to Club Row, notorious in days gone by for its dodgy antiques bought in the early hours of the morning while it was still pitch dark,  as well as almost every kind of animal and bird - from huge parrots to cuddly little puppies and pussies.  The animals are long gone, but you can still find the oddest of things for sale here on a Sunday morning.

                                                                    Fournier Street.

About half way down The Lane a few narrow streets on the left hand side will take you into an area known as Spitalfields.  All very similar in appearance but with a veritable wealth of fine quality architecture my favourite is Fournier Street.   The houses here date mainly from the 1720s and  with their fine wooden panelling and elaborate joinery such as carved staircases, fireplaces and highly detailed door-cases form one of the most important and best preserved collections of early Georgian town-houses in Britain. They were originally occupied by French Huguenot  immigrants, wealthy craftsmen who brought with them their masterful skills of spinning fine silks.    The silk for Queen Victoria's Coronation gown was woven  right here - at Howard House - number 14 Fournier Street.  

At the Western end of Fournier Street and opposite the new Spitalfields Market is the magnificent Christ Church designed by Nicholas Hawksmoor and built in the mid-1870’s. At the other end is The Ten Bells public house, notorious for its connection with Jack the Ripper during the 1880s. Two of his unfortunate victims were seen here just before their mutilated bodies were discovered and all five of his victims lived close by.   So there you are – the holy , the historic and the horrific - all in less than 100 yards.  

Town House - number 5 Fournier Street has been carefully restored to it’s original splendour and during the daytime visitors can actually get inside and take a good look around. That’s because  some absolutely delightful and fascinating people have made a home and a business in this wonderful historic and  elegant house.  There are three galleries on the ground floor with an eclectic and tasteful collection of antiques and curios for sale and old china, glasses and colourful modern pottery  in the downstairs kitchen, where they also serve a selection of nice teas, coffees and cakes.   I always call in for a quick cuppa and relaxing sit down when passing by.  There is also a separate apartment which is available to let for short stays in this almost perfect location.  

 

Only a few hundred yards away on the other side of Commercial Street is the old and the new Spitalfields Market , a vast collection of shops and stalls selling about everything under the sun, plus  restaurants of just about every size and style from the gastronomic to the really ghastly. ENJOY.

 

New Spitalfields Market.                

 

 

 

 

EXOTICA to EROTICA – Tobacco Dock 1814 – 2013.

EXOTICA to EROTICA – Tobacco Dock 1814 – 2013. 

As the classy red Ferraris, the noisy Porches and the sleek black limos speed down The Highway in East London, taking their owners and passengers from their posh Canary Wharf apartments or the new Docklands  Airport into the heart of the City, they pass by a most remarkable and quite unique building.   But most of them won’t even notice it or even know that it’s there, for just like the proverbial iceberg only 5% of it is visible, the remainder hidden behind a old redbrick  wall or buried deep below the ground. 

Constructed two hundred years ago, this vast complex of secure covered warehouses with it’s amazing ironwork and distinctive underground vaults, in the years that followed went on to make the already wealthy merchants and traders of The City of London even richer than they were before.  Originally the world centre for the sale and distribution of tobacco - hence its name - it eventually became a bonded warehouse for millions of pounds worth of the most exotic and extensive range of goods from all over the world , including rare spices , fine wines and cognacs , quicksilver , and lavish animal skins -  to name just a few .

The rapid decline of The London Docks began in the late 1960’s and was soon followed by all those industries that relied upon them. The areas immediately surrounding the docks -including the entire Tobacco Dock site - fell into decay and disrepair and were effectively ignored and neglected for many years afterwards.

                                                                first stage of renovation

 When trade began to pick up in the 1980’s, two local entrepreneurs with a keen eye for regeneration bought Tobacco Dock and spent millions of pounds on a sympathetic and authentic restoration of this magnificent heritage site to its original splendour. The plan was to create a high class shopping and leisure centre blending a few major specialist retailers with an eclectic mix of niche businesses and artisan crafts.   It was an immediate success – I know as our family business were one of the very first occupants – but after only a year disaster struck.  In the midst of a general financial downturn the Natwest Bank foreclosed on the new owners who had no other option than to go into liquidation.  

