All articles by fugueur
Is this the Only Road in the City of London?
In a recent video I repeated a statement I’d been told by a Freeman of the City of London, and somebody who’d worked in the Lord Mayor’s office. He’d declared that there are ‘no roads in the City of London’. In the comments of that video several people countered that in fact the lower section...
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Trip to Norwich for the launch of W.G Sebald’s Shadows of Reality
Writing starts with a photograph, W.G Sebald said on a German TV arts magazine programme about the publication of his book The Emigrants. This clip was played under the looming 15th Century timbered roof of the Dragon Hall in Norwich on Wednesday at the launch of Shadows of Reality – A Catalogue of W.G. Sebald’s...
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Visit to the Marx Memorial Library
I was passing the Marx Memorial Library on Clerkenwell Green at lunchtime and realised that I’d never actually been inside. Not even as an eager Politics student in my youth. The papery smell in the reading room instantly transported me back through the years. It was intoxicating for a brief moment. The Library was established...
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Sniggs Alley & the Oldest Pub in England
“Every town on the multiverse has a part that is something like Ankh-Morpork’s Shades. It’s usually the oldest part, its lanes faithfully following the original tracks of medieval cows going down to the river, and they have names like Shambles, the Rookery, Sniggs Alley …”Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett A walk to find a location...
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Pub Chat from the George, Wanstead
London Pub Chat – Old Traditions, Best Walks, Tube Problems etc. Sunday chat over a pint in the historic George pub in Wanstead, East London. There’s been a pub on this site since at least 1716 (see the shot of a historic sign on the side of the pub) and it’s reported that Wetherspoons have...
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National Park City – Walking Week Talk
Back in early May I had the pleasure of giving a talk about my new book, Welcome to New London – journeys and encounters in the post-Olympic city for London National Park City as part of Walking Week. The venue was a disused chain coffee shop on Fleet Street, just yards away from where the...
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Screening: London Recorder: William English / Emily Richardson / John Rogers / Andrew Vallance
Delighted to be screening an extract from my 2021 Hackney Wick video at this great programme at the brilliant Close-Up cinema, curated by Contact. Programme details from the Close-Up website below:Films that cover several regions of London, including the outer edges of Hackney, the centre of the city and Brixton. Hackney Wick: The Changing Face of London
John...
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Walking the Mardyke Way from Purfleet to Bulphan
A couple of weeks ago I returned to the border of Greater London to walk the Mardyke Way. This ancient river has followed the same course for over 30 million years. Today it carves a path through the Essex countryside on the edge of London. The route I took from Purfleet was around 11-miles followed...
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Albion Island Vortex revived – Iain Sinclair’s Histories and Hauntings
Legendary London writer Iain Sinclair takes us on a tour of his exhibition, Histories and Hauntings, at Swedenborg House in Central London. Histories and Hauntings was partly a re-staging of an exhibition that Iain Sinclair organised at the Whitechapel Gallery in 1974 with Brian Catling, Renchi Bicknell, Sam Torrance and others, Albion Island Vortex, but...
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Speaking at Dalloway Day – Hatchards Piccadilly
I’m delighted to be celebrating Dalloway Day at the brilliant Hatchards Piccadilly on 22nd June 2024. I’ll be in conversation with writer Matthew Beaumont “to reflect on walking in London both in Mrs Dalloway’s 1920s and today.” “In people’s eyes, in the swing, tramp, and trudge; in the bellow and the uproar; the carriages, motor...
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Walking the Counters Creek – lost rivers of London
Lost river walk that links two of the magnificent seven The Counters Creek has haunted me for a few years, just as the lost rivers of London collectively haunt London. It was there as a presence when I’d documented the protests to save the communities and buildings in Earls Court in 2015 & 2016. It...
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Visit to Ljubljana, Slovenia
A 3-day trip to the capital city of Slovenia in the former Yugoslavia with my wife at Easter. Featuring some of the major architectural sites of Ljubljana and a trip to Lake Bled in the Julian Alps. We arrived in Ljubljana to a downpour that lasted into the evening, Easter Monday. We wandered the rainy...
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Edit Day – Alan Moore & Iain Sinclair
Sunny day spent editing this illuminating video of a trek across Northampton with Iain Sinclair to the home of Alan Moore. How do I cut anything from this footage? Feels like a crime. Screening of Unearthing Alan Moore at Swedenborg House, 23rd May. Extended YouTube version shortly afterwards....
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Pub Chat – talking walking at Filly Brook, Leytonstone
Episode 3 of Pub Chat finds me having a pint at the brilliant Filly Brook, Leytonstone. This is obviously my favourite ‘pub’ name in the world (Filly Brook isn’t strictly a pub, more of a tap room) being named after Leytonstone’s lost river that gurgles beneath the street just yards away. In fact, Weston’s map...
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Iain Sinclair – Pariah Genius quote
“All I know is that place dictates the story. The petty interventions of humans are of no account. We raid the past to make the present bearable. But there is no present. Just images, scratches, blood colours. Chalk, oil, aerosol: legacy. And outliers to record it.”P.61...
