Fleet Street Apocalypse (Stanley Donwood, 2008) 

Some History:

The original version of this print is a 38” by 25” linocut, produced at St Bride’s Institute on Fleet Street. The theme is of general destruction of an area of London that used to be the centre of the British press and printing trades. Donwood has since reproduced a miniature version of the print at 24.5 cm by 24 cm.

When I went to England for my first sabbatical the fall of 2011 I dedicated a Saturday in London to tracking down and photographing the original buildings.

Left to Right:

1) Royal Courts of Justice (Strand between Clements Inn Passage and Middle Temple Lane)

2) Ye Olde Cock Tavern (Fleet Street, a block past Middle Temple Lane)

2a) Temple Bar Griffin, aka “Fleet Street Dragon” (one block east of Royal Courts) [superimposed on Cock Tavern]

3) Daily Express Building (120 Fleet Street, just past Shoe Lane)

4) St Dunstan's Church (186a Fleet Street, across the street and east of Cock Tavern)

5) Dundee Courier Building (just to the right of St. Dunstan’s) [site of Sweeny Todd’s barber shop]

6) The George [pub/tavern] (directly south of Royal Courts)

7) St Bride's Church (south of Daily Express Building on tiny side street)

8) a distant St Paul's Cathedral (continuing east as Fleet Street becomes Ludgate Hill) [facing front of St Paul’s, go around to the right for this angle]

9) The King and Keys [pub] (142 Fleet Street, west of Whitefriars Street, next to Pret a Manger, now a Mexican restaurant)

From West to East (actual locations):

1, 6, 2a, 2, 4, 5, 9, 3, 7, 8

Below is my reconstruction of this print with the pictures of the actual buildings as found in 2011. Enjoy!

Lost Angeles (Stanley Donwood, 2012) 

Some History:

The original version of this print is an 18-foot wide linocut, printed on Japanese Kozo paper. Very much an outgrowth of his London Views linocuts (of which the above Fleet Street Apocalypse is an offshoot), fans who purchased the LP or CD of Amok by Atoms for Peace were treated to a beautiful reproduction of Lost Angeles.

When I went to Los Angeles in January of 2019 for my second sabbatical I ended up noticing many of these buildings in high-profile locations. And so I began to take photos of these historical spots, noting where they were located.

Left to Right:

1) Hollywood Post Office

2) Hollywood Sign

3) Magic Castle

4) Chinese Theater

5) Crossroads of the World

6) Hollywood Elephant

7) Roosevelt Hotel

8) Pantages Theater

9) Griffiths Observatory

10) Hollywood First National Building

11) Capitol Records Tower

12) City Hall

Below is my reconstruction of this print with the pictures of the actual buildings as found in 2019. Again, enjoy!