Wednesday, December 20, 2017

Prince Charles Cinema

London The Unfinished City
The canopy is not just for the advertising of films.

The Prince Charles Cinema is one of my favourite cinemas to visit. They show a minimum of ten films, per week, which mostly consist of cult, arthouse or independent movies, with the occasional new movie thrown in.

It shows sing-a-long and quotable versions of some films, like The Sound of Music and The Rocky Horror Picture Show. They also show movie marathons, like The Arnie All-nighter, where six Arnold Schwarzenegger movies were shown back-to-back. That was a particularly long night. They also do things like 'Beer & Pizza' nights, where a slice of pizza and a beer are included in the ticket price.

Monday, December 18, 2017

Cabmen's Shelter

London The Unfinished City
The Plaque on the Temple Place Cabmen's Shelter.

I had spotted a few of these little green shelters, on my various jaunts through the Unfinished City, and had always wondered what they were for.

I knew they were used by taxi drivers, but that was all.

Friday, December 15, 2017

Royal Albert Hall

London The Unfinished City
Memorial and the hall.
Unlike my eldest daughter, Alysha, who has not only been inside, the Royal Albert Hall, but has sung on its stage, I have yet to set foot inside.

I took this photo on my one and only visit to the hall, on a cold Saturday morning, when I was strolling through the area on my way eastward.

Thursday, December 14, 2017

Lumiere London 2016

London The Unfinished City
Leicester Square Illuminated.
Back in mid January, 2016, the Lumiere Festival came to the Unfinished City and it was something that I had to witness.

Spread across four nights there were plenty of opportunities to see all of the installations, as they were spread over four main areas: Mayfair, Piccadilly, Westminster and King's Cross.

Various artists transformed the city's streets, buildings, parks and squares into temporary art galleries, where light was the key element.

Sunborn London

London The Unfinished City
Floating Hotel on the Royal Docks.

The Royal Docks, which have gone through an amazing regeneration, are home to, among other things, the ExCeL London exhibition centre, London City Airport, The Crystal, plus countless bars, restaurants and hotels.

There is, however, one hotel which is moored in the Royal Victoria Dock: The Sunborn London Yacht Hotel.

London The Unfinished City
Sunborn at night.

I am hoping to pay a visit to this beautiful looking yacht, next year, even it is just for afternoon tea, or just a few drinks in the bar, one evening.

Wednesday, December 13, 2017

Bomber Command Memorial

London The Unfinished City
"... who now stood thankful, in the early morning sun."
The Bomber Command Memorial, Green Park, is, by far, my favourite memorial, in the Unfinished City. There are countless others that I have visited, but there is something utterly unique about this memorial.

I don't know if it is the sheer scale of the memorial, or the detailing of the statues, or its setting at the corner of Green Park, that makes this my favourite, but there is something that keeps drawing me back to it, again and again.

In fact, I was so moved when I first saw it, that I ended up writing a poem the following day, entitled 'Morning Sun'.

London Bridge

London The Unfinished City
The latest crossing to carry the name London Bridge.

The current London Bridge is said to be the plainest of London's bridges, that cross the River Thames. It is typical of late 20th century engineering, where concrete and simple design were the norm.

For me, however, London Bridge is all the more interesting because of its simplicity. Having quite low balustrades and sitting relatively low, in the river, compared to other bridges. London Bridge offers fantastic views, both east and west, which are unhampered by obstructions like lampposts, as these run along the centre of the bridge.

Tuesday, December 05, 2017

St Magnus the Martyr

London The Unfinished City
Dedicated to St Magnus the Martyr, Earl of Orkney.

St Magnus the Martyr, London Bridge, is one of my favourite churches, within the City of London. It is an ornate church which has an almost Palladian style to it, with its white walls, Romanesque columns and gold relief. 

But, the highlight of the church for me, besides all of its long history, is the model of old London Bridge, which shows how the bridge would have looked in the 1400s.

London The Unfinished City
Model of London Bridge.

Monday, December 04, 2017

Duke of York Column

London The Unfinished City
The Unfinished City's lost viewing platform.

I have walked by this memorial, to the Duke of York, countless times and assumed that it was a simple memorial atop a column. However, I was always intrigued by the doorway at the foot of the column, wondering why it was there and where it led. Was it to access an underground tunnel or was it simply a later addition, to act as a kind of cupboard? I needed to find out.

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