The tunnel was built between 1899 and 1902 and was intended for dock workers to get to their workplaces. The docks were on one side of the river, but the workers lived on the other side, and it took a long time to get to work. At first, people descended 15 m down the stairs, but after a year, the lifts also were installed. Tunnel is narrower at the northern end of the tunnel. This is a fixed place because during WWII the tunnel was hit by a bomb. The tunnel is officially a public road, which means it must be open every day and 24 hours a day.
The tunnel is also part of the All-England cycle route, but signs inside the tunnel require you to unmount your bicycle. Reasonable too, the tunnel is quite narrow.
Statue of Winston Churchill. W.C. died in 1965 and the statue was erected in 1973. But Sir Winston himself chose the location of the statue already in the 1950s, saying: "where my statue will go". His requirement was that the statue must face his favorite tavern, where he liked to go for a drink. 🙂 Even the current members of the parliament like to go there often, there is a special signal device that signals that the voting will start soon.
One prominent object from afar near the Olympic Stadium is the Orbit, officially called the Arcelor-Mittal Orbit. It is both a sculpture and a lookout tower. It was designed by engineer Cecil Balmond and artist Anish Kapoor in collaboration. The project was supported by billionaire Lakshmi Mittal, and the object is made from 60% recycled materials. The tower is visited by 5,000 people every day, and there are two different ways to get up to the two viewing platforms - by 455 steps (not recommended) and by lift. There are as many as three ways to get down, in addition to the above, you can go down along a 178-meter tube, the descent lasts 40 seconds. The top of the tube is partially transparent, so it's scarier because you can see yourself falling. The tube makes 12 turns. To ride the tube, you have to buy a more costly ticket, and the person who wants to ride must be at least 8 years old and at least 130 cm tall.
The beauty of the tower is of course a matter of taste, some compare it to a snake that has crawled down a bone. :-) In my opinion, not very beautiful either, maybe interesting, that's all.
London's narrowest street. Sometimes less than half a meter wide. For pedestrians only. ;-)
Some dispute this. They say, the narrowest street is actually Emerald Court. And there is nothing to do, I take the measuring tape with me and go to check. :-)
The shortest street on which cars can drive is Candover Street.
The sign that leads there must be English humour :-)
The street is located between old warehouses. From the south end of London Bridge, turn south-east (pass under the bridge if you happen to come from the other side). The street is made unique by the iron bridges that cross the street at different heights. Goods were loaded from the river side (on the left in the picture) and these goods had to be taken to the warehouse on the other side of the street. A beautiful sight.
Pronounce it: lednhall
Former market with covered streets. At the moment it is not a market, just some shops on both sides. But that's not important. Architecture is what leaves you open-mouthed. Really beautiful place. Harry Potter's visit to Diagon Alley was also filmed here.
The old pub west of Kensington Palace. The building is made special by about 190 flower pots, baskets and boxes, which actually cover the building with flowers. The building is no less stunning from the inside, the sea of ​​flowers continues inside.
What makes this Underground station special are the "skylights" above the platform. A good place for a beginner photographer to practice artistic photography
This building in the luxurious Mayfair district was built as a garage in 1926. But the building turned out to be so magnificent that it was a pity to use it for parking cars. So it was converted into a hotel and is now one of the most luxurious and, of course, the most high-priced in London. A small swing by analogy with the Savoy Hotel (there is the only right-hand traffic street in England) must be here as well. When you get there, look: there is a small barrier in front of the door, behind which, in front of the door, you can drive a car. And the letters IN and OUT at its ends. Enter from the right, exit from the left! And an elephant at the door again! They seem to be adored by the English. At the Elephant and Castle Underground station, of course, but you can also see these elsewhere. Some Indian colonial nostalgia perhaps?
1 Logan Place was Freddie Mercury's last home, called Garden Lodge. He settled here in 1985. and was here until his death in 1991. Since the singer was cremated and the ashes were buried in a secret place, fans cannot visit Freddie's grave and gather here. Usually, a number of papers with messages are pasted next to the door. But then the pressure washer had just arrived... And in fact, there is nothing to see - a high wall and a door in it. The musician's love of his youth and the main heir, Mary Austin, still lives in this house. It is said that the musician is buried here. But it's not certain. Only Mary Austin knows the truth, and she does not say. By the way, the commemorative plaque seen in the picture has now been removed. According to some data, however, the ash of the musician is scattered in Lake Geneva.
