To Iona and Mus
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An Afternoon with Iona and
Mus
Slide experience left behind, we leave a very busy hub and head for Bethnal Green.
At Tottenham Court Road we go up the steepest escalator we have yet been on.
As we exit we find some wonderful history and old photographs.
The name ‘Tottenham Court Road’ comes from William de Tottenhall’s 13th century manor house, which stood adjacent to the modern road junction. To the southeast of the junction is the church of St. Giles ‘in the Fields’, dating to at least the 12th century. The name of this church indicates the area was once rural. Indeed, Soho – the area to the southwest of the junction – was open grazing land until it was leased for development around 1700. The neighbourhood then became a magnet for many of London’s immigrant populations, including its large French Hugenot community. However, by the 1800’s, the area had become overdeveloped, and had gained a reputation for being crowded and lawless. The construction of New Oxford Street in 1847 was designed to improve transport connections from the City, but had the added impact of clearing the slums in the vicinity.
The Underground arrived in the area in 1900, when the Central London Railway, now the Central Line, built a station at this location. The ‘Hampstead Railway’, the debate over the redevelopment of London, was constructed in the 1960’s, and Soho became a hub for entertainment and the media industry. Tottenham Court Road station itself has also seen changes – including refurbishment in the 1980’s that incorporated Sir Eduardo Paolozzi’s mosaics. In the future, there will inevitably be more development, as the area around Tottenham Court Road continues to grow. We are currently increasing the size of the ticket hall fivefold in preparation for the arrival of Crossrail in 2018. In addition to the Paolozzi mosaics, the station will also feature a new major permanent installation by artist Daniel Buren. No matter what changes come, however, the Underground will continue to serve Londoner’s working, visiting, and living at William de Tottenhall’s road junction.
Out in the open we stood to admire the high-tech, new look station entrance.
We stopped to chat to a very handsome Police horse and bimbled down Shaftesbury Avenue.
Entering all things ‘food and entertainment’.
Then we went into the mad, noisy, colourful M&M’s World. Just a short time in there was all we needed, the boys chose some sweets, I had a carrier bag and that meant we could get a really cheapo beach blanket. Now for the part of the day I have soooooo been looking forward to. We wait for a few minutes outside, and there is Iona walking towards us with her chap Mus. Immediately I thought, he’s a keeper, what a smashing chap.
 Iona
led us to afternoon tea in the Crypt of St. Martin in the
Fields, stunning lighting.
Me with my lovely cousin Iona.
Harley did well to get a picture of the four of us.
We had a wonderful time getting to know ‘the keeper’, Mus, a super-talented artist, illustrator and designer to name but a few AND a Scottish BAFTA recipient. I had to look it up to get it correct the details correct. (Category, nominees and winners in bold for 2016).
GAME
sponsored by Oracle Academy
We only found out about this amazing achievement as Mus has a terrific story to tell about “bringing the damn thing home”. The statuette is not a small or light business and needing a packet of his favourite Monster Munch and a drink, said award was plomped down on the pile of papers in front of a bemused newsagent.............I so wanted to know what the award looked like assuming that it would similar to the original.
  Thank you to the Glasgow Evening Standard for the two pictures and part of the article: ..............In 2015 Scottish designer Oliver J. Conway, a former apprentice of the original trophy designer and acclaimed artist Allan Ross, has created the new BAFTA Scotland Award. The trophy enhances the original design and continues to feature the BAFTA mask. It has gone from being set in aluminium to cast iron, creating a striking piece of art for each recipient. The features of the mask have been enhanced and the award now bears a closer representation to the original mask designed by Mitzi Cunliffe in 1955. The new award is now taller than before, standing at 300mm and weighing 2.9kg............how wonderful, still picturing being plopped on the counter in the newsagents.
 
I’m sure Mus will wonder why we wanted to add this great achievement to this blog. Well, how proud are we............. and it’s not every day you sit in a crypt with a Scottish BAFTA winner. (Some of Mus’s incredible sketches and work on www.sgtmus.blogspot.my). Needless to say, Harley thoroughly enjoyed talking all things gaming, computer and graphics. All too soon the afternoon sped away. We parted promising a much longer time next year. That’s really nice to say as we are now happily able to come back for three months every year from now on.
Harley was only too keen to pose with Iona and ‘his new BFF’ and now super-hero, Mus.
ALL IN ALL A TERRIFIC TIME FABULOUS MEETING UP WITH IONA AND MUS |
