Last Train to London was released by ELO in 1979. One of the lines in the lyrics goes “The sun is going down”. When discussing London as a travel destintion its so difficult to know where to start. However going back to 1979 I remember going on a walk round the centre of London in the early hours of the morning and for the first time in many cases fully appreciating the beauty of the city of my birth.
Where better to start than alongside side the Thames at the one of the most famous landmarks in London – Tower Bridge.
The bridge was completed in 1894 and is unique in terms of bridges across the Thames in that the central section of the bridge opens to allow the passage of taller vessels. Today you can cross the bridge via a glass floored walkway 42 metres above the river and if you are lucky the bridge might even be raised beneath you. The bridge or to be more technical the bascules are raised around a thousand times a year. The times of the raising are listed on the tower’s website so you can plan you trip to coincide with such an event.
If we move downriver from the City of London to the City of Westminster, then the Palace of Westminster dominates the views from the south side of the river.
In the view above we can see the 300 metre long facade of the Palace. This part of the building was built of land claimed from the river in the period from 1840 to 1870. Most of us are more familar with the land or Westminster Abbey side of the builing. This night view helps to highlight the beauty of the architechure in a way that sunlight cannot. There has been a palace on this site since the 11th century and was the primary residence of the Kings of England until the 16th century. The building is still technically owned by the Crown and is still a designated Royal Palace. Today the building houses by the House of Commons and the House of Lords or as they are more commonly called the Houses of Parliament.
The Eros Sculpture or to give it, its correct title the “Shaftsbury Memorial Fountain” stands in Piccadilly Circus and was erected to commemorate the work of the Earl of Shaftsbury in helping to replace child labour with school education. Although know as Eros the sculpture is based on a previous work by the sculptor Alfred Gilbert of Eros’ brother Anteros. Strangly most people take a selfie from the other side of the sculpture than the one in the image above. But is it only from this side we can see it full on. Maybe because to get this view you have to cross the busy road or stand in it, which is much easier to do in the middle of the night!
Leadenhall Market is one of London’s oldest markets and is located in the City of London. It is a busy market selling mainly food in the week, though like many markets there is an increasing emphasis on other goods and services. Its position is probably in the centre of Roman London. Some of you might recognise the resemblence to Diagon Alley in the film “Harry Potter and the Philospher’s Stone”. You might have also recognised in the Erasure video of “Love to Hate You”.
Opened in 2000, the Millenium or “Wobbly” Bridge as it soon became known was opened to connect the south bank of the Thames, near the Globe Theatre with the north side near St Paul’s Cathedral.
The alignment of the bridge is such that a clear view of St Paul’s south facade is presented as you cross the river, framed by the bridge supports. The bridge also features in a Harry Potter film, this time in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, where the bridge collapses following an attack by Death Eaters. By contrast there has been a place of worship on the site of St Paul’s Cathedral since 604 AD. The present building dates from the late 17th century after much of the previous cathedral was destroyed by the Great Fire of London of 1666. It was officially declared open on 25th December 1711 though additional works continued after this date. Until 1963 St Paul’s was the tallest building in London. As you may have guessed the cathedral also appears in another Harry Potter film, this time “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” which shows the Geometric Staircase in the south west bell tower, representing the staircase towards the Divination classroom.
Contact Maggie today to book your city break to London. She can advise you on the best places to stay and pre-book your tickets where necessary.
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