It is a former railway section, 2.7 km long. Before the war, the intention was to connect it to the Underground, but WWII put a stop to those plans. Train traffic ended in 1970; 1984 it was decided to turn this area into a park. Several ruins of station buildings and viaducts have been preserved, but mainly it is a track surrounded by trees, from which, at least in summer, you have no idea that there is a big city around. Various art projects are also sometimes seen on the trail. A nice walk, although there are many spooky legends about this place among the local children. ;-)
The house is quite close to Trafalgar Square. It was here that the box office was located, where tickets were sold for a "wonderful vacation travel" on the Titanic.
It is a place where six roads cross in the city centre, and there were traffic problems already quite a long time ago. That's why a policeman was put there to regulate traffic. In the hot weather, the policeman took off his thick woollen coat and hung it on a nail hammered into the wall of a house under construction. When the house was finished, the nail also disappeared. The police asked for the nail to be put back. But instead they got a special forged hook with the words METROPOLITAN POLICE on it. The policeman at the crossroad is long gone, but the legendary hook is still there. Look, the Scarlet's Club sign on the left.
When the London Underground was built, houses had to be demolished. Later, the pits were covered and new houses were built on top. But some places remained open*. This is what happened on a street called Leinster Gardens. There are very beautiful, stylish houses on the street, and a hole in their row would have looked ugly. Therefore, a false facade was built so that the discontinuity could not be seen. Although there is only the front wall of the houses, the forgery is so lifelike that standing on the street it is not easy to understand that two houses next to each other are not real houses. English thoroughness has gone so far that there are even rubbish containers in front of the "house" and a potted plant on the balcony! If you're not sure, go to the neighbouring street Porchester Terrace, from there you can clearly see the back.
These "houses" are also mentioned in Sherlock Holmes stories. In the thirties of the last century, a swindler sold a many high-priced party tickets to a big ball that was supposed to take place in these houses.
*At first, underground trains were hauled by steam locomotives. So that the smoke would not kill the passengers, it was pumped under pressure into special tanks and released in the open part of the tunnel. That is why there are many open spaces in the tunnels of the city centre. They are mostly located in gardens and are not noticeable to a city walker.
So narrow? And two houses? Houses are narrow in London. In London, every house has its own number. No dashed addresses. If the corner house has one door on one side and two doors on the other, then each of these is a house with its own number.
This memorial to animals killed in the war was erected in 2004 for about a million pounds right on the edge of Hyde Park. The figurines depict two mules, a horse and a dog against a jagged wall background. Other animals are depicted as bas-reliefs on the wall, for example elephants and pigeons. People also go to the memorial to commemorate their departed pets.
In Richmond Park (the largest of the eight royal parks) there is a hill on which, according to legend, King Henry VIII stood on May 19, 1536. and watched for a signal from the top of the Tower that his second wife Anne Boleyn (mother of the later Queen Elizabeth I) had been executed, and he could now remarry, this time to Jane Seymour. The distance is about 16 kilometres. St. Paul's Cathedral (new one, I mean) didn't exist then, it was built a century and a half later, but that's what you can see from the hill now. There is a special telescope in the place and the observation target is under national protection - the gap in the forest is cut regularly and no tall buildings can be built in front of it.
Unfortunately, there was a light fog on the day I went there, and the cathedral in the middle of this second photo cannot be seen, even if you zoom in a lot.
If you want to buy something ceramic that is handmade and has a real artistic value, I recommend this shop. Of course, you can buy industrial mugs with standard texts in the markets, but if you want something that is truly art, go there. The landlady is kind, but at first ties to offer mass production. Go back and choose for yourself. The prices are written on the bottom. Purchases are packed thickly in bubble wrap, there is no worry that they will break in the suitcase at the airport.
The Portobello Road street market is also right next door.
London's only lighthouse is located here. The first pier was built here in 1822. The lighthouse no longer works and merchant ships no longer dock, but the lighthouse is used for several art projects. The buildings are beautiful, a good example that industrial buildings can also be built beautifully.
