I am not going to lie. I have a man-crush. A couple of months ago, I stumbled upon an Instagram account that showed a sharp dressed man in a Bowler hat exploring London. Who was this handsome, bearded fellow? I was enamoured. I was transfixed. I scrolled through the entire Instagram feed. A seemingly legendary man from the past was casually exploring modern day London, but never without his trusty Bowler hat. After some slick Sherlock Holmes like investigation work, I found that The Bowler Man is indeed mysterious, but I was able to find that he does live by a motto, said by English writer Samuel Johnson.
You find no man, at all intellectual, who is willing to leave London. No, Sir, when a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford.
Given his motto, I concluded that The Bowler Man not only lives in London, but he also IS London. He is a bridge between London’s rich history and it’s fast moving present. And he intends to go nowhere.
After weeks of observing the Bowler Man, I found a clue that would break this case wide open. If only I had an assistant named Watson to celebrate with.
The Bowler Man is actually just a very creative photographer named Sean Byrne. Byrne, an accomplished artist and UK native, felt the need to create The Bowler Man, simply for the reason that he missed seeing Bowler Hats. According to his Steller story,
The Bowler Hat has long been forgotten in this part of the world. So The Bowler Man is bringing back the Bowler Hat and taking you on this journey around this magical city.
Well, there you have it…the magic, the mystery…it all comes down to a creative genius who missed seeing a cool looking hat. Well, we hope the Bowler Man never gets tired of the hat either, as following his adventures around London is one of my favorite Instagram pastimes.
The Bowler Man, aka Sean Byrne (who also let us publish this awesome piece on Austria), was kind enough to provide Resource Travel with 20 of his favorite self-portraits and the stories behind them. Be sure to keep up with The Bowler Man on his Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter and don’t forget to follow his not as interesting alter ego Sean Byrne on his website, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
The Bowler Man stands on the opposite side of Westminster, London, where the UK government discuss politics and the nation’s future.
The walk to St Pauls on the Millennium Bridge, London. The Millennium Bridge, officially known as the London Millennium Footbridge, is a steel suspension bridge for pedestrians crossing the River Thames in London, linking Bankside with the City of London.
Standing tall, The Bowler Man in The Scoop looking at Tower Bridge, London. The 1,000 person sunken amphitheater stages events all year round, including the four-month long More London Free Festival.
London Eye and an iconic English red telephone box in London. The red telephone box, a telephone kiosk for a public telephone designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, was a familiar sight on the streets of the United Kingdom, Malta, Bermuda and Gibraltar.
The Bowler Man hanging out around Clink Street London. Narrow, dark and cobbled, it is best known as the historic location of the notorious Clink Prison, giving rise to the slang phrase ‘in the clink’, meaning ‘in prison’. The prison was burned down in riots during 1780, and a small museum and tourist attraction now occupies part of the site.
The Bowler Man sits quietly in The Scoop as busy London passes on by.
The Bowler Man knows that the beauty of Tower Bridge only grows with each passing year.
The Bowler Man outside St Pauls Cathedral. Next to one of those famous red telephone boxes.
The Bowler Man waits for a train at the stunning Gants Hill tube station. This station was used as an air raid shelter during the 2nd World War and the station was finally completed in 1947.
The London underground speeds on past as The Bowler Man starts his day in this magical city. London was voted to be the most desirable city in the world to work in.
The Bowler Man enjoying some Christmas shopping with the iconic St Pauls Cathedral looking over him. St Paul’s Cathedral in London is an Anglican cathedral and the seat of the Bishop of London. It sits on Ludgate Hill at the highest point of the City of London.
The Bowler Man sits and stares at his favourite place, the Tower Bridge. It brings great delight to him to watch the sun go down as the lights on the bridge illuminate. The Bowler Man may be alone, but he is content with his life and happy to see others that are enjoying this moment as well.
The Bowler Man always takes a very keen interest to know how the men and women in this building take care of Great Britain. Houses of Parliament, London.
The Bowler Man walking to work on Westminster Bridge London. The bridge is painted predominantly green, the same colour as the leather seats in the House of Commons which is on the side of the Palace of Westminster nearest to the bridge. This is in contrast to Lambeth Bridge which is red, the same colour as the seats in the House of Lords and is on the opposite side of the Houses of Parliament.
This is most definitely Old VS New. The unmistakable vintage silhouette of The Bowler Man walking down the futuristic walkway between Cross rail station and One Canada Square, Canary Wharf London. This walkway only opened on the 1st May 2015 to the public. Welcome to one of the newest pieces of architecture in London. The Bowler Man likes it.
The Bowler Man takes a morning stroll underneath a beautiful blanket of spring at Greenwich Park, Greenwich, London. Such a beautiful park for a morning walk, run or afternoon picnic.
A great place to stride by for The Bowler Man in Elder Street London. This place looked like a film set and that car was perfect.
The Bowler Man doing a bit of shopping in Oxford Street, London. Looks very typically London with the iconic red double-decker buses and black cabs in the shot.
The Bowler Man stands in Oxford Street and watches the people hurry by. They’re all going somewhere, he wonders where and why? This magnificent City of London is populated with so many different types of people, from sex, class, race, religion and everyone to be judged as equal. People of the world come visit this city of London, especially as it is today, diverse in culture, which is becoming so typically the English way. Be inspired by the history and architecture as you walk through the streets, this is London my dear friends, the city that never sleeps.
So The Bowler Man has finally reached his final image of this story. To celebrate this milestone he thought he would show you a picture outside of London. Here he is on holiday in South Devon, United Kingdom with the beautiful views you get from Start Point Lighthouse.