London Stadium, Stratford

Walking around Stratford, today, it is hard to imagine that, up until twenty years ago, this was an area of London that was in dire need of regeneration.

Much of the area was derelict industrial wasteland, part of which was radioactive due to Queen Mary College's Department of Nuclear Engineering, having a small nuclear reactor onsite. Something needed to be done.

In 2001, following China's successful bid to host the 2008 Olympic Games, London put in a bid for the 2012 Olympic Games. Two plans were short-listed: 

1. West London - Based around Wembley and the construction of a new National Stadium to replace Wembley Stadium.
2. East London - Involving the regeneration of an area stretching from the Isle of Dogs, through Stratford, and on into the Lower Lea Valley.

The second plan won unanimously and so became the pitch for the London bid.

In May 2005, London won the bid to host the 2012 Olympics.

Construction

In May 2008, after the 'bowl' of the stadium had been excavated and the area cleared, construction of the stadium began. It was due to be completed in May 2011, but was completed in March of 2011, coming in under budget and ahead of schedule.

The foundation consists of 5,000 piles, driven to a depth of 20 m (66 ft)

In October 2011, the athletics track was laid. The track-and-field area is surrounded by 25,000 permanent seats, built using concrete.

Spectators and visitors enter the stadium at the podium level, which is inline with the top of the permanent seating. This upper tier was built from lightweight steel and concrete and accommodated another 55,000 spectators. The upper tier is 60 m (197 ft) in height.

Olympic Bell (London 2012)

The Olympic Bell, which Bradley Wiggins rung to signal the opening of the London 2012 Olympics, now hangs rather forlornly outside the London Stadium.

It is a monster of a bell that will, in all likelihood, hang hear for the rest of its days, never to be rung again. This seems to be a waste of a bell, to me, as a bell is designed and tuned to be rung.

Having never seen it up close I was shocked by the sheer size of it.

"Be not afeard; the isle is full of noises" - The Tempest

Brief History

The Whitechapel Bell Foundry was commissioned to make the bell for the London 2012 Olympic Games, in September 2011. They finalised the design, kettering and tuning but found that no longer had the capability to cast such a massive bell. Controversially, they subcontracted the casting to Royal Eijsbouts, in the Netherlands. The Loughborough based Taylor's Bell Foundry, which had also tendered to the cast the bell, took exception at the bell being cast by a non-British company. 

The framework, from which to hang the bell, and the hammer mechanism, which alone weighed a half-ton, were made by various companies. In total there were twenty different companies, from three countries, that brought the bell to completion.

Olympic Park Boat Tour, 2015

Approaching the ArcelorMittal Orbit.

I never got to visit the 2012 Olympics, due to work commitments, but I have visited the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park many times since. 

On one such occasion we took a boat tour along the River Lea, which allows you to see many of the Olympic venues, not to mention the varied wildlife, from a truly unique perspective.

Our vessel for this trip was one of the Water Chariots that had transported passengers to the Olympic Games.

Walking with family: Westminster to South Bank... and beyond

Sunday August 12, 2012

My mum, Uncle Martin and myself arrived at Westminster at 16:30. 

Our plan: Walk along the South Bank and take some night shots of London. 

With Westminster closed to traffic, due to the barriers still being in place from the Marathon, earlier in the day, we were able to get unfettered photographs of the Palace of Westminster, Boadicea, City Hall and more. Being able to stand in the middle of Westminster Bridge we were able to get some photographs from different angles. 

We then made our way onto the South Bank and began our stroll towards Tower Bridge. Around the Jubilee Gardens, there were many stalls, artists, rides, entertainers, musicians and much more. The throng of people enjoying the late afternoon sun, including Olympians and Paralympians, only added to the heady atmosphere of London at its best. 

With lots of stops, to take photographs, it was a slow but enjoyable stroll. By the Festival Hall there was a map of the World, made completely out of Lego. Because of its size it was very hard to get a photograph of the whole thing, but it was nice to see. It reminded my of my boxes of Lego that are still in my loft.