Author: Ralf Obergfell
Publisher: Breedon Books Publishing Co Ltd
Format: Hardback
Pages: 176
This book is a photographic celebration of the iconic Routemaster to accompany the Last Stop exhibition on show at the London Transport Museum from 16 May - 27 July 2008.
A design classic and an international symbol of London, the Routemaster bus became a landmark in itself, a global icon you could ride to work. Designed in 1954 by the London Transport Engineering Manager, Colin Curtis, and introduced in 1956, the Routemaster was a fixture of the capital's streets for half a century before its withdrawal from regular service at the end of 2005. Drawn from hundreds of images gathered over the Routemaster's final year of service, Last Stop is a celebration of the unique and dynamic role the bus played in London life.
These vibrant, witty and iconic photographs were mostly taken on the 19 and 38 routes, running from Finsbury Park in the north and Hackney in the east through the heart of the West End and on to Knightsbridge and Chelsea. They pay tribute to the bus's warm, weighty yet elegant design features, the spontaneous social interactions catalysed by its trusty conductors and the ever-changing conversation between inside and outside space allowed by its open back. Ralf Obergfell was born in Freiburg, Germany, on the edge of the Black Forest, and now lives in London and Berlin.