                                                                   A thriving retail site

Despite the fact that the real value was in excess of £100 million the site was quickly sold off for a paltry £11 million to a Kuwaiti investment company.  Left in some kind of limbo, all the tenants packed up and left, licking their financial wounds – and once again this incredibly important historical building went into shutdown mode  – and remained that way  for the next twenty years.  To give them their due the Kuwaiti owners did take very good care of the building, employing full time specialist management and security staff to keep it in tip top condition over the years. 

I only live a short distance away and each time I walked past I hoped to see some kind of activity taking place, but over two long decades virtually nothing changed - that is until the middle of 2012 when right out of the blue one morning I saw a huge convoy of army trucks pulling into the front of the canal side entrance.  Around two thousand soldiers were staying inside the protected confines of Tobacco Dock while providing specialist security for The London Olympics, which they did with typical British style and panache. 

 

I was hoping against hope that this would be the start of something new for this wonderful place and I didn’t have too long to wait.     It had set off a wind of change which hopefully will continue and for the first time in more than twenty years we found ourselves back inside Tobacco Dock this time for the 18^th annual London EROTICA SHOW.

                                                                            Dream On.

I wondered how this unusual exhibition would successfully transfer from one completely different kind of venue to another, but in the event was not at all disappointed.  Savvas  Christodoulou and the amazing team responsible for the considerable organisation needed to put this unique show on the road had done it again and would no doubt congratulate themselves on yet another success. 

                                                                    Its not ALL about sex.

 I have spoken to many people over the years who have initially thought that this exhibition is only about sex - and yes, well in a way it is – as indeed are so many facets of life nowadays – but the word erotic can take many and varied forms.   The show is exceptionally well organised, the venues always clean, bright and interesting and bad behaviour of any kind is  not tolerated at all. In fact many newly formed small businesses have used the exhibition either to launch or promote their product/service and some ( remember the film ‘Kinky Boots’ ?) have gone on to find fame and fortune.  Proud  Cabaret, who were in the 2010 exhibition to showcase their newly opened ‘London City’ luxury nightclub are another good example. Since then they have opened two more equally luxurious venues, one in nearby Camden and the other in Brighton

                                                                            Or nudity !

There is usually some kind of link to the naturist lifestyle.   I didn’t see so much of it this year but there were one or two smaller business that I have seen here before and one I haven’t -but do know about.    Holidays4couples www.holiday4couples.com is owned and run by an  Englishman , who together with his charming wife have been the owners of a very smart and sophisticated hotel and leisure complex in South West France for almost twenty years.   Described in their brochures as a place of sexual freedom designed to bring together liberated people of all nationalities to meet and have fun in a stunning location, they describe prospective guests as intelligent laid back people who are open minded and non –judgemental about other peoples sexuality.  Peter told me that over the passing years the hotel has attracted a small number of naturist visitors whom he assures me have all enjoyed their holiday, as the hotel publicity and website make it very clear to all guests that that there is no obligation for anyone to become sexually involved and that the primary motivation is on atmosphere and enjoyment.  

                                                                 Holidays 4 Couples

I never ceased to be amazed at what people get up to in the attempt to satisfy or stimulate  their sexual desires.    Each year what I would call the Bizarre section includes items for sale which  almost defy explanation or reason and this show was no exception.  I have seen just about everything going – from adult babies to training girls to dress up as horses and pull carriages around – but The Dogs Bolloxx was just about the strangest one of all time.   It seems that the popular fetish trend this year is to have a human pet, complete in full realistic costume – primarily a dog but it appears that almost anything will do - and this new business is there to supply every conceivable kind of accessory imaginable. Off the shelf or made to measure, from bones to biscuits and other things quite peculiar even to me.   Oh well – that’s life - and I am assured that the RSPCA  are not at all bothered !!!.  

