You make them look very old and mysterious. I remeber hearing about an art workshop for kids once where they did rubbings of street furniture like this.

Lucy, I thought of doing rubbings too, if I'd had the rubbing wax and paper with me, and the time. I still find the term 'street furniture' very odd...

As for old and mysterious, can you imagine a future archaeologist looking at these strange art works and wondering what the hieroglyphics meant?

You must have quite a collection of these. I am particularly taken with the Thames Water cover having a kitemark on it. I have never seen that before. http://www.bsieducation.org/Education/about/what-kitemark.shtml

Olga, I took about 40 shots during this long walk, slowing everyone else down until I had to put away the camera and truly walk! So that's what that interesting mark is, a kitemark, even the name is great. Thanks so much for the information. Then there are the ones I've taken around home here in Vancouver, not the great variety as I've seen in London.

definitely a case against standardization!

Heh. You know, you now have me looking at these little details when I'm out walking around myself! And I think, Marja-Leena would take a photo of this. :-)

Taina, absolutely!

Leslee, I like knowing that I've had such an influence on you :-)

The Thames Water cover carries instructions that would seem to aid vandals. The kitemark indicates the cover meets the standards set out by the British Standards Institution (boreeing!) an organisation that has, I think, been superseded by the European body for standards. You will notice that the cover is in good nick; not so surprising since it was almost certainly installed post-war. There's something poignant about the photos - items whose fate it was to blush unseen until publicised to an unbelievably wider world by foreigners.

Those covers are endlessly fascinating. I remember photographing a lot of them and asking the question: the way out or the way in?

Thank you for sharing these wonderful photographs.

Standards can be boring, I hear about the ISO (I think it is) from husband sometimes, though they do have their place. I'm just more interested in the visual details like the kitemark design which is very attractive for such an utilitarian purpose, as well as all the other patterns that are used. Heh, so I've brought them to some small fame now, have I?! Takes an artist's eye, says she with what may sound like conceit.

Joe, you've photographed them, really? What we have in common... and the superb question too.

Hattie, thank you for appreciating them.

It's not quite as I remember it!
...thanks for the new angle

Rosie, glad to have shown you a side of London you'd not noticed before, heh.