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Beryl Cook's London
Beryl Cook's London is a rather special place. It's not quite the London of the sightseeing tours. . . Though she does guide us round the Zoo, and later releases one of its tigers into Kew Gardens. Nor just London the shopping metropolis, though we witness the pandemonium of the sales and linger over lingerie in Soho.
Soho indeed takes up a fairly large area of Beryl Cook's London; the jaded doorkeeper at the bed show; the piano bar where anyone who likes can get up and sing. And who can this be, dressed up as a bumble bee and performing at Madam Jo-Jo's, accompanied by a chorus of flowers?
She may have had a night on the tiles, but this does not prevent Beryl from making an early start every morning, whether to Smithfield ('the fine large sirloin behind the shoulder of the man with the trolley is the one we enjoyed after it had served as a model') or to Bermondsey Market, displaying some of the multitude of junk she has collected over many years. Much in need of a restorative, she drips into a nearby pub, and, to her great surprise, 'a lovely girl suddenly appears and, dancing to music, peels off most of her clothes'.
Beryl has a knack of attracting such surprises, and it is our good fortune that she very kindly shares them with us.
Soho indeed takes up a fairly large area of Beryl Cook's London; the jaded doorkeeper at the bed show; the piano bar where anyone who likes can get up and sing. And who can this be, dressed up as a bumble bee and performing at Madam Jo-Jo's, accompanied by a chorus of flowers?
She may have had a night on the tiles, but this does not prevent Beryl from making an early start every morning, whether to Smithfield ('the fine large sirloin behind the shoulder of the man with the trolley is the one we enjoyed after it had served as a model') or to Bermondsey Market, displaying some of the multitude of junk she has collected over many years. Much in need of a restorative, she drips into a nearby pub, and, to her great surprise, 'a lovely girl suddenly appears and, dancing to music, peels off most of her clothes'.
Beryl has a knack of attracting such surprises, and it is our good fortune that she very kindly shares them with us.
- GenresArt
64 pages, Hardcover
First published June 28, 1988
2 people want to read
About the author
Beryl Cook
33 books1 followerBeryl Cook, OBE (10 September 1926 – 28 May 2008) was a British artist best known for her original and instantly recognisable paintings. Often comical, her works pictured people whom she encountered in everyday life, including people enjoying themselves in pubs, girls shopping or out on a hen night, drag queen shows or a family picnicking by the seaside or abroad. She had no formal training and did not take up painting until her thirties. She was a shy and private person and in her art often depicted the flamboyant and extrovert characters she would have liked to have been.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 12, 2022
Beryl Cook's quirky paintings greatly enhance this book on London that is quite different from the traditional tourist offering of an organised guide book. It is a personal ramble across London while on the way recording some of the sights that she has seen or creating a situation with some of the people she has seen but been unable to use until a particular occasion arose. The result is a most entertaining read with those superb Beryl Cook representations.
Even though Beryl in her preface states, 'I frankly admit that my greatest pleasure is in what people are doing rather than where we are' the feeling of being there still comes across through her vibrant accompanying text. She even begins with the journey to the metropolis in that she portrays, on the train on her journey from Plymouth, a passenger doing the fan shuffle with his pack of cards, and he is one of those people that she imports into her paintings from other locales because she first saw him on a flight back home from the continent. But it still works!
The crush disembarking at Paddington Station is then Beryl's starting point in which she studies 'all the various activities of people starting and finishing their journeys' and she moves on to the getting of a taxi which has 'seen better days'.
Arrival in Albemarle Street, that of her publisher John Murray, where there are 'several small cafés' that give her scope for showing people having their morning coffees is followed by Birds in nearby St James's Park in which 'there is not much park and a great deal of bird in this picture'. This gives her rein to show off her talent where there are no people; the only problem she had was 'my models were not entirely co-operative' but she has still mastered the situation.
Soho features often, a street scene, a bed show, with a lady sat in her doorway advertising her wares, Madame Jo-J0's, 'a dear little theatre down a long flight of stairs' [I know what she means because Linda, Deborah and I once went to the Mayfair Theatre that could be similarly described, as it was like watching a performance in one's own lounge and coffee and biscuits were served at the interval], Ruby Venezuela performing at the Piano Bar that has a compère aptly named Beryl, and Bermondsey Market, where as she says, 'I am addicted to junk' [so am I!] so she is in her element in the crush looking at all the stalls.
After a visit to Smithfield Market she has lunch at a pub named The Queen where 'To our surprise a lovely girl suddenly appeared and, dancing to music, peeled off most of her clothes' and I must confess that is something I never witnessed!
A visit to the zoo gives scope for her jaguar and tiger, both superbly painted with the latter transported into some foliage from Kew Gardens, from where Beryl takes a riverboat, 'a most comfortable boat with bar and refreshments', before attending Harringay Stadium for the greyhound racing where she portrays the tic-tac man and a visit to the crowded Tote.
Beryl admits she loves shoes so it is no surprise to find her in a shoe shop where she regrets 'the passing of the three-inch platform soles that were in vogue a few years ago' as she wore these at her wedding. And just a stagger away after a serious bout of shopping is The Criterion, 'a cool and pleasant bar and restaurant in Piccadilly Circus' and nearby is the Café de Paris where 'some very energetic dancing indeed goes on at tea-time and she has a couple cavorting in mid-dance as crowds on the balcony look on in envy. And dancing what was 'this energetic man' was doing on the pavement outside Harrods where, one imagines, he expects to get good tips put into his hat that lies there for the rewards.