 

While thousands of eager visitors, many of them trying to outdo each other in their style of exotic dress still queue to get in , those already inside the area making their way amongst the fascinating    displays and exhibition stands,  begin to move to the throbbing music that heralds the start of the first of the truly amazing LIVE STAGE SHOWTIME events.

                                                             Bernadette & Victy.

This is one of the highlights of Erotica , a series of cabaret , dance and fetish performance taking in 28 shows on three stages over the three day event.   London is fast becoming a centre for burlesque and Erotica has always put on a good show, but this year was the absolute best.  In fact I would go so far as to say that the Burlesque section hosted by an amazing couple Bernadette & Vickty , calling themselves East End Cabaret  - funny sexy and rude , but never crude - was the best show I have seen anywhere, for many years if not ever.   As well as their own act, East End Cabaret  ( www.eastendcabaret.com ) hosted the main burlesque show and also organise regular gigs  of their own held in a venue actually in the East End – a very affordable and a must see event.  I understand people come from all over the South of England to see them and I am not at all surprised.  

                                                                        Its a dogs life !!

But that’s not the end for Erotica of course, only the beginning – because the end of one show means the start of the next.  As soon as the Xmas holidays are over The Team are once again hard at work, out and about seeking out and discovering new and exciting products, new faces,  innovative ideas and interesting and talented people -  the very best they can find from all over the UK and even further afield who will become an essential part of the next  show– EROTICA 2014 – and held at Tobacco Dock I hope.  

 

From Erotica 2010.

 

 

HIGH HEELS or of the FOOT and of the SHOE.

Belinda has been going on at me ever since I started this BLOG about putting some of her work on it.  I haven’t deliberately been ignoring her , just had so little time what with one thing or the other, but perhaps it’s time now to give her a chance to show off her talents – so here goes with ;  

HIGH HEELS   or    of the FOOT and of the SHOE.

 

How many shoes make a fetish and what exactly does the word mean ??.  You might find the answer here, and then on the other hand ( or foot ) you might not !!.  But I’m sure you will find it interesting.  

The word fetish originally came from the Guinea Coast of Africa where it was used to describe especially designated objects used in primitive tribal worship often with some kind of magical or sexual connection.  But in modern times fetish ( or fetishism ) is used more generally to describe objects or parts of the body which command intense sexual interest ,often to the degree of obsession.

 

Abnormally stimulating or what ??  

Women’s shoes – especially very high heeled shoes - are considered by some to be a modern fetish object and I suppose I have to agree with that. Although my dictionary defines the word fetish as an object worshipped as magical by primitive peoples it also says that it is something evoking irrational devotion or respect.  Now that sounds a bit more like it to me .  

 And yet another interpretation is for something abnormally stimulating or attracting sexual desire.  Hmm , pretty near the mark again , but I wonder what is considered abnormal ?? Not me I hope. 

Well, I  know I’m not primitive ( well maybe just a little bit – on certain occasions ) and I don’t think my shoes are magical but I do have an enormous collection of high heeled shoes and I just love wearing them.   I suppose that some people may say that  I’m mad , others that I really do have some kind of fetish  - and perhaps I have , but I just find this kind of footwear so irresistible.

 

As I stood looking into a shop window on one of my trips to London’s Oxford Street  some years ago , a man came up behind me and said “ I do like your shoes “.  I turned round and in a surprised tone of voice replied  “ Oh , thank you .  I just love high heels “ . He continued , “ you don’t see many ladies wearing them that high these days “ and then he went on his way.  

At the time I was wearing a pair of fairly unusual blue mosiacs with about a four and a half inch heel – not that high I must say , but rather nice nevertheless.    Although I have worn high heels ever since my young teenage days , that was the first time this kind of thing had happened to me , but it was not the last.  