One of the unique places. Here was located until 2014 Chris Bracey aka Neon Man Advertising Workshop. When the owner died, it was decided to open a pub there. Inside there is an insane amount of neon signs , all of which also light up/flash. It takes a lot of beer to calm down. :-D The name of this place is also an example of the fact that English is still a confusing language even for locals - the owners themselves write the name without an apostrophe, but Google Maps uses an apostrophe.
The statue was donated to London by the city of Richmond in the US state of Virginia (it is a copy of the statue that is located in front of the city government building there). George Washington had promised during his lifetime that he would never set foot on English soil again. That's why the infill surface was also brought from the USA.
Russian shop in London. It's a good idea to indulge in nostalgia for some people. ;-) But actually a good place to get fresh black rye bread if you long for it in a far country (you won't find it in a regular grocery store). But keep in mind that it opens quite late, see the opening hours on the bottom picture.
French artist Pierre Vivant, 1998. Originally located in a slightly different location and then relocated in front of Billingsgate Market. The artist's idea was that the change of lights would reflect the situation on the London Stock Exchange, but later it was abandoned due to excessive complexity.
Behind is Billingsgate Market, which some historians believe is four centuries older than London itself as a place for trading fish.
York Watergate, is 144 meters from the Thames. Why such a name? But at one time, going down these steps (OK, we are precise - the steps were here, but the ones visible in the picture were made later) you could sit directly on the boat. The Thames (pronounced: temz) once had fairly flat marshy banks. As the city developed, the banks were filled in, the river deepened and walled, so the river became narrower but deeper. This is how the park zone, called the Embankment, was created.
Old painting, Henry Pether, 1850. I recommend googling this artist, he has many more paintings from London and almost all painted in the moonlight..
Below is a vintage picture of what's under your feet as you walk in the park above the Embankment (not quite to scale, but something like that...)
Seven street meeting place in London. Here stands a pillar called the Seven Dials, after the sundials at the top of the pillar. But, wait, wait... Trust, but verify. Despite the name, there are six sundials at the top of the pillar. Why? According to the original project, only six streets were supposed to meet here. Some try to excuse the embarrassing difference by saying that the pillar itself is the seventh sundial, but that doesn't sound very plausible.
The layout of Trafalgar Square comes from John Nash. Unfortunately, he died before the square was completed and his work was completed by Sir Charles Barry, the man who also designed the Palace of Westminster. The well-known lion figures (1867) were created by Edwin Landseer, who was usually a very good painter of animals. A talented artist but struggling with mental problems. In order to make a lifelike lion, he got a real dead lion from the zoo and dragged it to his studio with a teamster. There he modelled until the neighbours got VERY upset because of the stench.
In fact, if you look at these lions very carefully, you can see that they were Landseer's first sculptural work and that "the model was rapidly decaying" :-) . The facial expression of the lions is somehow strange. And the domestic cat has been a great example in the design of the front paws. In addition, a real lion usually lies with both hind paws on one side. The position of the hind legs on Landseer was taken from his Labrador dog.
London's only surviving city gate, and not in its original location either. It was built in 1672. by order of King Charles II, to replace the wooden gate, which had survived a great fire, but was falling apart nonetheless. The gate was designed by Sir Christopher Wren (again!) and stood at the meeting point of Fleet Street and the Strand until 1878. Then it was dismantled stone by stone, because it obstructed traffic and was in front of the construction of the Court of Common Council building. For some time no place could be found for the gate, until Sir Henry Meux, a brewer, put it up on his estates in a place called Hertfordshire. 1976 an organization called The Temple Bar Trust was founded with the aim of restoring the gate in London. The enterprise was supported by entrepreneurs and individual donors, and that's how the gate was opened again in its current location in 2004, near St Paul's Cathedral.
Karl Marx lived near Highgate Cemetery (a kilometre to the south, still the house with the bright red door, 46 Grafton Terrace), and he was also buried near. Friend Engels' ashes, however, were scattered into the sea from a high chalk cliff on the coast.
The Manifesto of the Communist Party was written by Marx at the Red Lion Tavern, which is now called the Be At One. Unfortunately, I didn't take a picture of it, see the location here. But Marx wrote Capital in the reading room of the British Museum, this round building in the middle of an enclosed courtyard. Friedrich Engels' involvement in these works seems to have been limited mainly to giving money to keep drinking. You don't write such works in your right mind! ;-) Marx was a German Jew by origin, but he fiercely denied his Jewish origin. Which, of course, did not prevent him from living off the money of another Jew, Engels. Marx was poor as a starving rat all his life, because he had a university education in economics, but due to his extremely irritable character, he could not find a permanent job anywhere.
