Last Saturday C. and I had tickets to an architecture tour along the Thames. Even though the warm, sunny weather we’d been having disappeared and our winter coats, hats, and gloves were out again I was still excited. Whole days in London with C. are rare so I really enjoyed sharing his city with him. C. has all the photo credits. My hands stayed in warm gloves the entire time we were on the boat so were not at all photo-ready.
Tour starts near the London Eye.
Sorry about how dark these are. When it’s cloudy in London, it’s really cloudy.
Big Ben.
I learned two more British pronunciations on this tour. Baroque is pronounced “barok” and “quay” is pronounced “key.”
Houses of Parliament. You can't see the gold detail in the photo, but it was nice to see it close up. Quite stunning.
Millbank Tower
View from Altitude 360 in Millbank Tower, December 2010
The night views of the Thames on a clear night are my favorite and most magical moments in the city. I’d discovered Whistler’s Nocturnes in the Freer-Sackler Galleries in D.C. A much different river in his day, but the ethereal quality remains.
One more--I took this in 2009 the first time I came to London. The sunset was gorgeous that night.
St. George's Wharf
The tour guide told us that this series of slick, greenish buildings has many harsh critics. She also said that the structures have been likened to “three massive owls,” and she really went out on a limb by confessing that she found them “quite jolly, actually.” I have to agree, although I don’t think the word “jolly” has ever come to mind. I’ve often admired the wharf from the train.
St. George's Wharf detail
MI6 Building--British Secret Service.
Where rich people live
The now empty Battersea Power Station, an iconic London site.
Didn't get a name for these but have admired these from the train too.
Battersea Park Buddha
Freezing for architecture
Very cool building but couldn't hear the name of this one. Too windy.
Vauxhall Bridge Detail
Lion protected from all the changes made to the banks during the 1940's London Fair. Everything else was built up around the lion and people protested to save it.
View of Big Ben on return
Royal Festival Hall. Very pretty at night all lit up but not so exciting during the day.
In a nearby building, the Southbank Centre, there are tables with excellent views and the Saison Poetry Centre Library, a huge auditorium with musical shows, readings, talks, etc. The annual T.S. Eliot readings are there–great venue and event if you’d like to get a taste of the current British poetry world. I’ve enjoyed hanging out at Southbank on a number of occasions.
The famous OXO tower and building.
At night the Art Deco tower lights up with a red OXO. Oxo is an English company that makes beef stock cubes and the like. They requested a permit for an Oxo ad but were turned down. On the Thames, advertising was banned. However, in a “coincidence,” architect Albert Moore created a design that included the letters o, x, and o. They got their ad after all.
Unilever House
Didn't catch the name of this one unfortunately
Cool art deco spot.
The Globe
A guy singing in the water for passersby. Brrrr.
I don't know the name of this building but it's one of my favorites.
Hay's Galleria
Tower Bridge and ship. London Bridge itself is dull and ordinary, missable. Tower Bridge, however, is one of the most iconic of the many bridges of the Thames.
Tower Bridge at night. I took this in 2009 the first time I came to London. C. and I had just met and he took me on a walk along the Thames.
The Shard--soon to be another staple in the London skyline. The glass is treated so that it changes with the weather and light.
Small view of St. Paul's Cathedral. Also gorgeous at night.
HMS Belfast
Tower Bridge
Where the mayor and other civil servants work
The More London area toward the east end of the Thames. An especially modern section.
Tower Bridge detail
Another one of my industrial favorites. Love the glass balconies.
View from Greenwich observatory
Does Greenwich have a Waterstones? Unfortunately for C., the answer is yes. Great way to end the day, in a comfy leather chair with a pile of books on my lap.