My very own collection

 

I have to admit that I really do love shoes and in fact I am fascinated even by just looking at them in  shop windows.  If there is ever a really big shoe sale on then it could prove fatal for me.   My collection of boots , shoes and sandals in various styles and colours have long overflowed my wardrobes and until recently I kept lots of them stored in their boxes in the spare room.  Although most of the boxes are quite attractive with little pictures of the contents on the outside , I thought that maybe my guests wouldn’t really appreciate lying in bed looking at them from the corner of their eyes so I got Mark to make me a dressing room fitting especially for them. 

Shoes are of course a part of every woman’s wardrobe and are a necessity  for day to day use, but I think that the kind we wear depicts our mood and overall well being.    For instance when working around the house I always wear low comfortable shoes.  This is just a matter of common sense as they are much kinder to the feet when working in conditions where a lot of standing is involved.

 

On the other hand , when I wear shall we say a pair of lovely bright pink strappy high heeled sandals I feel kind of European inside and out.  I feel like having fun  , feel so alive and can just imagine parading in the hot sunshine through a bustling market square with the sound of the traders calling out their wares to sell.  Hold on – I’m getting a bit carried away now !!!. 

It’s like stepping into another world

 

But wearing real stilettos is the best and for me like stepping into another  world.  Black patent stiletto heels look sexy and sophisticated , while red crocodiles in the same style are sexy and seductive.  I have an unusual pair of black sandals with a steel stiletto heel which are naughty and suggestive , while some of my animal designs are slinky and wild. Stiletto heels make my legs look good and make me feel sexy and teamed up with the appropriate clothes – wow – it’s just too much.

 

High heels of course are also lovely to wear with nothing else at all , just to be totally naked in them.  Walk about like this at home and you will be irresistible  and I can guarantee that your husband or lover would soon pounce on you.  To bring out the dominatrix in you a pair of high leg , high heeled black boots certainly looks the part , and yes I do have such a pair - in black simulated crocodile. 

 

Fashions and styles may change and women’s shoes are always an object of desire, but there are also certain people who have what can be called a real shoe fetish which I think is something in a completely different category to my own desires.    For instance there are men ( and women ) who enjoy being stood on  by a person wearing stiletto heels , others love to lick the shoe or the heel of the wearer and worship then in some way. 

Red or Black are the favourites 

There are specialist catalogues which cater specifically for these shoe fetishists which feature enormously high heels some adorned with zips and buckles, others just plain but even higher.  Black or red seem to be the most popular colours, although there is an enormous range now available. 

If you can’t wear these very high styles in your daily lifestyle ladies , then it’s perfectly in order to invest in a pair or two for photography. Sauntering about at home in them is a thrilling experience and a little bit of sauciness and imagination can really spice up your sex life.  That’s what life is all about at the end of the day – isn’t it ?.

 

 

I know  a photographer who has a studio in the south of France that does nothing else except take pictures of women’s feet clad in the most beautiful shoes , using unusual props and compromising positions to make them more interesting.    There are also clubs for people who share this shoe fetish where they can air their views and act out their fantasies.  I think that this is a good idea,  although some participants do take it rather seriously and it’s not  just a game to them.

Shoes also play an important role in the book and film world.  I remember seeing a Spanish film some years ago now called Red High Heels.  I can’t remember all that much about it except for the main theme than ran right through the film where an attractive woman wearing ( yes , you’ve guessed )  red high heels,  went clacking along the pavement to work, passing over the grill of an underground basement whose occupant observed her every day.   I expect there was more on his mind than just her shoes !! 

It’s a great turn on !

 

I suppose that some people may think that I’m talking a load of twaddle or maybe they can’t understand what it’s all about , but I wouldn’t mind betting that the majority of men think differently and know exactly what I’m saying. 

Ask almost any man and if they are honest they will say that a nice looking stiletto heeled shoe makes a woman look more sexy , is a great turn on and arouses the natural instinct in them.   As the dictionary says –  a fetish object is something abnormally stimulating or attracting sexual desire – and I would have to agree with that 100%. 

