Edwards Home - Before & Afters

Pictures - Bottom 1920s top 1815; August 2006

I was in London the other day on a soon to be revealed project... and I couldn't resist going back to the place where Edward the dog used to live, outside that shop in 196 Blackfrairs Road.
After the war, the shop site was replaced with the Rowland Hill block of flats, they were named after the founder of the large round Surrey Chapel, once opposite.
After nearly 100 years of preaching to local sinners, the chapel became a boxing ring among other things, this was also destroyed during WW2.
In its place they are currently finishing off the Palestra by architect Will Alsop, www.palestra-london.com, and soon to be the new HQ for the London Development Agency who are responsible for the 2012 Olympics, www.lda.gov.uk

I love looking at those books where they show you now and then photographs of places, so here goes my contribution.

By the way, thanks for everyone writing to tell me that they love the new name change to Streetware.

New artwork coming soon.

Cheers

Jason

Welcome to Streetware!

Greetings!

Welcome to the new name for manholes.

New name but with the same mission, which is to bring you the best in the worlds manhole covers on canvas and T-shirts.
Why change of name? I felt that manholes was a bit vague and didn't reflect what I do. I hope you like the new ID.
The logo represents a keyhole which is used to lift the manhole cover, and thus a key to discovery and enjoyment which I'm sure you will have with my work.
The font is a stronger text sometimes used on street signs, and the type of yellow, well thats just a great colour!
Apologies if you have been trying to access the site over the last few days, there was a problem with the changeover of name on the website hosting.
The new streetware site will have even more regular updates and more exciting things to come.

So lets enjoy the Streetware journey!

Jason@streetware.org

Changes are a comin!

Next week I will bring changes to the name of this website and a change of name from manholes.
After much deliberations I have decided on STREETWARE for the new ID, I think it reflects more of what I do and make, manholes.org will change to streetware.org.

I actively encourage feedback on the website site, and I hope that people will tell me how I can improve by making the site even better, so don't be shy give the Streetware guy a try!

Stay tooned.

Best Wishes

Jason@streetware.org

A Celebration of British Manhole Covers

Yesterday was the last day of the show.(Taken from old Manholes Blog 27/06/06)

It was a great experience, and getting there was a big learning curve too, but i'm really pleased I made it and equally pleased that many people came in to see it, and left great comments in the visitors book, and left with the knowledge that they will never look at a manhole cover the same way again. A big thanks also to those who left some money behind, and left with a unique manhole T-shirt and the many who came back and left with more!, and some, you know who you are! with my manhole cover art.

I hope to do another show in London and other cities if they will take me, but its early days yet, but I thought I would share with you a few of what some vistors had wrote in the book -

Enchanting - Art and history combined - N&A Burrell

Tremendous! So good to see the colour and imagination and enthusiasm for something that most of us pass by without looking at!- J.Newman

Fabulous! - D.Allen

Brilliant! - D.Shaw

I love it! - S.Nicholson

Manhole art. Awesome s**t! - D. Mandelbaum

Whoa! - K.Mckenzie

Really liked your use of colour. Very effective visually, Liked it all + nice to meet you too- L.Aspell

Very interesting and great art work. Funky!!! - F.Was

Really neat concept and work - Inspirational! - J.Leith

A fascinating subject, used brilliantly. I will be looking down a looking down more when walking the streets from now on. - R.Mitchell

Excellent! - P.Littland(Retired ironmonger)

Wonderful! And a Captain Beefheart Fan! - K.Richardson

Fantastic- Colourful& unusual, beauty in the everday, Ta- Hugh

Awesome original Work! - L.Griffith

Well Cool.. - A.Warnquist

Great idea, manhole covers represent the unseen side of our cities. Superb! - D.Sumer

Best Designs of artwork i've seen in a while- Lovely!- R.Mayston

The mundane to the memorable. Well done! - S.Si

These are just a few from the book, but everybody left positive vibes and i'm pleased you could make it, if you didn't then hopefully another time, however you can always have your own gallery in your own home!

A big thankyou to the Landlord of the shop, and my best wishes to him.
Now..thanking a landlord doesn't happen often in this world does it!

Cheers

Jason