Been awhile since my last visit to the big city so with the weather forecast for wall to wall sunshine on Saturday, I headed south for the day. Don’t normally do Saturday’s as London can become a bit crowded at the weekend’s but that’s usually when there are events and stuff on. Also as the nights are drawing in now, I was on the lookout for new locations for night shoot’s.
Headed for the Houses of Parliament first for some record shots before it becomes covered in scaffolding and as from midday on Monday 21st August the bells of Big Ben fall silent until 2021 as restoration work on the Elizabeth Tower the clock face and mechanism takes place. Apparently the silencing of the bells is a Health & Safety issue to protect the hearing of the contractors working on the tower.
A not unusual sight around London with Chinese couples having their pre-wedding photos taken around the landmarks of London. It’s apparently a Chinese custom for couples to have their wedding photos taken before the wedding ceremony so on their wedding day back in China/Hong Kong/Taiwan they can show them to their guests. As least they had blue sky and sunshine. I have seen them doing this in the wet and the bottom of those white dresses turn black with the rain and muck. I came across two other wedding groups that day.
Fountain Sculpture called ‘Waterfall’ from 1991 by Anthony Donaldson in Horselydown Square, Shad Thames.
Greenpeace UK ‘Plasticide’ Sculpture, Queen’s Walk, near HMS Belfast. Publicising the problem of plastic objects being discarded into the oceans by humans and being ingested by marine wildlife.
On my Bimbles around London I’m always on the look out for bits of Hidden Historic London. I say hidden but nearly all of it is in plain sight but unless you know what you are looking at, then it’s hidden. The street bollard below, on the South Bank next to Southwark Bridge, is a good example. Thousands of visitors pass by it every day without so much as a second glance. It is in fact a French cannon taken from one of the ships defeated at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. As war booty, they were brought back to London and to rub the French noses in it, they were used as street bollards around the east End of London. The bollards proved so popular that when they ran out of canons they made replicas which is why most street bollards today are roughly canon shaped.
By the time I got to St Paul’s the clouds had rolled in and you really do need the sun shining on the stonework of the Cathedral to get the best out of it otherwise it looks dull and flat.
After Lunch, Mmm McDonalds, I headed up to Covent Garden where the seven roads to Seven Dials had been closed off for ‘Spotlight17’ a free music and entertainment festival.
Camera Used: Sony RX1R MII
Brian
A Belated Bimble Around London
- Pen Pusher
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Re: A Belated Bimble Around London
Fascinating titbit about the cannon/bollards Brian. Thanks very much!
Loafer for Mr. Da Vinci.
Re: A Belated Bimble Around London
Some good shots of my home town. Seeing the one of Houses of Parliament reminded me of a series that I've just been watching on Quest, 'The American Revolution'. Not bad, but when referring to London, they showed a picture of the Houses of Parliament very similar to yours (although without the scaffolding etc of course). Hilarious! Wonder how many Americans would realise that London looked a little different in 1776?!
Pte. Aubrey Gerald Harmer, R. Suss. R. (att. to the Sherwood Foresters) KIA 26/9/1917 Polygon Wood, aged 19, NKG. RIP
- Pen Pusher
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Re: A Belated Bimble Around London
And how many Americans would know the the Republic of Texas had a London Embassy in Pall Mall before it joined the United States of America in the mid 1800's.
Brian
Brian
Re: A Belated Bimble Around London
The Baron wrote:Fascinating titbit about the cannon/bollards Brian. Thanks very much!
Agreed. One of those titbits of history that you rarely get to know about. There was another on the news a couple of weeks ago. They were talking about some of the metal fencing, usually on public buildings & schools, that is gradually disappearing. Who knew that the fencing was actually made from old metal stretchers! It's only when you look at them again, knowing what you now know, that you can see it!
Simon
Re: A Belated Bimble Around London
Pen Pusher wrote:And how many Americans would know the the Republic of Texas had a London Embassy in Pall Mall before it joined the United States of America in the mid 1800's.
Brian
At a guess I'd say very few! According to my little 'Book of the States' that I bought at the Capitol, Texas was an independent republic from 1836-45 after which it joined the Union as the 28th State. I could also tell you about the State flower, bird etc., but you're probably getting bored now.
Pte. Aubrey Gerald Harmer, R. Suss. R. (att. to the Sherwood Foresters) KIA 26/9/1917 Polygon Wood, aged 19, NKG. RIP