Sex for shoes

 

The young lady in a “ Sex for Shoes “ national newspaper feature recently would know exactly what I am talking about.  She sleeps with men for shoes and apparently got the idea while on holiday in Belgium of all places.  She was window shopping one day gazing at a shop full of beautiful shoes when some rich foreign hunk came up behind her and told her that he would buy her the sexy red sling backs she was drooling over if she would have sex with him.    So she did , saying that the sex was nice but she was much more excited afterwards when returning to the shop to buy the shoes.  She could hardly wait and actually said that she was “gagging “ for them.

 

After this first encounter she became totally hooked on the idea of taking a man to bed for sex in return for a good pair of stilettos and she now apparently has thirty pairs that she has acquired this way.  Well as much as I desire lovely shoes I would never go to this extreme and nor I imagine would most women, but there are of course extremists in every walk of life.   I don’t actually condemn this girl for what she is doing , but I think she is playing a very risky game just to satisfy her irresistible urge to have more and more shoes. 

It’s nice to have fun like I do, but far better to know where to draw the line and that I think is the real difference between sensible stimulation and big trouble. 

Stockings & tights

 

Many fetish objects that are used for sexual stimulation are often linked to something else, which may also be classed as a fetish object in it’s own right as well.   Stockings and tights, women’s underwear including knickers,  suspender belts and a range of corsetry - and even images of the foot itself - can form a part of the fetish that might have started off with only a more than normal interest in shoes.

 

Although the items themselves are usually worn by females, men who have this kind of fetish attraction will also collect them ( or images of them ) and some will even go as far as wearing them, even though they are completely heterosexual in every other way.  

 

Often the materials that are used in making the objects - think plastic , rubber , PVC etc - can also form a part of the fetish and some kinds of  submissive or dominant behavior will incorporate the use of any or all of the items I have written about here.     What might initially have begun with just a small collection of shoes could easily swell to the degree where on top of  the overall cost it becomes difficult to find somewhere to keep it all and as well as items of clothing and footwear can include  books and magazines , catalogues, photographs , personal anecdotes and stories and even membership of specialist clubs.

 

The foot has a deep symbolic power and once shoes were believed to carry the spirits of previous owners. Almost every culture has used the foot as a unit of measurement and many great figures through the ages, including Buddha and Mohammad have left their footprints as a reminder of their earthly presence.

 

The troubadours of 18^th century Italy wore long phallic shaped shoes which the church tried to ban (without success ), but it was the tiny Catherine de Medici who first adopted the high heel from which our present day stiletto comes. She obviously wanted to make herself appear a little taller and hopefully more sexy.  It worked then for her and it has worked ever since,  over the last couple of hundred years or so for millions of other women ( and men of course).

 

Even though my primary interest is in shoes I sometimes find something else that attracts me enough to want to add it to my collection.  A picture maybe , some special piece of underwear perhaps or even a while ago a pair of huge black feather fans and a matching mask that I saw in a shop quite by accident as I was buying a clip for my hair.   

I like the feeling I get when I buy whatever it is that takes my fancy at the time and it certainly adds to the many pleasures of (our) lifestyle, but I do make sure that we never let any single theme take over and become an obsession for us. 

 

I wrote the first draft of this feature just over three years ago and shortly after reading it Mark decided to keep a look out for suitable illustrations or pictures to go with it.  Within 15 months he had accumulated a huge collection of cuttings , enough to fill more than 40 pages of a 25cm x 38cm album.   He carried on collecting them, now has 23 albums and says             “ that’s all for the moment”.

 

Many of them came from The Sunday Times magazines as well as one of two other specialist Arts listings and it was truly amazing to see just how much of this obviously fetish style illustration is now included in everyday mainstream media and not only by way of direct advertising. I was surprised to see it being used by international names in design and retailing not just in fashion as might be expected, but even for mundane products like cleaning materials and electrical goods.  

Our own photographic collection taken over the last fifteen years or so also includes some suitable examples of the genre – so he included about 40 of them (mostly of me) in the first album.  

Even if you haven’t been able to make up your mind on the question of fetishism it will hopefully have been an interesting way to spend an hour so. 

 

B.M.  c. 2012.