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 Bridge
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, City of London

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.

Thursday, November 30, 2017

'The Dickens Inn'

London The Unfinished City
Dickensian.

It was while strolling around St Katharine Dock and Marina that I spotted this beautiful old converted warehouse. Intrigued by its name, and style, I decided to find out more about this fascinating building.