Luke Agbaimoni - Tube Mapper

Tube Mapper is a dazzling photography project conceived by Luke Agbaimoni which aims to photograph every station & stop on the London Underground. As Luke says himself on his website: "The Underground is the backbone of London and is a network of shared experiences and visual memories." I couldn't agree more. The images Luke has created since the project's inception are nothing short of mazing. His photographs celebrate in a unique way the visual stimulations most of us miss when we're travelling on the oldest underground network in the world. I managed to tear Luke away from the network long enough to answer a few quick fire questions and see just why he loves to spend so much of his time below ground.

When did you first pick up a camera?

I'm not sure really. I had film cameras as a kid, what would be considered as point and shoot camera now. I did an art degree so  I used cameras throughout. These were again mainly film as digital cameras were very much in their infancy. So I've always used cameras even though I wouldn't say I was an active photographer. 

When did your love affair with the London Underground network begin? 

Just before my first child was born. I realized that I wouldn't be able to take photos of sunrises and sunsets anymore so I decide a way to continue with my creative photography wa to take photos on my way to work and journey home. I shared these on social media and they created such a buzz. This is how the project started.

Your brilliant photographs transcend travel photography. How would you describe your style? Street photography deep underground?

I think that's a good description. It's almost street photography. Some sorts definitely are, many are not. Generally, I think of myself as an artist - so perhaps the underground is the canvas where I capture art in whatever form it takes.

Some of your photos are staged, many are taken on the fly - which do you prefer?

I don't have a preference. Each illustrate different things. 

Do the staff/drivers at TFL recognise you? Do they invite you into their hallowed canteens for a cup of tea? 

Yes, they do! I have been invited to their areas of the station and seen a few secrets behind the scenes... 

What interests you most - the trains, the people, the architecture? 

It's the combination: the interplay of all these elements. 

Is there a single photo (or collection) that you're most proud of? 

No, I always say my conversation with my photography is constantly changing. However, my symmetry collection was really fun. I'm very much enjoying my recent portrait project capturing people at their favourite stations. 

Have you got a favourite line? (Mine would be the Piccadilly - as an out-of-towner many of my tube journeys begin at Cockfosters.) 

I don't have a favourite line but I do love the Bakerloo Line trains the most as they are like museums on tracks. 

I see from your website you've photographed the Glasgow Underground. Do you have your sights set on networks further afield? Maybe the NYC subway?

I would love to. If I can arrange this in a financial appropriate way I would jump at the chance.

...

A massive thank you to Luke. He really is a legend.

Lindum Colonia

I jumped on the train to Lincoln on Friday. Walking up Steep Hill (I'd forgotten just how steep it is) I clocked a nice caff and made a mental note to stop for a brew on the way down. But not till I'd reached the summit and paid my respects in what some call the Minster but most of us know as Lincoln Cathedral. On the day when the reputation of our armed forces forces was been dragged through the mud by the POTUS I thought it was only right that I paused for a moment of quiet reflection in the chapels within the cathedral commemorating our fallen soldiers, airmen and sailors. Brave servicemen and women who paid the ultimate sacrifice for their country, their fellow men, and democracy. We shall never forget them.

Lost and found

I felt quite smug back in October: I'd bought my first Christmas present (unheard of for me) and so thought I'd squirrel it away in a safe place until I need to retrieve, wrap and gift it. However, there's only one slight problem with safe places - after the passage of time (in this case, over two months) you can never remember them. And so it came to pass that yesterday, some three and a half months after the secret drop, I finally stumbled upon the stash and was finally able to give the current Mrs. Medd her belated prezzie.

I'm always losing stuff. Just ask Chris Difford. In fact I was convinced I'd lost another book I was desperate to locate. In Sunlight or in Shadow - stories inspired by the paintings of Edward Hopper - had also gone AWOL; I'd read a couple of its short stories and was saving the rest for another time; that was back in 2016. It turned up today. The moral of this story - never ever give me anything for safekeeping.

