World Time Linear Clock

The World Time Today.

If you were to enter London's West End via Piccadilly Circus, then don't rush straight out of the station. Take a moment to marvel at the 1920s architecture and then go in search of a truly unique timepiece.

Built into the wall is the World Time Linear Clock which was the brainchild of Architect Charles Holden and John Mowlem & Company.

It was installed during the expansion of Piccadilly Circus station, during the the early 1920s.

The scrolling band rotates as the Earth spins.

The time is displayed by a west scrolling band, with Roman numerals, that moves at the same speed as the Earth rotates, around the equator.

It shows both GMT and BST and gives a rough indication as to the time around the world. It is not entirely accurate as world time zones only broadly follow longitude. But, it is still a fascinating piece of machinery.

How to use.

Lightbulbs highlight a small number of cities that include London, Cape Town, Sydney, New York, Victoria (Canada) and Buenos Aires.

I was surprised, on my visit, how no one noticed this piece of horology that once informed the traveller, that needed to know, the time around the world. 

Now, people are too inpatient and in a constant rush, which is a shame.

World Time Linear Clock, Piccadilly Circus station.

Leicester Square

Empire, Leicester Square.

Leicester Square has been a busy hub for tourists and those visiting the area to watch films and shows for many years. The square is used for exhibitions and events throughout the year and is always bustling with a palpable energy.

William Shakespeare fountain.

With the Empire Leicester Square and the Odeon Leicester Square, on two sides which are used for film premieres, and more restaurants than you can count and pubs on the other, it is a magnet for anyone heading to the West End. 

Lumiere Festival, 2016.

To the north is Chinatown, the east Covent Garden, south lies Trafalgar Square and Piccadilly Circus is to the west, making Leicester Square a true hub in the West End.

Enough said.

It is possibly because of how busy the area gets that I prefer walking around other areas of London.

m&m's World.

However, every once in a while, I do head here, especially if there is something worth seeing.

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts.

Over the years I have seen many changes to the square and its surroundings. Statues have come and gone. Fountains and water features have been rebuilt and installed. Paving and seating has been improved. Theatres, cinemas, shops and restaurants have come and gone, too.

Celebrity handprints, 2010.

But the atmosphere has always remained.

Temple Church (St Mary's)

Temple Church.

Saturday May 27, 2023.

The Temple Church is famous throughout the world as the church of the Knights Templar and was a place that I long wished to visit.

It was by pure chance that while wandering along Fleet Street I noticed that the gates to Temple Church were open, with an A-board advertising that the church was open for viewing. So, through the gate I headed.

The narrow passageway soon opened up and, in front and to my left, the Round of Temple Church came into view. 

Approaching Temple Church from the north with the Great Norman Doorway.

I made my way around to the south of the building, which is the best place from which to view the church and is where the entrance is situated.

The Temple Church from Church Court.

After admiring the architecture and the surrounding buildings, which are filled with law firms and the like, I entered the church.

Now, I have been inside many churches, cathedrals and abbeys all of varying size and stature, but Temple Church is on another level, in my opinion.

Police Public Call Post

Walbrook.

Having spotted a few of these Police Public Call Posts, on my travels, I decided to find out how many are left and when they stopped being of use.

Outside St Botolph’s Church, Aldgate.

Situated throughout London, the City of London and right across the British mainland, these Police Public Call Posts would have been a common sight, from the 1920s onwards.

London's Air Ambulance Charity

Emergency Services in Marylebone Green, Regent's Park.

It is not uncommon, when traversing London's streets and parks, to see a myriad of different helicopters and aircraft flitting across the sky. Passenger jets, news and police helicopters along with the occasional military aircraft or chinook.

However, there are two London Air Ambulance helicopters, one on duty one in reserve, that can often be seen flying anywhere within the M25.

It is even more rare is to see one land and then takeoff.

It was while walking besides The Regent's Park that I heard the sound of a helicopter landing and immediately went looking for it.

'Rowan'.

Fortunately, on this occasion, the helicopter wan't needed as the ambulance crew had everything in hand.