A hair-do at Sweeney's, where the hairdresser 'is Denny, the friend who used to do my hair when we lived in Looe ... Now he has a smart salon in Beauchamp Place' is followed, 'three hours later', by a visit to Bertorelli's Jazz Pub where 'a jazz band was in full swing'. And she ends with the indulgence of a little erotica with two scantily clad ladies exchanging cigarettes - and framed in an ornate oval frame found in Bermondsey Market and had just sat there awaiting it use with the right image - a view of clients and staff at Madame Cyn's [Payne as some characters from the film can be recognised; we once met Cynthia and she naughtily signed two cards one for myself and one for Linda with suitable comments, which I should add were not true!] under the title 'Personal Services -1' and the book finishes with 'Personal Services -2- which I will not describe but suffice it to say, Beryl's one line comment is 'And here is someone with a problem'.
The book shows of Beryl Cook's talent to perfection and is delight to read and behold.
Even though Beryl in her preface states, 'I frankly admit that my greatest pleasure is in what people are doing rather than where we are' the feeling of being there still comes across through her vibrant accompanying text. She even begins with the journey to the metropolis in that she portrays, on the train on her journey from Plymouth, a passenger doing the fan shuffle with his pack of cards, and he is one of those people that she imports into her paintings from other locales because she first saw him on a flight back home from the continent. But it still works!
The crush disembarking at Paddington Station is then Beryl's starting point in which she studies 'all the various activities of people starting and finishing their journeys' and she moves on to the getting of a taxi which has 'seen better days'.
Arrival in Albemarle Street, that of her publisher John Murray, where there are 'several small cafés' that give her scope for showing people having their morning coffees is followed by Birds in nearby St James's Park in which 'there is not much park and a great deal of bird in this picture'. This gives her rein to show off her talent where there are no people; the only problem she had was 'my models were not entirely co-operative' but she has still mastered the situation.
Soho features often, a street scene, a bed show, with a lady sat in her doorway advertising her wares, Madame Jo-J0's, 'a dear little theatre down a long flight of stairs' [I know what she means because Linda, Deborah and I once went to the Mayfair Theatre that could be similarly described, as it was like watching a performance in one's own lounge and coffee and biscuits were served at the interval], Ruby Venezuela performing at the Piano Bar that has a compère aptly named Beryl, and Bermondsey Market, where as she says, 'I am addicted to junk' [so am I!] so she is in her element in the crush looking at all the stalls.
After a visit to Smithfield Market she has lunch at a pub named The Queen where 'To our surprise a lovely girl suddenly appeared and, dancing to music, peeled off most of her clothes' and I must confess that is something I never witnessed!
A visit to the zoo gives scope for her jaguar and tiger, both superbly painted with the latter transported into some foliage from Kew Gardens, from where Beryl takes a riverboat, 'a most comfortable boat with bar and refreshments', before attending Harringay Stadium for the greyhound racing where she portrays the tic-tac man and a visit to the crowded Tote.
Beryl admits she loves shoes so it is no surprise to find her in a shoe shop where she regrets 'the passing of the three-inch platform soles that were in vogue a few years ago' as she wore these at her wedding. And just a stagger away after a serious bout of shopping is The Criterion, 'a cool and pleasant bar and restaurant in Piccadilly Circus' and nearby is the Café de Paris where 'some very energetic dancing indeed goes on at tea-time and she has a couple cavorting in mid-dance as crowds on the balcony look on in envy. And dancing what was 'this energetic man' was doing on the pavement outside Harrods where, one imagines, he expects to get good tips put into his hat that lies there for the rewards.
A hair-do at Sweeney's, where the hairdresser 'is Denny, the friend who used to do my hair when we lived in Looe ... Now he has a smart salon in Beauchamp Place' is followed, 'three hours later', by a visit to Bertorelli's Jazz Pub where 'a jazz band was in full swing'. And she ends with the indulgence of a little erotica with two scantily clad ladies exchanging cigarettes - and framed in an ornate oval frame found in Bermondsey Market and had just sat there awaiting it use with the right image - a view of clients and staff at Madame Cyn's [Payne as some characters from the film can be recognised; we once met Cynthia and she naughtily signed two cards one for myself and one for Linda with suitable comments, which I should add were not true!] under the title 'Personal Services -1' and the book finishes with 'Personal Services -2- which I will not describe but suffice it to say, Beryl's one line comment is 'And here is someone with a problem'.
The book shows of Beryl Cook's talent to perfection and is delight to read and behold.
August 1, 2021
This one, seated invitingly in an open doorway, was quite serene too. The night was young and business was slow, but everything is ready for the rush. Meanwhile, a quiet smoke and some philosophical contemplation.
I do love Beryl Cook and this books gives an insight into the inspiration behind a number of Cook's distinctive paintings along with a glimpse of her love of all things London.
It was a very enjoyable read and gets a deserved 3.5 stars.
December 8, 2025
[Penguin Books] (1989). 1/1. SB. 64 Pages. Purchased from WRAP Limited (baham_books).
Beryl Cook (1926-2008) was a humble, witty, razor-sharp, playful, idiosyncratic, perceptive artistic genius whose joie de vivre oozes from these wonderful images of (mostly) London scenes.
More masterpieces from a lady who was in love with life - at the very peak of her powers.
~30 works are reproduced in colour here, in her fifth collection; many with charming, accompanying commentary.
Marvellous stuff, redolent of Gary Larson, P. G. Wodehouse, Donald McGill, Rupert Fawcett…
Beryl Cook (1926-2008) was a humble, witty, razor-sharp, playful, idiosyncratic, perceptive artistic genius whose joie de vivre oozes from these wonderful images of (mostly) London scenes.
More masterpieces from a lady who was in love with life - at the very peak of her powers.
~30 works are reproduced in colour here, in her fifth collection; many with charming, accompanying commentary.
Marvellous stuff, redolent of Gary Larson, P. G. Wodehouse, Donald McGill, Rupert Fawcett…
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews