BEVERLEY BROOK, SE15
London Archive Chronicles

Beverley Brook starts as a mere trickly stream in Worcester Park, runs through Wimbledon Common and Richmond Park in London territory, finally to join River Thames in Barnes. This image is taken near the mouth of the river, near Putney Common and Barn Elms Sport’s grounds. It is of a trampoline almost upside down in the woods, after a storm, the name of which I can’t remember.  

There doesn’t seem to be much recorded history about Beverley Brook. Internet sources such as Merton Council write about its etymology, about its recent clean up after sewage pipes were redirected at its source in Worcester, and also the fact that it regularly features in the novels of Ben Aaronovitch. 

This is a typical image of the ‘Mundane School’, as I call it. Misplacement, ambiguity, decay are all buzzwords for this trend that is popular with young photographers today.  As much as I am frustrated with the uncontested dominance of this school of thought, I have to admit, looking at some of my photographs, that I am affected by it; I have taken several photographs which depict scenes that are borderline ‘mundane’. I am drawn to photograph all kinds of litter on the street if it has a sculptural element to it. Tidiness, for the lack of a better word, is expected in public spaces and therefore the rubbish, that should not be there, becomes an event; it has a story to tell, and perhaps that is the strange, compelling factor in it. I remember, for example, taking a photograph of a strip of cloth hanging by a thorny bush in a dead end of a council estate. Without that white strip, there wouldn’t have been a photograph. I would have documented the area in another way, if at all. That strip was a focal point; something that gave the image, as a document of the space, something to hold or engage the eye with — from which other elements fall into their places. The strip of cloth poses questions. What was it, a white sheet, a T-shirt, a scarf? How did it get caught up in there and torn? A clumsy accident or something more sinister? All these unanswered questions in front of a still image.  

It matters whether the scene is set up or not because then the intent, rather than chance, would direct the interpretation. Intent charges the image as all its components --  the composition, the lighting, the subject matter -- are underlined by it and can therefore be expected to mean something. On the other hand, images that are found, so to speak, are more ambiguous. Any meaning they might render is of accidental nature and thus seemingly objective and free of bias. But only seemingly. The photographer is in the position of power to choose what they photograph and frame it in the way that aligns with their interests. 

It can be quite a tangle. Reading photographs resembles detective work at times. 

I almost did not take this photograph, because I realised that this would be a typical shot of the Mundane School. I walked past the trampoline, but then changed my mind. I just felt like this image had to be part of the archive. It is accidental as well as sculptural, and I liked the suffused light and the unruliness of the woods. But as for the meaning, or lack of it -- in this image as well as in this series in general -- I don’t think I can impose a moral message onto it because of the status of the scene as ‘found’. I wouldn’t even want to, because I find it irritating. I prefer the fairness of ambiguity.  

I composed the image, pressed the shutter and walked on. I had started in Vauxhall on that afternoon and gone along the river path. I was on my way to Barnes to take a certain photograph. I had gone through it by a bus one late afternoon ages ago and been surprised to find such woodlands. I knew roughly where I had seen the view and timed my arrival to that spot but my plans took a different turn when I stumbled upon gravestone on the way. More about that here.

I came across WWT London Wetland Centre during this trip. The organisation was founded in 1946 by Sir Peter Scott for the conservation of wetlands and their biodiversity. Scott was also the founding chair of the better-known WWF. The site in Barnes was previously occupied by small reservoirs and opened as late as 2000. I have to admit that I had no idea the wetlands were of such importance and am looking forward to the day when a visit to this centre is possible again. 

(originally published on 15.04.2021)

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© Carita Silander

SOURCES AND FURTHER READING:
​http://www.barnes-history.org.uk/index.html
https://www.wwt.org.uk  
http://www.merton.gov.uk/visiting/attractions/beverly_brook_walk.pdf accessed 5th Feb 2021

A view of figures walking on the grounds of Barn Elms. Engraving, 1785. Courtesy of London Picture Archive.

Barn Elms, former Manor House that stood nearby until it was demolished in 1954. Watercolour, 1818. Courtesy of London Picture Archive.