21 October - Tower of London
Dammit when will this jet lag end? Still spinning and cramping everytime I bend down, but still, nothing for it as the history and buildings of the great Empire awaits. Today I girded my loins and strapped on my crampons to sally forthe against the howling arctic winds along the Albert Embankment toward the summit destination of the Tower of London.
I started out at the beginning of the Albert Embankment, near Vauxhall Bridge and the MI6 HQ.
If you look at the map the Thames winds northward and then curves around toward the East. At this point I was walking into stiff cold Northerly wind and seduced by the sunny skies I had ventured out without a hat.
I'm interested in the built environment, and looking at all these old bridges, you'd expect that Londonites walking them were a slow stuffy lot, all beadles and bucolic burghers toddling about in hose and frills.
But there's lots of motorbikes, sharply and snazzily dressed people, and would be James Bond types (and perhaps some real ones too, given the proximity of MI5 and MI6). In this shot you can see a "go ahead" type in some kind of exotic motor on the Albert Embankment road just near the Lambeth bridge. The modern bus has a "Go Ahead London" sign on it.
Still I pressed on toward the Lambeth Bridge, hatless and increasingly chilled. In this view, a lamp standard of the MI6 building dominates, with the bridge behind, the houses of parliament to the left and the London Eye wheel to the right (more on all of these below).
In this shot you can see the Houses of Parliament with Big Ben to the right. Gold detailing at the tips of the spires was impressively shining in the sun. The boat in the foreground has "Old London" signage.
There was a place called the "Riverside Cafe and Bar" which had just been descended apon by a group of Japanese tourists. I managed to get a seat and a nice cup of tea, thanks to the nice chap behind the counter.
I decided I needed some protection from the elements, and there wasnt a great deal of choice at the "Riverside Cafe and Bar", clothing not being their primary retail mission. The hat with its bold front-to-back "London" logo certainly made a statement tho', and (as it turned out) did surprisingly well at shielding the wind.
While recovering from exposure, I scratched out a quick sketch of Big Ben out the window of the cafe.
Pressing on I walked past (in no particular order) the International Maritime Organisation building, which has a large ships prow in bronze protruding from the facade; London Fire Department Headquarters a 6-7 storey brick edifice, with stately folding wooden doors for the firetrucks and a (behind you as you face it over the road) a pontoon and sheds for the Thames fire boats; Lambeth Palace; the London Aquarium, and Saatchi Gallery.
London recently to show how "go ahead" it is, has taken to building big complicated feats of engineering. There's the Millenium bridge which crosses north from the Tate Modern gallery and parallels Brisbanes Millenium bridge for pedestrian and other light traffic convenience.
But the London Eye is most impressive.
Because its a giant, well, ferris wheel, the scale of it doesnt quite hit you until you're right underneath it. Two massive stanchions cantilever out over the river at an angle, restrained by steel cables, to support the enormous wheel which revolved slowly and constantly. And it is huge. And expensive.
I spoke to a woman who'd just been on it. Quite nice it was, according to her. I stayed on the ground and took some more pictures. Its an amazing foil to the historic beauty of the older buildings.
Another striking building that can been seen from this side of the river but which is not evident at all from the town, is the Charing Cross Station. I hope I have this right but the building in the picture swallowing up rail-traffic from the Hungerford Bridge is I believe a redeveloped central London railway building and an emphatic civic statement of modernization.
It has the appearance of a portal, but doesnt, at least from this elevation make many gestures at the old architectures. This view also shows the amazing cast-iron lamp standards with relief of a fish, which march pretty much the length of the Albert Embankment. These were in the process of being renovated and several of them were swathed in scaffolding and tarpaulins.
Moving on, underneath the Hungerford Bridge I met a man from Ghana, playing drums. The rhythm of the bridge, its repeating beams and struts; the rhythm of the trains above; and the rhythm of this man's drums were a fantastic high-point of the walk.
His name is Z'Buba Tuoray, and if you're in London drop by and say hello. His drumming is the best value for money along the Embankment, in my opinion.
This next part of the Walk is really the centre of the redevelopment on the south bank, where revalued land has been put to new uses. The Coin St area and housing cooperative, the Gabriels Wharf area and Hayward Gallery have a lovely feel. This shot of the gallery shows how the industrial era building quality is retained in the new work.
At the hayward gallery a man from Bolivia introduced himself. He had a nice Nikon camera, which at the time was unfortunately out of film, but he offered to take a shot for me in the gallery, and joined me on my walk.
This modern building just a hundred metres from the Hayward Gallery was another bold architectural statement. I dont know what it is yet. The statement or the building. Anyone who can help me out please just edit the wiki. :-)
Then finally I had made it. The London Tower Bridge. It was less grim than I had expected, perhaps the sunshine and fresh paint helped.
The towers themselves can be toured, and have lots of beauty and purpose as buildings in their own right.
Of course the destination was the Tower of London so I crossed the bridge, with Franco (my new Bolivian friend) showing me the way. The Tower is a castle, and as such is surrounded by a moat or two, and lots of walls. We followed around the front of the perimeter wall, and headed toward the main entrance, walking over the "Traitors Gate" water entrance along the longest axis of the Towers property.
At the entrance to the East two small towers with arrow slits and oil pouring slots guard the entry bridge. The moat lies low, now planted and grassed, but a grille showing where the water would've flowed. A foot bridge to the right gives access for the Tower guards to reach the wharf that had been constructed on the river. Over the wall to the left of the entrance, the actual Tower of London proper is just visible.
I had been prepared to fork out to get a tour through, but unfortunately the Tower was closed for business. By the time I finished my sketch, Franco had restocked on film and headed off, and it was getting darker and colder.
Looking back as they closed up, people emerging from their tours, it seemed the business of the Tower was prosperous but somewhat bloodless compared to its former glory.
There was a modern visitor centre just outside the Tower's gates (behind you, from this view) which had a short documentary film of the Towers history playing.
I took refuge at the Visitor Centre until I had warmed up, and studied the bus map for my trip back to Clapham. Once motivated, I headed to finish my day on the Walk, passing this interesting old church (now of all things a sushi bar) with the last rays of the sun lighting its spire.