03/07/13 1:33pm

Following on from my Urban Renewal post, this illustration is fully dedicated to The British Museum.  It’s such an amazing building, and looking back through photos I have from various trips to the Museum, I can safely say, it appears to change colour depending on the weather!  I’ve illustrated it here as quite a sandy brick but in some lights it’s a pale grey.

The collections that you’ll find inside are mostly quite educational and classic. Not only are you welcomed by this amazing building, surrounded by massive pillars with plenty of space to walk around and enjoy it from all angles, but once you walk through the doors and the initial foyer, the whole building opens up.  In the middle is a courtyard area with a central building within this space.  The ceiling that joins this middle building to the outer is glass and has a great, almost spiraling effect in it.  I’ve had the pleasure of only going when it’s sunny, which really brightens up the space but I can imagine that if it’s stormy outside it can get quite dramatic in there!

In this amazing courtyard space you’ll find a canteen-style cafe, perfect for people watching and taking in the building with a cup of tea or coffee.

Get in touch with the author @charlsvallance and check out her blog.  Check back every other Wednesday for the next installation of (Art)chitecture by Charlotte Vallance.

02/20/13 3:54pm

Untapped Cities - (Art)chitecture by Charlotte Vallance - Urban Renewal

 

In urban renewal, gorgeous old buildings are sometimes re-used with a modern twist. This particular McDonald’s is on the North Circular (on the way into London) and does indeed have a drive-in, but it looks so out of place in this eye-catching, attractive building next to an IKEA and small rows of houses. Really hard to miss!

I was recently asked my favourite building. My conclusion was that I don’t have a favourite in particular, more a type. This is it: old buildings which are used with a modern twist. Whether that urban renewal twist is that a modern company has made use of it (as in this case), or if a modern extension has been given to it (The British Museum in London, or The Westin in Sydney, for examples) – it doesn’t matter; it’s being able to still appreciate these amazing buildings without feeling sorry for them.

Get in touch with the author @charlsvallance and check out her blog. Check back every other Wednesday for the next installation of Art(chitecture) by Charlotte Vallance. Find designs by Charlotte Vallance on Society6.

02/05/13 6:00am

While Trafalgar Square is one of Central London‘s highly frequented tourist attractions, most people looking up at the statues and Nelson’s column will miss an important piece of the city’s history literally lying at their feet: the Imperial Units, the standard units of measurement of the Imperial system, or Trafalgar standards for short.

On the morning of October 16, 1834, Richard Whibley, the Clerk of Works at the Palace of Westminster, tasked Joshua Cross and Patrick Furlong with burning the old tally sticks. As Charles Dickens recounted “they were burned in a stove in the House of Lords. The stove, over-gorged with these preposterous sticks, set fire to the paneling; the paneling set fire to the House of Commons; the two houses were reduced to ashes.”

Untapped Cities - The Standard Units in Trafalgar Square, London

The Burning of the Houses of Lords and Commons by JMW Turner

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11/28/12 3:26pm

East London is a ‘go to’ destination and namely it’s Brick Lane with the lovely art markets, vintage shops and quirky cafes.  I took my time exploring this side of London (as it is quite literally on the other side of London to me) but have my definite favourite place to go for tea and cake (and the coffee is also very good!).

The Vintage Emporium is an amazing place to go if you love the homemade, vintage, quirky, comfortable type of cafe that serves tea in the largest cups I’ve seen and cake that comes in slabs.  I’d recommend sharing!  Downstairs is a great vintage shop that has some gorgeous items and is perfect for a hunt around.

If you do make your way over to that side of town, take a walk through Spitalfields Market, visit Rough Trade and get a black & white photo taken in their booth, check out art markets in the ‘Sunday Up Market‘ space and sample food from all over the world in the Old Truman Brewery.

Get in touch with the author @charlsvallance and check out her blog.  Check back every other Wednesday for the next installation of (Art)chitecture by Charlotte Vallance.

11/14/12 4:35pm

Wallace & Co.  is a lovely cafe owned by Gregg Wallace  - & Co. – (you may know him from ‘Master Chef‘) in Putney. A friend of mine used to live around the corner and it is absolutely one of my favourite places to go for breakfast / brunch in London. This past weekend I happened to be in the area and couldn’t miss a chance to stop by for a drink with friends. Between us we had coffee, tea and a smoothie (I also had a cheeky chocolate croissant) and they were delicious!

You can read all about Wallace & Co. on their website, as well as flick through their menus. They are an ‘All Day Cafe’ serving breakfast, lunch, dinner and takeaways. Perfect for brunches with friends or to pick up lunch ‘to go’ for later.  You can also pick up copies of Gregg’s cookery books and lovely Wallace & Co. tote bags. Perfect.

Now, I have only been a handful of times (trying something different every time I go!), but on one of these occasions we did see the man himself – Gregg Wallace – having breakfast with a friend! We were a tad star-struck to be sitting in the booth next to him and it definitely made our day.

Get in touch with the author @charlsvallance and check out her blog. Check back every other Wednesday for the next installation of (Art)chitecture by Charlotte Vallance. Charlotte’s prints are for sale at The Untapped Shop.

11/01/12 10:16am

 

This amazing building in Canada Water in London was home to The Sketchbook Project 2012 (European entries) for a week from 12th October till 19th October.  I’ve participated with The Sketchbook Project for 2 years, 3 projects, which consisted of ‘The Sketchbook Project 2011 – Down Your Street’, ‘The Sketchbook Project 2012 –  Travel with Me’ and a ‘Limited Edition Sketchbook Project’.  These projects have kept me inspired over the last couple of years after returning home from my travels.

Art House Co-op are the geniuses that run ‘The Sketchbook Project’ and are based way over in Brooklyn at The Brooklyn Art Library.  There is something nice about completing a sketchbook and then sending it off to live its life somewhere else.  The 2012 books, however, made it back to London with a world tour that Art House Co-op put on.  This gave us over here (aka not in America) a chance to look through some of the books that fellow participants had entered.  You can find all of the participants on the Art House Co-op website, and most have had their books digitized so you can look through them without having to be in Brooklyn!

I can happily anounce that one of my sketchbooks from these projects has been selected for the ‘A Landmark and A Mission Tour’ which travels from Pittsburgh to Ann Arbor and then to Cleveland.

If you get a chance to visit my sketchbook, where ever it may be, do get in touch and let me know.

 

Purchase this print and more from Charlotte Vallance in the Untapped Cities Shop. Get in touch with the author @charlsvallance and check out her  blog.  Check back every other Wednesday for the next installation of (Art)chitecture by Charlotte Vallance.