Bishopsgate portraits

Lady resting in a fast food restaurant, 1989

This lady caught my eye after I emerged from Liverpool Street station early one evening in 1989. Her gaze appeared to be fixed on buildings accross Bishopsgate which are reflected by the glass of the restaurant. Her handbag next to the discarded burger container and cup is an accidental still life  that perhaps hints at her precarious life. Bishopsgate was originally the location of many coaching inns which accommodated passengers setting out on the Old North Road.

Portrait of a lady, 1989

Bishopsgate is characterised by people rushing to and from work and home. My subject sits gracefully apart from the world of work and deadlines. She is most likely pleased with the warmth provided by her window seat. A closer examination of her right hand reveals a cigarette that has been allowed to burn undisturbed for some time. Is she really studying the street or is her mind somewhere else?

Bishopsgate reflection, 1998

A brass plate advertising what is available in a coffee shop opposite Liverpool Street station. Combined with the reflections we have a fusion which heralds the fact that we are now in cappucino land. Since 1998 coffee shops have sprung up on Whitechapel Road and Brick Lane.