In fact, he has been reburied in this cemetery. The original burial place was deep inside the block, but later he was buried by the main road so that it would be easier for admirers to find the grave and take flowers there. As you can see, the flowers are there. I didn't take. ;-) But in the same vicinity is the grave of Douglas Adams and pens are taken there instead of flowers. If you go to the cemetery, take a pen with you
The cemetery is accessed via a street called Swain's Lane. The name comes from the fact that at one time pigs were driven along this street to Smithfields market. The band The Beatles was photographed at house No. 59 on the same street.
The place at the top of Parliament Hill where Marx used to have picnics with his wife and children. The cemetery is in the background about the middle.
In total, about 180,000 people are buried in this cemetery. Among them George Michael and Malcolm McClaren.
CLINK - a prison founded in 1144. Operated until 1780. Once owned by the ruler of the local area, the Bishop of Winchester. Yes, it was the same servant of God who also controlled prostitution in the area. The most common reason for ending up here was non-payment of taxes.
In the museum, it is also possible to take a free selfie of yourself behind bars. The former settlers probably had other concerns. ;-)
Cable car over the River Thames. And the advantage over the London Eye, for example, is that the ride doesn't take too long and you can buy a ticket right away without standing in queue (AM: line) for an hour. If you have an Oyster (do you?) or a contactless card, you can pick up without going to the cashier. They no longer accept cash. It is also suitable for those who are afraid of heights - even with a strong wind, the gondola does not sway at all. The line was opened on June 28, 2012, and the highest point is 90 meters above the river. If there are few people who want to ride, the trip lasts ten minutes. During peak hours, the speed is doubled and it takes five minutes to reach the end.
Now the sponsor is changed. New sponsor is tech company IFS.
The Albert Bridge is named after Queen Victoria's husband, Prince Albert. It was built in 1873. The bridge is beautiful, but it turned out to be unstable, shaking under the feet of pedestrians crossing it. The bridge was popularly called the Trembling Lady. 1884..1887. the bridge was reinforced with suspension bridge elements. 1973 buttresses were added in the middle of the bridge. As a result, the bridge acquired the characteristics of three different types of bridges.
In fact, the Albert Bridge and the Tower Bridge are two bridges that have stood the test of time for centuries. All other bridges are either recently built or have been demolished and rebuilt several times.
Albert Bridge was originally a toll bridge. At the bridge, a tax was collected for crossing and for goods taken to the market. The customs booths at the ends of the bridge are still there today.The Albert Bridge is these three types at once. Thanks to the renovations.
The man wanted to build a house. The district government did not grant permission. The man then applied for permission to install a "tank" with such-and-such dimensions on his plot. He also got this permission. The officials probably meant "water tank" or "septic tank". And the man parked a T-34 tank on his plot and pointed the barrel directly at the Southwark Borough Government. More details here
The tank is currently being restored, it is not known how long.
Artist Rick Buckley, 1997. Protest against Big Brother. These snooping noses can be found in several places, but the easiest to find is the one under Admiralty Arch. The artist placed 30 noses on different objects, 7 of these have been preserved to date. If you want to see these all, the map is here.
The name comes from the fact that London's General Post Office was once located next door, and the postmen used to eat their lunch in this little park (which is actually a church garden). In 1900, the artist George Frederic Watts erected here a peculiar memorial of ceramic tiles to those people who died saving others. It has been supplemented later.
Kyoto Garden was founded in 1991. In fact, it is part of Holland Park. Holland Park (named after the person, not the country) itself is also worth seeing, but don't forget to go to its Japanese-style part. Directional signs are out.
Sebastian Horsley was an artist and writer. Extremely eccentric and scandalous personality. I guess even the sign on the door of his house (7 Meard Street, Soho) that still hangs there shows this. The artist himself died of a drug overdose in 2000.
That Horsley was confused was probably hereditary. His mother was also strange. When the boy was born, he was named Marcus. A few years later, the mother changed her mind and changed the boy's name.
A tiny, but very peculiar garden, which is kept in order by volunteers. A nice place to sit down, rest your feet and think about the affairs of the world.
