Through the Palace Gates


Through the Palace Gates
Running time: 7:18
A summer's evening walk along the grassy tracks where steam trains used to roll. Flora and fauna flourish at the Mannock Road Allotment in London - an urban oasis where the instinctive flow of the natural world juxtaposes with the chaos of city life. The many plots align left and right, around a grassy, dead-straight spine, reforming the cutting which framed the Palace Gates Railway Line. This short branch line was constructed by the Great Eastern Railway (GER), and opened on January 1st 1878. In time the expansion of the Piccadilly Line diminished the line's passenger traffic, with closure coming on January 7th 1963.

Shot on Fujifilm X-T20 using a vintage Minolta MC Rokkor-PF 55mm f/1.7.

All artwork, text and images © James Straffon 2024.