When I used to come to Greenwich in the Eighties, I used to think it odd that you could look out of the window of a third storey council flat and see the masts of the Cutty Sark jutting into the sky.Also, the former ocean going clipper was in “dry dock”, so you could walk around it as you would a museum piece or a playground attraction. As a child you could have your very own larger than life boat to play with. I guess that is London for you: historic monuments dotted in amongst a mix of social housing.

What’s in a Name?

I had been to Greenwich previously and seen for the first time that which I had only previously heard about. And the phrase “Cutty Sark”, sounding like a foreign dialect, is a name that sticks… What was that, “Cutty’s Ark”? Cutty Shark?  And that strange phrase floated there for a while rather like a bottle, bobbing up and down on the sea, waiting to be grounded on some foreign shore.

When I saw the vessel for the first time, “phrase” and “ship” finally became one, rather like sticking the label on a bare bottle of Cutty Sark whisky.

The name “Cutty Sark” refers to a witch, in the poem Tam O’Shanter by Robert Burns, who ran like the wind to catch Tam’s horse, which may partly explain the name for the clipper since she was built for speed.

She is also represented by the figurehead, at the bow of the ship. Here she wears a “short undergarment” which is the original meaning of the phrase “Cutty Sark”.

Who or What Really Caused the Fire?

The outbreak of fire which caused so much damage in 2007 was thought to be caused by an electrical fault in a vacuum cleaner. Machines seem to get more than their fair share of blame.

As far as I know nobody has pointed the finger at the witch, Nannie Dee for the fire of May 2007.The figurehead which represents her is, as far as I am aware undamaged, and she has history, as pointed out by Robert Burns: “For many a beast to dead she shot, And perished many a boat”. Perhaps she resented the intrusion in the same way she objected to Tam O’Shanter all those years ago. Boozed-up Tam (whilst his long suffering wife waits for him) gets carried away by the sight of “a winsome jolly wench”, dancing with the other witches and calls out: “Weel done, Cutty-sark!” And this serves as the basis for a moral tale of the time. Is there a moral tale for the present?

Importance of Tea

The Clipper Cutty Sark was involved in the glorious tea races of the 19th Century to be the first back to England from china with the season’s crop. The winner received prestige and extra money whilst the tea drinkers’ wait time was down to 3 months. The modern tea drinker, has to have a tea bag because he can’t be bothered to wait for loose leaves to brew.

Greenwich wedding photography and the Cutty Sark

I don’t know if this shot is possible at the moment with the renovations going on but it is a shot that I did whilst covering a wedding at the Trafalgar Tavern.

Tourist Information

The Cutty Sark is located near the centre of Greenwich in south-east London close to the National Maritime Museum, the Greenwich University and is on the route of the London Marathon. Cutty Sark station on the Docklands Light Railway is about a minutes walk away.

Greenwich Pier is close to the ship and there is a ferry service from many of London piers.

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Josephine and Emeka emerge from the confetti where they had pictures taken by south london wedding photographer Charlies Pictures. Many wedding pictures were taken during the service in the Roman catholic church with the priest’s blessing (not literally).

Some more formal wedding photography poses were taken at Folkestone gardens.

Confronting the day’s tasks clearly wasn’t enough as they then entered……. The Lions Den (Millwall FC) where they had their wedding reception and candid wedding reception photography.

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Dr.and Mrs.Bamboye arrive to celebrate their wedding anniversary. London and Surrey wedding photographer Charlies Pictures was there at Fairfield halls to capture the event. Croydon, Shirley Oaks, West wickham and Addington are areas in which Charlies Pictures carries out wedding Photography and other events.

Mrs.Bamboye poses for her birthday portrait. Wedding photography in Croydon as well as events and home portrait commissions are undertaken.