Listing

I think one of the most interesting periods of the Sweet's career, funnily enough, was when Brian Connolly had been handed his sandwiches in a road map. Did they miss their blonde bombshell singer? Of course. But did they miss his erratic drunken shenanigans - missed gigs, bum notes and generally a lush who became 110% unreliable? No, of course they didn't. They could all sing (who do you think had provided those drop dead harmonies over the years?) so in 1980 with the addition of Gary Moberley on keys they flew out to Toronto for three months, played a few gigs and recorded their second album without BC - Waters Edge. I loved it. But then I would, wouldn't I? It was a radio friendly album that didn't have any hits on it! But hey, who needs hits? Oh, yeah: the record company. The band were in trouble. If they were a ship they were definitely taking on water (quite ironic given the title of the new record); within a year they finally sank, but not before playing some memorable low key dates in the UK where they were plugging their final album Identity Crisis. I saw them at Nottingham's Rock City on that tour and, a number of years later, chatted to Andy Scott about it: he remembered it well - someone threw a pint pot at him on stage that night. Complete with beer. It drowned him.

 ★

I loved the 'futuristic' telly on the cover of Waters Edge with the band's logo as an aerial and the power trio all bubble-permed up. I saw a similar little TV (the JVC Video Sphere) in a retro shop in Stockport (top of page) between Christmas & New Year and was immediately reminded of Messrs. Priest, Scott & Tucker. I think The Swede would have approved.

The Sweet - Tell the Truth (1980)

Look around you

Not for the first time I wrote yesterday about how writing this blog distracts me from a lot of what is going on in the real world. It's become a kind of defence mechanism. Me scribbling about some obscure 70s TV programme, or debating what should or shouldn't be in my Top Five Biscuits of All Time, is the equivalent of sticking pins in my Trump/Farage/Starmer dolls. (Don't get me wrong, I can be a very political animal when I want to be and I'm hopelessly addicted to The Rest is Politics with Alastair Campbell & Rory Stewart.) But I don't want to write tirades or dirges on how fucked up the world currently is anymore than people want to read it.

So, instead, as I touched on in my last blog post, I shall continue to explore new and old cultural themes and whenever possible ask for a bit of feedback from the kind souls who have been following me over the last fifteen odd years. And that's not me seeking affirmation (I don't do needy) but any comments you may leave or photographs you send my way are treasured, I hope you know that.

I also said yesterday that I'm thinking of running a couple of optional Photo Challenges that run in parallel to the main PC. What I'm thinking is twofold: one, a return visit to trees and sunrises/sunsets. If you see a tree that jumps out at you (not literally, that would be a Leshy!) then please send me a photo. Or, like me last week, capturing the sun going down (over a railway line - two birds, one stone!); what I shall do is store them up and, from time to time throughout the year, post them as footnotes to the regular PC. And secondly, I'd love you to take a photograph of someone you know really well and/or a complete stranger and, again, send me the photos. As with the trees & sun pics, I'll post them on an ad hoc basis: I think we could build a terrific gallery with these alone. In my experience the general public like having their picture taken (especially with their favourite 'thing' - dog/cat/bike/car/beer/vinyl LP) - don't be afraid to ask - they're usually vey flattered.

Another theme I love is that of looking down into a city (or even away from a city). Taken usually from high ground you get the feeling of looking at a model village (that's how I see it, anyway). I picked up the car yesterday from its MOT and drove thru a couple of suburbs I don't know that well and saw this view. For anyone who knows Nottingham I was in Aspley looking over at the tower blocks in Radford. To those who don't, I took a picture of Point B from Point A! 

I'll drop a text/email to everyone with a summary of the above optional PCs for anyone who wants to play along. Keep snapping!

