Russell Square, London WC1
The actor Pat Boothman had her parents staying with her from South Africa on one of London’s saddest of days - 7 July 2005 - when, on a London bus and three central London tube trains, 52 people were murdered and hundreds injured in four orchestrated terrorist attacks. The following day, as a gesture of condolence and defiance, she put on one of her prettiest sun-dresses (pictured) and, with her parents who are in their eighties, travelled all over London on whatever big red bus they could find. ‘The London bus IS London - and my pretty dress belongs to London,’ she remarked.
The anecdote is cited in Picnic Publishing’s Emigré London to be published in summer 2009 - and is relevent to a picnic, as, if you read you will find out . . .
Dress photographed for Emigre London, Copyright Jackie Norman
As soon as the area aorund Russell Square re-opened after the bombings, picnickers returned to the Square - one of the trains hit had been travelling between King’s Cross and Russell Square tube station at the time the bombs treacherously destroyed so many lives. Russell Square, in the heart of London University land - known as the Bloomsbury campus - is a lovely space of greenery two minutes from esteemed departments of London university, including the world famous School of Oriental and African Studies. Here, countless students picnic on the grass - London’s weather permitting, of course (!) - chattering to friends in a wonderful array of languages. Others stretch out to read books in English or magical ancient script - a joyous, poignant, unaware memorial to those of every faith and none, all colours and race, who died or received life changing injuries on that desperate and most terrible day.
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