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Ealing Town Hall provided an interesting  backdrop for Annabel and Jack’s wedding pictures. Its a short walk from Ealing Broadway station in West London with easy links to Heathrow or Central London and even your Passport to Pimlico. We were able to have the bride and groom pose in a variety of settings from haunting gothic to the colourful contemporary in the Princes Hall reception area.

Free from the Love Lottery
Walpole Park, which is tucked away behind the shops, provides a green alternative to picture taking. It has a pond, ducks and  bridges as posing props. Many a recent Lady Killer has submitted here to the killer pose.

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Spot the Bouquet

Wedding couples (and indeed wedding photographers) can find Bickley Manor between Bickley and Chislehurst stations in Thornet Wood Road. It is slightly off the beaten track which can make it more interesting for wedding photos and yet it has easy access from Bromley,Orpington,Beckenham and Chislehurst.

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A winter-grey Fulham Broadway saw a splash of colour recently when Vicky and Bradley held their wedding ceremony -the event being photographed by Charlies Pictures. The officials at Fulham register office were more than helpful in seeing that everything went smoothly. Following suit, the weather which had given us almost non-stop rain all week hesitated and finally smiled down on the newly married couple.

The grade II listed Georgian building provides an interesting backdrop for contemporary wedding photography. And when a red London bus stops briefly, like the rain, to pay its respects and asks to be included in the picture it would surely be rude to say no.
With the bus on its way to its next destination so were we. Chasing a limo,chasing dreams, wedding photographer on flight path to Chiswick. A Chiswick recepion to be precise, to record meeting and greeting, toasting and cake cutting – food for thought for a long time to come.

Finally, it was goodbye to the bride and groom and out into the night gloom.

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I haven’t mentioned anything about Sam and Stuart’s wedding yet so thought you might like to hear about it.

I loved The Burford Bridge Hotel as a wedding venue.-good choice, Sam and Stuart!

Sam and I had spoken several times but it wasn;’t ’til the wedding day that we actually met. so I was really looking forward to meeting her and Stuart. I had gathered from Sam that she just wanted everyone to have a really good time and from the photos you can see that a good time was definitely had by all!
We were really lucky withe the weather as we managed to get all the after wedding photos just in time before it began raining and we had to go indoors.

The room where the ceremony was held was very beautiful and the registrar was easy going and great to work with. There was a wonderful little gallery where you could look down upon the couple getting married which made a lovely shot.

The best man helped us out, gathering all the guests together for photographs.

Sam’s nephew proved very photogenic and seemed to smile at the right time too!

Love

Ann

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We had a wonderful day with Kerry and Louis on Saturday. The day started in a unique way with a champagne breakfast at Kerry’s sister-in-law’s in a heated marquee. So we managed to capture the day early on when the children were still in their pyjamas and everyone was relaxed. Great atmosphere for informal shots. Kerry’s family were on one side of the marquee and Louis’ on the other.

Afterwards we drove into Maidstone and the ceremony was held at 2.30 at Archbishop’s Palalce. Kerry looked amazing and Louis’ heart must have been beating hard as she was stunning; her dress, hair, poise. The bridesmaids looked great in their silver dresses and Louis with hs two best men.
The registrar was vey helpful and we managed to get some good photographs there and then. The weather tried playing tricks on us and we were nearly rained off but fortunately luck was on the bride and groom and photographers’ side and we were able to hold the rain off just in time for photographs in the grounds and along by the river.
Then we headed off for Red Libbet’s Golf course for the reception. Louis took the best man’s speech well even though the photographs he had had blown up were pretty  embarassing.
Tracy, Kerry’s sister-in-law, helped organise the day and did a great job. She made sure that Kerry and Louis had a totally enjoyable day. She really took care of us too, making sure that we were fed and watered, which was much appreciated.
Kerry and Louis’ children were fantastic. They were great at posing for us which made our life easy and were so well behaved too.
I enjoyed the day so much I felt like a guest! What I liked best was that we really had the opportunity to take a real variety of informal and formal pictures and share in Kerry and Louis’ special day.
Love
Ann

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