Lincoln mod

The year is barely two weeks old and already the news feed is grisly. Whether you're looking at matters domestic or globally it's pretty much armageddon meets mutually assured destruction. And 99.9% of the blame for this collapse in humanity can be laid squarely at the door of one man. However, I'm not going to give him the oxygen of publicity on here as this year I'm going to be too busy talking about trees and trains, maps and stamps, postcards and pens, art and artists, music and musicians, family and friends, knobs and knockers, pubs and clubs, beer and sandwiches, pie and peas, coffee and cake, blogs and bloggers, films and film stars, geography and psychogeography, buildings and building blocks, books and bookmarks, land and landmarks, radio and radiograms, Hi-Fi and Lo-Fi, phone boxes and post boxes, gigs and digs. And a whole lot else besides. Like caffs. And launderettes. And, of course, photography. Always photography. Photographs of anything and everything; anybody and everybody, Speaking of which, I'd love to do a Photo Challenge throw out where we all take a photograph of someone we know really well. Or not at all - asking a complete stranger if you can take their photograph is something I suspect some of you wouldn't be entirely comfortable with, but I think it's got legs. Maybe a totally optional PC we slide in between the main challenges. Thank you for your attention to this matter. JRM. 

Leeds 5

Following our inaugural Bloggers Convention in Edinburgh way back in 2022, we've now had further hugely successful meet-ups in York ('23), Newcastle ('24) & Bristol ('25). And in June BlogCon26 will be pitching its caravan in Leeds! From an exotic shortlist of potential destinations that included both Amsterdam and Dublin, our democratic voting right was exercised and, long story short, we've turned our back on the EU (not for the first time; 52/48 anyone?) and gone for 'one of our own'. No matter. A grand time will be had by all, I'm sure. And anyway, after a couple of drinks it won't really matter if you're in Dam Square or Millennium Square. (That's what I'll keep telling myself, when I'm nursing my warm pint of Tetleys.) More updates to follow, I'm sure.

Leshy?

I can't tell you how excited I was to be gifted Tree Hunting for my birthday: a thousand tress to find in Britain and Ireland's towns & cities. And a signed copy to boot! In Paul Wood's excellent (and hefty!) tome he, and I quote, "seeks out the best individual trees - the most charismatic, quirky or downright spectacular - that grow in our towns, cities and villages." He talks passionately about our relationship with them and how they impact on our lives. From personal experience I only have to out of my window and I'm constantly reminded of the 150 year old beech tree I documented in a short film during Lockdown. And I know when we did trees as a Photo Challenge many of you have similar relationships with our arboreal friends. I feel priveleged to have this beautiful book sitting on my bookshelf. (You won't be surprised to learn I've already started my quest.)

Laureate in waiting?

As is traditional, James compiled his Best of '25 for me just before Christmas and once again this year-end mashup is an eclectic musical smorgasbord which I'm finding most agreeable. I told James when he came up this weekend for his mum's birthday that I'm particularly taken with Antony Szmierek - so much so that I'm now also devouring his debut album Service Station at the End of the Universe which came out in February. It's an astonishing piece of work that ticks so many of my boxes, not least the artwork which depicts Forton Services in a snow globe!. I'm subsumed by his deft staccato vocal delivery - reminiscent of The Streets/Mike Skinner; imagine what Simon Armitage would sound like if only he'd got a beatbox for Christmas. 

Antony Szmierek - Service Station at the End of the Universe (2025)

 

Luthier

There's a fascinating interview with Brinsley Schwarz in the latest edition of Shindig magazine. In it he not only talks about the heady days of Kippington Lodge, the Brinsleys, Nick Lowe and, of course, Graham Parker and The Rumour (who were essentially Brinsley Schwarz without Lowe) but also what he's done since. The wilderness years? Hardly. Schwarz kept himself gainfully occupied as a go to luthier. I'll save you looking it up - a maker and repairer of stringed instruments; a guitar man, if you will. He no doubt takes a few of them out on the road when he tours with Parker and the rest of the band - still squeezing out sparks nearly fifty years on. 

Did the Brinsleys ever cover Bread's Guitar Man? Don't be silly. But they did record this classic by Jim Ford*. 

Brinsley Schwarz - Ju Ju Man (1973)

* Ford also wrote '36 Inches High' which Nick Lowe covered on Jesus of Cool, and the brilliantly titled 'I'm Ahead If I Can Quit While I'm Behind'.

Lazuline

Inspired by the amazing photographs of London tube stations by resident Tube Mapper Luke Agbaimoni (in particular his book Symmetry on the London Underground), I took this photograph yesterday as I emerged from the tram stop at Hucknall in Nottinghamshire. After a five mile walk along the site of an old disused railway railway I always do the last stretch on the tram. It's just a short hop ticket and although I could easily walk it, it's become something of a tradition to sit out the final mile before disgorging into The Station Hotel for a well earned dust-cutter. Or two.