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Video: In conversation with Iain Sinclair at Hatchards Piccadilly
Here’s the full unedited video of my wonderful conversation with Iain Sinclair at Hatchards Piccadilly on 25th January. The event was to discuss my new book, Welcome to New London – journeys and encounters in the post-Olympic city but we wandered as we’re wont to do and even had a chat about Iain’s latest book...
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Record Store Day local wander
More infoLea Hall, Leyton – from Leyton & Leytonstone Historical SocietyDreamhouse Records, LeytonLea Bridge Library – new pavilion Vinyl Vanguard, Walthamstow St Mary’s Church, Leyton...
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London Loop Section 2 – Petts Wood to Old Bexley
Continuing my walk on the London Loop How can it have been two years since I ended Section 3 of the London Loop at Petts Wood? It felt both fantastic and odd to find myself back at Petts Wood station picking up the 150-mile long trail and knocking off the final couple of sections of...
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Fever Dreams of Iain Sinclair … and John Deakin
“Fever dreams empty the streets and let the old ghosts out.” Iain Sinclair, Pariah Genius...
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Some Fantastic Tales of Bloomsbury
This London walking tour takes us around the fabulous squares of Bloomsbury with its fantastic tales. Our walk starts with the incredible story of Oliver Cromwell’s body being kept in the cellar of The Red Lion pub in Holborn in 1661 and its possible secret burial. Then in Red Lion Square, we investigate the story...
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Photos from some early April London Strolls
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The most Eastern Point in Greater London
Sometimes quests come to you unexpectedly. I was looking for the source of the Mar Dyke on Google Map and spotted a heritage marker in a field near the village of Bulphan in Essex. Zooming in on the map to see what artefact or building was to be found, it simply read ‘Easternmost Point of...
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Socialist Modernism in Ljubljana (and other modernisms)
I was hoping to find some examples of Socialist Modernism on my recent trip to Ljubljana, capital of Slovenia, and spotted this glorious concrete structure, initially from the bus to Lake Bled. Upon return to Ljubljana we doubled back to pay homage to this example of peak ‘Soc Mod’. ‘Petrol’ by noted architect Milan Mihelič...
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Walking historic Whitechapel
Join me on a journey through the streets of Whitechapel, one of London’s most vibrant and storied areas. Our East London walking tour begins at Petticoat Lane, a bustling market dating back to the 1600s now known for its lively atmosphere and diverse range of goods. From there, we’ll make our way to Wentworth Street...
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Resonance fm fundraiser at Cafe Oto – Richard Dawson
9th March: Great scene at Cafe Oto for the Resonance fm fundraiser, Richard Dawson headlining, Kamura Obscura opening the night, Ben Thompson on the decks. Saw some wonderful people in the audience.Richard Dawson was something else, transcendental, picking, strumming, thrashing that electric guitar and hitting those incredible vocal notes....
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Pub Chat episode 2: walking Roman London
Here’s the next instalment of my ad-hoc series of pub chats at the end of a walk. This time I’m talking about walks in Roman London – once again in the brilliant Red Lion Leytonstone supping a pint of East London Brewery Bow Creek. See me in conversation with Travis Elborough at the Bookseller Crow...
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Coastal walk from Folkestone to Dover
Last summer I headed out to do the two harbours walk from Folkestone to Dover in Kent, partly following the North Downs Way. This beautiful coastal walk follows the chalk cliffs with stunning views across the Channel ending at the famous white cliffs of Dover. We pass the Martello towers, Abbots Cliff Sound Mirror, Battle...
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Event at Bookseller Crow with Travis Elborough 28th March 2024
Chuffed to bits to be doing an event at Bookseller Crow bookshop in Crystal Palace on 28th March with the brilliant Travis Elborough.Get your tickets here: https://booksellercrow.co.uk/event/26190/?instance_id=338 Welcome to New London is not just a book about a city; it’s a vivid, personal account of a city in flux, where the author’s passion for exploration...
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Walking the River Medway
As we start to sense the possibility of Spring, plans for future walks start to take on a new tone of intent. One such plan is to pick up the trail of this enlightening walk exploring a dramatic stretch of the River Medway in Kent from Gillingham to Rainham with the brilliant Professor Kate Spencer....
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The far side of Wanstead Flats
A late afternoon wander across Wanstead Flats across traces of ancient usage and possible Roman routes. Resist the lure of The Golden Fleece, where I haven’t been for years, and get drawn down The Chase that appears as a remnant of old country Forest Gate. Loop around Alexandra Lake through sunset into gloom and to...
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Exploring Bankside – Bishops, Bards, Bears and Bordellos
A freezing cold night in January I found myself ensconced in the Thameside Inn having stumbled upon the ruins of the Bishop of Winchester’s Palace in the narrow lanes near Borough Market. Supping a pint of Adnam’s Ghost Ship from Southwold, I looked across the river at the City lights reflecting in the Thames and...
