My uncle took this photograph when he visited my family in London over the summer. Before I first visited London, I assumed that pubs were a fictional stereotype people associated with the city, but not a true aspect of its culture. I was wrong. During the summer, when the nights are warm, people spew out of pubs onto the sidewalks, beers and gin & tonics in hand. They will stay at the pub for hours, drinking and talking until the light goes down around 9pm.
Often, you don’t want to hold your glass the whole time you are standing around. So, people place them on building ledges, and an architectural flourish comes to serve a very utilitarian purpose. I love how my uncle captured this scene, with the men’s beers wedged between their talking figures.
How I wish I could revel in a long, London summer night right about now…
Sightings 