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See the headings above. This is a scrolling list of blog posts in no particular order. It is better to start at one of the two PAGES in the headings above.  

The SCRAPYARD Page is oblique musings on places and spaces, real and imagined, old and new. This is my 'Cabinet of Curiosities' and while probably don't share all of my arcane predilections, if you root around a bit, you might find something that catches your eye. The content wanders but has a London bias. My gaff, my rules. 

It is configured primarily for reading on a phone but blogger software is imperfect in so many ways, there will be glitches. I don't have an excuse for the typos and factual errors. 

The SOAPBOX Page  is a reliquary of my former professional involvement in shaping towns, not in design but rather in working out how to make change happen. Some of the posts here comprise material I prepared when I became more involved in the nitty gritty of policy and training professionals. The more recent posts are simply musings on the changing scene since then.

Why Oil Drum Lane? Remember Steptoe & Son? They lived and worked in another imagined scrapyard, in TV space, set in Shepherds Bush in West London. It is an area I know well, and although it has changed radically over time, some of the locations used for the series are still identifiable. Local history is important. If you want to understand why a place is like it is, you have to know what it was.  

If you are looking for my bike routes with their detailed notes on places to go & see, go to  www.pootler.co.uk