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Questions about London (from Southwark Cathedral)
And if you hungry for more questions about London and walking here are some previous Q&A videos:Mighty London Q&A The Most Remote part of London and more Questions Answered...
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Project about New York’s Artist Loft Law
Stumbled across this fascinating video on YouTube about Josh Charow’s photography book ‘Loft Law. The Last of New York City’s Original Artist Lofts’. “The law, enacted in 1982 (Article 7-C of the Multiple Dwelling Law), granted protection and rent stabilization to thousands of artists who were living illegally in commercial and manufacturing zoned lofts in...
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Podcast: What on Earth is Psychogeography
I had the great pleasure of being interviewed live onstage at the fantastic Wanstead Tap about the subject of walking and psychogeography for the Tap Into Podcast. And appropriately I did ramble all over the place a bit. Here are some of my notes.Original definition of Psychogeography by the Situationist International:“the study of the precise...
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Local football: Enfield 0 vs Walthamstow fc 2
Cracking bit of local non-league football action with Walthamstow FC away at Enfield in the Isthmian League North. Walthamstow have a fascinating and complex history, drawing lineage from Leyton F.C formed in 1868 – with one variant of that club playing at the Hare and Hounds ground on Lea Bridge Road. It’s great to see...
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Hatchards Piccadilly with Iain Sinclair
What an amazing night at Hatchards Bookshop on Piccadilly with the great Iain Sinclair talking about my book, Welcome to New London and getting a preview of Iain’s forthcoming publication, Pariah Genius. After the talk and book signing, I wandered with a friend up to the Old Coffee House in Soho to remind myself of...
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Friday in four images
Friday in four images: coffee at Unity Cafe Leytonstone, St. Martin’s Court after a screening of Days of Being Wild at the Prince Charles Cinema, The Round Table pub in St. Martin’s Court, baked Camembert made on a whim after watching an Instagram reel. A good day....
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Sunday night at The George, Wanstead
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Flitcroft Street, WC2
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Event with Iain Sinclair at Hatchards Piccadilly
Chuffed to be doing an event with Iain SInclair at the wonderful Hatchards Bookshop on Piccadilly, 25th January 2024. Get tickets here https://JohnRogersAtHatchards.eventbrite.co.uk...
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Pub Talk: walking plans for the year ahead
At the end of a great walk I wind up in the garden of the Red Lion Leytonstone chatting about my walking plans for the year ahead....
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Walking the Norbury Brook
What is it with these South London rivers? Probably my favourite walk of 2023 was the River Shuttle walk I did in February. I was guided into the dark by a brilliantly luminous full moon that made me think of Steve Moore’s magical book Somnium, which is set around the summit of Shooters Hill, not...
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A Walk Through 2023
Massive thank you for all your support in 2023 and joining me on these fantastic walks and explorations. We’ve walked rivers and brooks from the Quaggy, Shuttle, Brent, Wye, Medway, Lea, Beverley Brook, Norbury Brook, Stonebridge Brook, and drifted down the River Roding in a coracle. We’ve explored London North, South, East and West from...
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Woodbridge Ambient Music Festival
A trip to Suffolk for the Woodbridge Ambient Music Festival and a celebration of the beautiful River Deben. A series of coincides alerted me to the Woodbridge Ambient Music Festival taking place from 22nd – 24th September, just at a time when I needed an escape from the city. So I hopped on the train...
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Boxing Day Walk
I start with no fixed plan and follow my feet along Midland Road, Leyton then down Farmer Road to Church Road and the still boarded up Antelope pub. There’s been online chatter about getting this place open again and despite the success of other revived pubs in the area the Antelope continues to lie dormant....
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Winter walk through Epping Forest
‘The spirit of devotion for the woods, which breathes through the simple expression of the poet, is akin to “that hereditary spell of forests,” which Robert Louis Stevenson describes as acting ” on the mind of man who still remembers and salutes the ancient refuge of his race.” Such a refuge once was London. Indeed...
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Record Shop Dreaming
Back in my Bondi years (mid-90s) I dreamed of opening a record shop and coffee bar with Formica tables, wooden chairs and a large vinyl sofa (vinyl + vinyl geddit). Dreamhouse Records on Francis Road, Leyton has a similar vibe to that place of my imagination. Great spot to sit on a grey afternoon with a coffee...
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South Bank book trawling
‘The Unknown Trail’ ‘Border, By-ways and Lothian Lore’ ‘In Quest of Peril’ Some of the enticing titles embossed on old cloth spines on the South Bank book market outside the BFI. Browsing these tables brings back great memories of my NFT days – book collecting chats back in the box office, trawling for treasure and...
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Welcome to New London signing at Book Bodega, Ramsgate
What wonderful Sunday afternoon at Book Bodega in Ramsgate signing copies of Welcome to New London – journeys and encounters in the post-Olympic city. It’s a real gem of a bookshop and this was in fact my first signing outside London. So lovely to share the event with friends and family and meet regular viewers...
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Welcome To New London, By John Rogers | Londonist
An interview with the author, walker and videographer about his new book. — Read on londonist.com/london/books-and-poetry/this-new-london...
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