8
HoxtonMiniPress,hardback,£16.95,ISBN978-1-910566-61-9★★★★★
London Underground 1
by Mike Goldwater
Nostalgia abounds in the latest
Vintage Britain book from the
inimitable Hoxton Mini Press,
saysAmyDavies
BOOK
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here’s something about underground
transport networks that seem to
create little microcosms of human
activity. It’s true of London, but I’ve
also witnessed it in Paris, Tokyo, Toronto and
New York – a whole world underneath the rest
of civilisation, with no natural light and people in
a hurry. All of life’s characters are at once
different yet equal.
I’m always pleased to see pictures and
projects shot in these spaces. The latest book
from Hoxton Mini Press, the sixth in its Vintage
Britain series, contains pictures from 1970-
by the photographer Mike Goldwater.
Back in the 1970s, it was still acceptable to
talk, kiss and even smoke on the London
Underground. I’m not entirely sure you’d get the
same kind of imagery if you were to embark on
the project today, and it’s for that reason that
the images are wonderfully dated and nostalgic
(even for somebody who wasn’t even born
when these photographs were shot).
An essay at the start of the book by Lucy
Davies explains more about the genesis of the
project. Mike grew up in a north London suburb,
he would catch the Northern line to school in
Hampstead. He began taking his photographs
for this series in 1970. With some stations lit
only by individual hanging bulbs, the images
were hard to capture, with the film pushed to its
absolute limits.
The result, albeit out of necessity, is
sometimes brooding and mysterious, alluding
again to the otherworldliness of the
underground. It’s amusing to note that he had to
hide his camera from underground staff, who
would stop him from taking photos if caught.
Thank goodness he was never stopped
completely – in fact he now has the privilege of
travelling on the network for free, a fitting reward
for his beautiful work. This is a wonderful set of
images and a fine example for documentary
and social photographers, as well as a lesson in
how to tightly edit a cohesive set of shots that
work together well.
Hoxton Mini Press is on a roll with this
collection, which are always beautifully
presented and available at a reasonable price.
London natives or otherwise would do well to
add this one to their shelves – I love it.Oxford Circus,
197 9Oxford Circus, 1978