You can also see from the pic below that despite the absence of trains, and indeed track, there's still a couple of old semaphore signals in situ at the start of the walk. I swear sometimes when I walk this path I can hear the distant echoes...

Libidinous

It was the final gig of 2025 (my 14th*) and a what a gig to end the year with: New Year's Eve with Stuart Pearce, the band, at JT Soar in town. It also doubled up as a fundraiser for striking workers. Did you know the Birmingham bin men are still out on strike? Nat Mason their head honcho (Stuart Pearce, not the striking bin men) and good friend of the Medds (he was at college with James) asked if I'd like to do a number with them - he'd got a couple of 'guest' slots he was dropping into the band's set.

So we did I Need You by The Kinks (the song was once described as libidinous by a music journalist). I think it went down well. The original clocks in at not much more than two minutes and we tracked it all the way. I think Ray would have approved.

★

* The first 13

1. Chuck Prophet - Metronome, Nottingham

2. DeWolff - Rescue Rooms, Nottingham

3. Joel Sarakula - Peggy's Skylight, Nottingham

4. Haggis Horns - Peggt's Skylight, Nottingham

5. PIL/Stuart Pearce - Rock City, Nottingham

6. Richard Hawley - Tower Ballroom, Blackpool

7. Gysai - The Lexington, Islington

8. John Reis & Swami - The Boat Club, Nottingham

9. Dodgy - The Drill, Lincoln

10. XGenerationX - Trades Club, Hebden Bridge

11. XGenerationX -  Òran Mór, Glasgow

12. XGenerationX - The Cluny, Newcastle

13. House of All - Brudenell, Leeds

(I've written contemporaneously about all these shows so I haven't bothered dating or hyperlinking them; though I only need to look at the list and I know how far along the road to recovery I was at the time of each.)

★ 

 Postscript

I also pulled in a couple of comedy shows along the way - BBC Radio 4's Dead Ringers at Nottingham Royal Concert Hall and the peerless Tom Wrigglesworth at The Canal House - part of Nottingham's Comedy Festival.

Like a bride's nightie

A Happy New Year to you all and welcome to the first Photo Challenge of 2026! Before we kick things off proper, just a quick bit of housekeeping: normally, when I get late entries, I thank the person profusely, stick 'em up as a Postscript and away we go. However, last month was a bit different. The thing is, I'd reached out to acclaimed photographer Steve Pyke after I'd listened to him being interviewed on RTÉ. I apologised for being cheeky but did he have anything for our 'Round and Round' challenge? His PA told me that Steve wouldn't be back from Ireland for a couple of weeks (promoting his excellent new book, Scribendi) but he'd ask him to contact me if he'd got anything. Sure enough, just before Christmas, I got an email: "Hi John, this might be appropriate. Let's speak soon, Steve." Thank you so much, Steve, you're an absolute superstar. 

Wall of Death, Dublin 1981

 ★

Right, let's crack on. This month I was asking you to shift your perspective by taking a photo either directly looking up (from a low angle) or directly looking down (from a high angle). That's right, 'Up and Down'.

Rol, panic thee not, you're still my opening batsman: "Hi John, a few years back I took a rare moment on a summer's day to lie on my back and stare up at the sky. This is what I saw..."

"And here's one of our old cats, Cosmo. A real outdoor adventurer; sadly that life caught up with him." Thank you, Rol. Cosmo's in good company this month...

David Cooper has been globetrotting again: "Hi John, three from me as usual: looking down from The Ledge on the Skydeck in the Willis Tower, Chicago (and yes, that is as far as I went). Looking up to the dome in Salzburg Cathedral. Also looking up to the underside of the Leake Street tunnels underneath Waterloo Station, London’s longest legal graffiti wall, apparently." Cheers, Coops. That's what I call a power trio. 

Johnny Legs towers above most people. "Two towers - Space Needle in Seattle and the Fernshehturm in Berlin."

