A view of London Bridge
From the 23rd to the 27th of March I went on a self-managed tour of London. I started off in north Greenwich station, my aim was to get from there to St Paul’s, and then from St Paul’s to the gherkin, then to The British Museum, after that to the GLA building and from there I could explore all the buildings which weren’t on my list but were of interest. These included the millennium bridge, the Tate, the shard, and other buildings along the way which were very visually pleasing.
My train to London was delayed so I ended up getting to my brothers in Blackheath around 6 o’clock, which wasn’t really an appropriate time to go out and explore the architecture, so instead we had dinner and watched a film before having an early night with an even earlier wake up in the morning.
Mostly for transport I used the tube as the underground stations were very close to the destinations.
On Tuesday I set out for St Paul’s cathedral. From St Paul’s, after I got a free grand tour of the place, I went on an expedition to the British museum but by the time I arrived they were closed so instead I ventured to Oxford Street and had a cup of tea in a lovely little coffee shop which smelt deliciously of sandalwood. From there I walked to the tube station and went off home for dinner with my brother which he cooked himself, even though you’re not supposed to have gravy with gammon, it was delicious.
The Millennium Bridge
The Millennium bridge from the north side of the river
The millennium bridge opened in 2000 and was designed as a collaboration between architect Norman Foster, engineering company Arup and sculptor Antony Caro. Its skeletal like shape is made mainly of steel the cables in tension, clamp to the steel arms which support the deck. The bride was closed because in the first week of it being opened about 100’000 people walked in sync over it which caused lateral damage the structure.
The Tate
Walking to the Tate from the Millennium bridge you can see the old chimney from the previous power station
The Tate was originally Bankside Power Station which was designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, around the 1940s, constructed of a steal structure with stone walls with a 325ft high vent. It was turned into an Art gallery by Tate trustees who called upon Swiss architects, Herzog and De Meuron to create a modern twist on an old unused Power Station. In 2004 the architects worked on the finished Tate again to create more space in the unused rooms.
The Shard
The shard behind, as I walked out of London bridge underground
The shard was finished in late 2000, and in 2001 the Qatari prime minister came to open the building. The building is mainly built of steel, with a full glass façade. The developers of the shard and Italian Architect Renzo Piano worked together to create what they called a “vertical city”. The shard is approximately 310 metres high and once at the top there is a 360 view of London.