The church is the eighth (!) church located on this site. Designed by... Sir Christopher Wren of course. This church has become a model for wedding cakes around the world. The crazy idea of ​​one man (baker Thomas Rich, 1703, made the cake for his own wedding), which spread especially to the USA.
I sat on a bench in the garden of this church early on Saturday morning and listened to a song on the smartphone that was performed in this church. Greg Lake (â™± 2016-12-07) and Ian Anderson. Nice song and interesting lyrics.
Unfortunately, it was not possible to take a better picture of the church, because it is so squeezed between other houses.
A beautiful cottage in the middle of a small park. Wonder what it was built for? The answer is rather unexpected, it was built in 1926 as an entrance to the underground substation that supplied the district with electricity. Currently, it is not used for that, just for the beauty of the park.
On the right is a statue of Charles II. Otherwise nice, but the face looks more like a mask. It was around 1930, the work of emergency restorers. After all, the master who moulded it from cement had no special artistic talent...
Hampstead Heath is a woodland park north of central London. Area 320 hectares. It was first mentioned in documents under the name "Hemstede" in 986. The park is much closer to nature than, for example, Hyde Park. It is also much more relief and one of the highest places in London (logically, Hampstead Underground station is the deepest in relation to the ground). There are many water bodies, forested areas alternate with large open areas.
The 98.1 meter high Parliament Hill is located in the southern part of the park. It is also popularly called "Kite Hill" because it is a favourite place for kite flyers. The hill offers a magnificent view of London's most important buildings. There is also an information board from which you can find out which building a certain tab is in the panorama anyway, if you don't recognize it yourself. Here, Karl Marx used to have a picnic with his family. In 1524, thousands of people gathered here because astrologers predicted an unprecedented flood in the city. However, it did not come.
In the northern part of the park is Kensington House, the former home of the Murray and Guinness families. Currently there is a painting gallery. There is also a lot of interesting things in the surroundings, for example a beautiful picturesque bridge, which when viewed from the other side turns out to be a "theatre decoration" :-) .
An incredibly wide and powerful bridge over a small stream on a modest footpath in the forest. This is really a real bridge, not the one mentioned above.
London's 2,000-year history is known to have begun with the Roman conquest. Most of the buildings from that time have long since disappeared, but a largely preserved Roman amphitheatre was found during the construction of one new building. Go to the Guildhall Art Gallery. Of course, you can enjoy several kinds of art upstairs, but in the basement you will find the ruins of a restored amphitheatre. And it's all free!
A real windmill not too far from the city centre. It was built in 1816. and worked until 1934. Later, the mill was restored and reopened in 2011. You are admitted to the first floor as is, a longer tour must be booked in advance: booking@ brixtonwindmill.org.uk. The mill is really in working order, you can even buy freshly ground flour there. But don't buy it, there may be misunderstandings in the airport if a bag of white powder is found in your suitcase. :-D
This unique wetland with an area of ​​42 hectares was built in 2000 on the site of disused water reservoirs in the bend of the Thames. A good place for those who want to study aquatic plants and waterfowl or just love watery nature. However, the walkways allow you to walk there so that your feet stay dry.
An interesting place for tennis fans. Lots of 3D images and even a holographic image of John McEnroe in his dressing room. You can also see a 360-degree view of the grounds and the arena from a special platform.
Walking trail of sites associated with Princess Diana. Quite an exhausting walk, 11 kilometres (but you can rent a bicycle). But passes through all the most important places related to Diana. Each turning point is marked as shown in the photo below (90 marks). You can also download the walking plan. You can start from any place and direction.
This track, which was opened on June 30, 2000. (the day before the princess' birthday), is one of two Diana-related projects. At the same time, a children's playground named by Diana was opened in the corner of Kensington Gardens.
Henry VIII was not a man who could be suspected of saving human lives and of special humanity. Yet the only public statue of him (quite a tiny one though) stands over the main entrance (which is actually the gate tower, the hospital is behind) to St Bartholomew's Hospital (colloquially: Bart's). The hospital was founded in 1123. and belonged to the monastery. When Henry VIII founded the Anglican Church, he dissolved all Catholic monasteries and confiscated their property. Or destroyed (often with the owners). The hospital begged the king to hand it over to the city, and finally succeeded after repeated attempts. Thus, it is the oldest London hospital that has been operating in the same place since the beginning.
Island Gardens
