'The Wild Table of Love' by Gillie and Marc

At the corner of Eastbourne Terrace and Praed Street, Paddington, there is a rather large sculpture of various endangered animals, sitting and having a banquet together.

The animals, being hosted by Rabbitwoman and Dogman, are a koala, Bengal tiger, African elephant, Masai giraffe, a hippo, a lion, Northern white rhino, mountain gorilla, Grevy's zebra and a chimpanzee.

Two seats allow visitors to join the banquet, as this is an interactive sculpture where interaction is key.

Retracting Footbridge, St Katharine Docks

The original footbridge.

St Katharine Docks, which was the only major project of Thomas Telford in London, opened in 1828. His idea was to use as much of the land as possible for warehouses and to limit quayside space, ensuring cargo was lifted directly into the warehouses.

Because of the way he designed the docks, narrow footpaths allowed workers to walk around the site. However, to get from one side of the dock to the other could take some time, so Thomas Rhodes, the resident engineer of Telford, designed this retractable bridge, between the Central Basin and the East Dock.

Constructed with iron castings and wrought iron forgings, by John Lloyd, the bridge was linked to rail-mounted cast iron counterweight boxes that allowed it to stretch across the dock. Using a rack and pinion system the bridge could be retracted into the masonry of the dock walls.

The housing for the bridge.

'Skystation' by Peter Newman

Wandering, as I do, I discovered this spaceship-like metal sculpture, near Nine Elms. 

Affixed to its side is a small plaque that reads:

SKYSTATION

51°28'57"N

PETER NEWMAN

0°08'11"W

2015

Besides this there is no explanation as to what this sculpture represents, or is for. 

"Where is the centre of London?"

One of the most common questions that I get asked, when visiting London, is "Where is its centre?"

This is a difficult question to answer, as there is no correct, or true, answer. At least not an answer that will satisfy everyone. 

As London has changed throughout the centuries and its population has grown from 250,000, in 1663, to over 8 million today, its centre is hard to locate.

But, with satellite data, and people 'pinging' their locations, accuracy becomes more important.

So, let's take a look at where the centre of London is... Currently.

London's earliest central point was established, in 1663, with the original Charing Cross. This was erected by King Edward I in honour of his dead queen Eleanor. Today, a plaque marks this spot where all distances to London are measured from. 

The plaque is set into the ground behind the Equestrian Statue of King Charles I, on the traffic island directly south of Nelson's Column. 

However, as London has grown its centre has moved and various people and companies have suggested it to be in different locations.

Walking with Emma: 13th anniversary weekend

Tower Bridge and The Shard at sunset.

Friday March 7, 2025.

As Monday 10th would be the 13th anniversary of our wedding, Emma had booked us a stay at the Tower Hotel, as a present for me.

With our girls at school, then off to my mum's for the night, Emma and I set off.

Uber to Watford Metropolitan station, a train to Finchley Road, then a Jubilee line train to London Bridge.

As we made our way along Tooley Street, heading to More London Place, I was surprised at how quiet it was, considering the temperature was at 18°C (64.4°F, for my continental friends).

His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London.

Meandering around The Scoop and the old City Hall building, I stopped to take some photos of the City of London and His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, before we passed under Tower Bridge, to Shad Thames, where we stopped for a coffee at Starbucks.

The Tower Hotel.

Sitting beside The Vault 1894 beer garden, we sipped our coffees and looked across the River Thames towards the Tower Hotel, where we would be spending the night. Usually we are more than happy to stay at Premier Inn, as their beds are incredibly comfortable and their breakfasts are equally as good. But, as it was a special occasion, plus the fact that I had always wanted to stay there, ever since I first saw it on TV and film, Emma had secretly booked it. Plus, according to all of their Social Media releases, it offered unparalleled views of Tower Bridge... unless your room was at the back. In which case you would probably have a great view of St Katharine Docks and Marina, which is still pretty cool.

With our beverages finished, we climbed the well-worn stairs to bridge level and crossed Tower Bridge.

Once on the north bank we made our way down the stairs and sat beside David Wynne's 'Girl with a Dolphin' sculpture, before heading into the Tower Hotel reception.

A Starbucks in the Tower Hotel lobby.

The brutalist style exterior architecture, of this 1973 building, was a complete juxtaposition with the shiny interior, with its marbled columns and mirrors, making the lobby seem larger and grander than expected.

There were plenty of people working at reception, so we didn't have to wait to check in. The receptionist, named Padam, was polite and professional and seemed genuinely interested in why we had booked this hotel, congratulating us on our anniversary, asking what our plans for the weekend were and generally made us feel welcomed. After taking our payment, and handing us our key, he promised us that our room had one of the best views and then gestured us towards a bank of four lifts.

There is nothing brutalist about the interior of the Tower Hotel.

The lift was silent and its movement was barely susceptible as it raised us to the fifth floor. On exiting the lift, we turned right and right again, following the corridor, before a sign told us that our room was down the corridor to our left. Onward we went until we reached our room. My mental GPS had been calculating our location, within the hotel, and I knew that, with the room on our left, we were in for a decent view. I was not wrong. 

A standard Tower Hotel room.

On entering the room our bathroom was to our left, with three doors, to our right, hiding the wardrobes. The main room was spacious, with a bed to our left and, on our right, a desk (hiding a small fridge containing complimentary drinks), and TV. Bedside tables, 3D art, paintings and an arm chair completed the room. Directly in front of us, the window spanned the width of the room. And the view?

The view from the fifth floor.

The view was everything that we had hoped for. Tower Bridge and The Shard were our view, while in the distance Crystal Palace Tower could be seen on the horizon.

After settling in, refreshing ourselves and changing, we made our way downstairs into the warm spring evening. By now the sun had set (or, rather, the Earth was completing another rotation, hiding the sun from our view) as we made our way around St Katharine Docks, with its still waters and reflected lights. 'Gloriana', the Queen's Rowbarge, was moored in the marina, along with yachts, barges and boats of varying size and style.

Following the path we made our way to Zizzi, via Coronarium Bridge, where we would be dining. Our plan had been to eat at the Dickens Inn, but Emma had read the recent reviews and wasn't that impressed, so we had booked Zizzi, instead.

The staff, our server was named Charlotte, the atmosphere, the food... was perfect. 

After settling the bill Emma and I went for another walk around the Docks and Marina, with a slight diversion, as Telford's retracting footbridge is under repair. Although the temperature had dropped, slightly, it was still warm, as we walked along the River Thames, listening to the various parties going on some boats, while families walked along, taking photos of Tower Bridge in all of its night time glory.

With time getting on we headed back to the hotel and returned to our room, to settle in for the night.