Her Majesties green and pleasant land
As a child I spent many happy summer holidays at my grandparents house in Southend-On-Sea, a seaside resort town on the north side of the Thames estuary. I remember being told stories of how my great grandfather had been a baker and that, although under different ownership, the family bakery still existed in the area. Read more
Over the Christmas holidays I took a short trip around the UK, visiting my old haunts in Norwich, Cambridge, London, York, Durham and Edinburgh. Since the weather was pretty dismal it was a good chance to reacquaint myself with some of our former Empire’s first class museums (many of which remain free somehow). Read more
I was walking home in Hong Kong last night when I passed this really cool billboard from the British Council advertising UK education. Full version below.
As a confirmed map geek I really liked this take on the classic London Underground tube map which represents subjects as stations on a fictitious @UK network layout.
Last year the UK government also ran a nicely executed GREAT Britain image campaign, promoting Britain overseas as one of the best places to visit, study, work, and invest in.
During my trip to the UK last month I spent the best part of a week at my parents home in Surlingham – a rather picturesque village in South Norfolk on the Broads (not far from Norwich). As with most of rural Norfolk the surrounding area is low-lying, sparsely populated and predominantly farmland – the perfect getaway from the megalopolis where I usually reside. Read more
Since moving to China in 2008 I’ve usually only returned to the UK at Christmas but owing to my sister’s wedding last month I had the rare pleasure of visiting during summer. The wedding reception was held in the estate grounds of Firle Place, a beautiful 15th century manor house in Firle, East Sussex which is just about as quintessentially British as it gets. Jane Austen eat your heart out! Read more
After leaving Shenzhen at the end of 2010 I began 2011 in a state of limbo, living somewhere between temporary accommodation in London and Hong Kong airport, while I was working on a fairly dull project. After an unexpected turn of events (getting a new job) I ended up doing something completely different and far more exciting. Read more
Metropolitan underground rail maps have long fascinated me for the many ways in which designers have tried to balance style with substance and accuracy to produce something which can easily guide people through complex interconnected transport networks. Read more
As you have probably noticed Randomwire is sporting a brand new look today in what seems to have become a yearly occurrence. While I was quite happy with the previous design (from early 2010) I felt like I wanted something lighter and fresher. The theme is a customised version of Linen produced by the wonderful people at The Theme Foundry (where my past two previous themes also came from). Read more
Last weekend I took a trip to South Wales to get a bit of fresh air and to explore a part of the UK I’d never been to before. It takes about two hours to reach Cardiff, the capital of Wales, from London by train making it ideal for a short getaway. While travelling around this region by public transport can be a bit limiting I did manage to get out of the cities to somewhere a bit more remote and moreover stunningly beautiful… Read more
Last weekend I visited The Royal Horticultural Society’s (RHS) garden at Wisley in Surrey, south of London, which is one of the three most visited paid gardens in the UK (alongside Kew Gardens). It probably wouldn’t have been somewhere I’d visit usually but the opportunity arose and it was nice to get some fresh air and enjoy the newly opened “Butterflies in the Glasshouse” event. Read more