Swedish photographer George Kindbom has only visited London once – back in 1979 – as a 27-year-old man eager to travel the world and observe the idiosyncrasies of its various cultures. He certainly came to the right place.
Through his images he captures an almost alien generation of eccentric characters free from the trappings of technology and all those Instagram filters. Margaret Thatcher had just won her first general election, the Jubilee line was recently inaugurated and the next decade was about to change the world beyond recognition… More at EveningStandard.
A time when things were about to change markedly, and captured perfectly in these 16 images.
The picture of the Bobbies reminded me of one of the times I visited the U.K. on business. In London, I parked in a no parking zone because I didn’t understand the signs, tourist that I was, and got a parking ticket. As I was studying the ticket, a Bobbie came up to me and asked what the problem was. I showed him the ticket and he chuckled “oh yes, we sell some of those”. He then explained the sign and told me where to go to get it fixed, because I was a tourist. It might have been a minor thing, but it’s one of my favourite moments from that trip.