"The ups and downs of balloon flight featuring Southwell Minster." Feeling nimble, Johnny?

Tim from Hucknall: "Hi John, here’s a handful of things from above(ish) and below. Hope they (sort of) hit the brief. We kick off with a bottle of beer (from above). That’s followed by a Beech Copse in Winter (from below).  Nacho-Time: the Pom who, when viewed from above, takes on the form of a fluffy potato. Rotational strip farming, somewhere in the French countryside (from around 30,000 feet) and finally a brace from St.Paul’s Cathedral (back to below) displaying a ridiculously strong ornate roof game! Have a great Christmas & we’ll have that catch up & pint in January.  Cheers Tim." Nice one, Tim. Yep, a January beer SLAP to me. 

Celia from Sun-dried Sparrows: "Hi John Love this month's theme! First, here's the view from the bottom of the stairs up to the landing ceiling, the lampshade casting its cosmic patterns all around. Secondly, I hope there are no arachnophobes tuning into your blog but I couldn't resist capturing this unexpected moment of noticing a spider (a pholcus phalangioides, or a 'spindly' as we like to call them in this house) hanging from the underside of the showerhead. It looks very sci-fi somehow from this view (and I have just read 'The Shrinking Man' by Richard Matheson). Of course I re-homed him to a less treacherous location before I turned it on. Pholcus phalangioides are very often to be found in bathroom corners as they love the moisture and warmth, having originated from the tropics - they can't survive cold temperatures, so we let them stay in the house during Winter! All the best C x" Excellent, C! I recently re-watched the B Movie adaptation of the Incredible Shrinking Man and still found it very disconcerting.

Alfa Dave next: "Up and down! A 2022 trip to the Big Apple - up from pavement to Empire State Building (with proud 13 year old son in front!) And down from the atmospheric roof top bar ‘Upstairs at The Kimberly Hotel’. Very foggy; very Blade Runner!" Nice work, Dave. Yes, my lad had a similar grin on his face when I captured him in front of the ESB.

Ernie Goggins (yes, it's his real name): "Mr John, two up, one down. At least I think it's down. From memory I took the photo on the middle floor, and from there the view looks much the same in both directions. The mystery locations are: Battersea Power Station; Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, Milan Museum; Küppersmühle, Duisburg.  All the best Ernie."

Riggsby from San Diego sounds a bit worried: "Hi John, if these are too contrived, or not up to snuff in some way, then I'll sit out this month's challenge. Wishing you a very Happy Christmas. All the best, Riggsby.   The first two are our cat Mimi (the Mimi Girl): Looking up at her on her cat tree, and down on her when drinking from a bucket. Although she always has a bowl of clean water, she prefers to drink out of other containers. This bucket's one of her favourites, followed closely by water in vases. The Rickenbacker pics were taken one night when I couldn't sleep, and it was a full moon (or it was a full moon and I couldn't sleep). So, extreme angles, in the moonlight." Mustard? Snuff? Of course they are!

Richard goes on: "Here’s an unusual point of view, if not angle: two rows of seats were installed when the San Diego Symphony Hall (Jacob’s Music Center) was remodelled recently and we tried them out. The sound is a bit skewed, as you’d expect, but interesting visually. Pics only between pieces, of course." Of course. Cheers, Richard. Great work!

Pete Zab: "Morning John, not had much opportunity for photography this month, so it's a quick dip into the archives. The pictures are as follows, 1) Bio City, Nottingham. 2) The Endeavour at Whitby. 3) Marco Island, Nottingham. 4) Canary Wharf, London and 5). A street light that forgot to switch off." Nice one, Pete. I'll probably return to your comment in coming months but initially that was my intention that folks went out looking for the theme rather than trawl thru their camera rolls. But I really don't mind how people do this. I'm just glad that they do!

Miss Turner: "Birthday party for the December babes and the awesome Abdication starring our very own Mr Medd 😂😂." Thank you, Mis Turner. For those who don't live in the NG5 postal district of Nottingham, a quick explainer: Our local, The Abdication, held a party for all their patrons who have a December birthday. Me and Miss Turner (my favoure teacher - often to be seen with Alfie) are both December babies. I was also forced at gun point to wear the hat.

Claire, another NG5 resident, tho' not a December baby: "Hi John, looking up at Bennerley Viaduct, exhibition in Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Winding Wheel ex Bestwood Colliery, Santa Justa lift Lisbon and Riga rooftop." Thank you, Claire. Another cat!

Swiss Adam has got three beauts for us: "Hi John, the statue of Friedrich Engels in Tony Wilson Place in Manchester a few days ago."

"The Alps from above - flying back from Italy in August."

"And the lighthouse at the southern tip of Fuerteventura last Summer."

Matthew & Sam have been cruising again: "Piano steps in Valparaiso. You'd love it here, John."  

"And one of the town's many ascensors." Thank you, Matthew.

Always good to bring a newbie onboard. David Willoughby lives in London. I know this because his daily (cycling) commute takes him over the Achway in N19. I asked him on Bluesky if he would let me use this first photograph for Photo Challenge, he said: "Of course, John: this view is the gift that keeps on giving..."

He then sent me another: "Nice colours on this one too..."

And then he posted this one; I said he should put 'em in a book/zine but he said art should be free: "...and anyway, I couldn't be arsed! To be honest, it's a combo of a great view and an old cameraphone that makes everything blurry/smeary." Thank you so much, David. I absolutely love them and will definitely try and get a few for myself next time I'm down/up that way.

Walter's on his annual vacation in Sri Lanka from where he sent this brace: "Hi John, just two pics from me today. One from the sun-bed at the pool. The other from my walk on the beach. Walter." Cheers, Walt. And if anyone says you're phoning it in this month, I'll defend you to the last!

Alyson Mac from the Highlands: "A photo for this month’s theme John. Here I was just standing at the base of the Eiffel Tower, minding my own business, and when I decided to look up I saw this. Hope it fits the remit. All the best, Alyson." Fit the remit? Absoflippinglutely, Alyson! Thank you!

Alan Porchester Hi John, a couple of playground perspectives - Breck Hill, Nottingham. Alan." Cheers, Alan: a companion piece to go with Alyson's Eiffel Tower.

K from the Kotswolds: "Hello John, Three for you this month, fresh from my daily work commutes. First up, a stairwell in a car park in Cheltenham. I don’t think you need smell-o-vision to imagine the stink of piss that was emanating from the ground floor! Next, an upward glance up a dodgy Gloucester side street. I was very intrigued by the very small section of grill directly overhead. And lastly, literally at the foot of a 10-foot tall snowman decorating the town centre in Chepstow. And on that festive note, with you and the Medd clan a very Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year! Best wishes, K." Thank you, K. I hope you and your klan had a good Kristmas too! See you next year.

The Swede avoiding all references to fairytales and bells ringing out: "Hi John, The Steinway Tower, West 57th Street, New York." Nice one, TS. A Happy New Year to you.

Kate: "The first thing that springs to mind is perfect little Doris xxx." Thank you, Kate. We all miss Doris.

Newbie Lou a.k.a. Louise from Book Club: "Hi John, flowering cherry from our garden." Thank you so much, Lou. I suppose I'm not allowed to ask if you've lost your cherry, but I'm sure it'll come back next year.

And so, as is tradition, it falls to me to sign off with a few of mine. Thank you again for all your submissions and I hope 2026 is your year. And let's also hope David and Louise come back next year! First off, on a return flight from Dublin to East Midlands and the pilot tries to land on Trent Bridge.

 Steps leading up to Nottingham Contmporary.

Underbank, Stockport - taken at the weekend. Stockport is not in Manchester. And as people from there will you - "Stockport isn't shit." There's tee shirts, tote bags and everything with it on.

Victoria Centre flats, Nottingham: I appear to have come up with an album cover for Warrington Runcorn New Town Development Plan.

From the top of the Gateway Arch you can see where St. Louis Battlehawks ply their trade in the UFL.

Newcastle. The carpark in the background is where we parked up when we did #BlogCon24.

Luna. This is how she sleeps.

Lincoln. Top of Steep Hill.

See you next month when we'll do it all again. I'll post February's theme in the comments section below in the next couple od days. J x