UnseenI
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Post by UnseenI on Apr 19, 2018 18:25:05 GMT
One or two posters on the old CC Forum asked why anyone would want to live in London. It seemed like a fate worse than death to them:
“I just can't understand why anyone would choose to live there. I understand that many people are born there and don't have much of a choice, but plenty of people gravitate towards London from all over the country, and I just cannot understand it.“
I replied:
“That is a fair comment. I feel this way about many popular activities myself – partying and going to fashion shows for example. Wanting to live miles from anywhere or even in a small town is incomprehensible too!
It isn't easy for people with very different mindsets, preferences and chosen lifestyles to understand one another. Perhaps there are two kinds of humans: urban man and rural man. Chalk and cheese indeed!”
The question from someone who genuinely could not understand why anyone would want to live in London inspired some posts in which I tried to explain the reasons for London’s attraction. Rather than waste the material I decided to put it on here.
The great music hall artists Flanagan and Allen have appeared in the Rabbits thread. Another of their songs is suitable for this thread:
“Maybe it’s because I’m a Londoner… that I love London town.”
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UnseenI
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Post by UnseenI on Apr 19, 2018 18:27:47 GMT
Why do people like living in London?
Some of the London features that attract so many incomers apply to big cities in general all over the world. The Big City, the capital in particular, is the Holy Grail for some people. The capital represents the biggest and the best; everything else is second class.
Work can be a very important factor: people believe that there are more employment opportunities, more outlets for ambitious people, more chances to get on and meet the right people. Tourism certainly creates a lot of jobs in London.
Some people like a lot of variety when it comes to shopping, eating out, attractions to visit, entertainment etc.
People also like to be able to choose from a number of service providers – electricians, dry cleaners, dentists, Internet suppliers and hairdressers for example. Shops stay open until very late; orders can be delivered very quickly and click & collect is available in many places now. Public transport in London includes Boris Bikes, buses, trams, underground trains, railway trains, ferries, river buses, the Emirates Airway (cable cars) and the Docklands Light Railway. Walking is another possibility. Cars are not essential here.
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aletheia
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Post by aletheia on Apr 19, 2018 21:43:09 GMT
I used to like London but nowadays I find it stressful going there – mainly due to the congestion. There seem to be considerably more people than there were even 10 years ago.
The streets of London will always be interesting to me with the multitude of historical sites around the conurbation. I sometimes like spotting the Blue Plaques that are dotted around.
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UnseenI
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Post by UnseenI on Apr 20, 2018 6:14:33 GMT
"I sometimes like spotting the Blue Plaques that are dotted around." I spotted one for Charles Fort in Bloomsbury, and posted it on here just for Avacyn!
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UnseenI
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Post by UnseenI on Apr 20, 2018 6:15:05 GMT
More about London’s attractions
London is a very good place for children's entertainment and activities, much of it free.
Many people love the multi-cultural aspect: the food, the traditional dress, the different languages you can hear in the street. They like to live among people from different backgrounds and cultures.
Communal and small community living do not suit everyone. Some people prefer not to have their comings and goings monitored, nor do they like being gossiped about; they thrive in the anonymity and freedom of a big city. Many people want to escape their past and make a fresh start in a place where they are unknown.
On the other hand, some people want to be with their own kind, and London is where they are. Nepalese people have congregated in Plumstead for example. People such as art, drama and fashion students do have options in other cities in the UK, but London is considered to have the best training establishments.
Some people come to London to alleviate feelings of exclusion, missing out on real life and being left behind in the race for success. They think that London is where the best action is. They may feel that they have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
So, psychological, social and practical factors all have relevance. Endless variety, amenities and options and hope for the future explain much of the attraction. The other side of this is exploitation, misery, disappointed expectations and broken dreams.
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UnseenI
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Post by UnseenI on Apr 20, 2018 18:56:38 GMT
London amenities
From an anti-London poster: “I know there's parks and stuff, but city parks don't compare to the real countryside” I have to agree that city parks are not the real thing, but they have features that you can't find in the countryside. London may be a metropolis but it has far more 'stuff' than many visitors realise! There are many quiet areas to escape to. For people who like water, there are many pools, ponds, canals, lakes, basins, former docks, creeks, rivers and marshes. For those seeking 'rus in urbe', there is no end to garden squares and parks and public gardens of all sizes; we also have a good few allotments and city farms. Many cemeteries have large green areas. There are wide open spaces such as commons, country parks and Hampstead Heath. Richmond Park is huge and has deer. One of the main features that London has is contrast. As an example, there is an oasis called Bonnington Square just a short walk from the awful Vauxhall Cross area with its noise, dust, air pollution and multiple lanes of heavy traffic roaring through. It is not far from the sinister MI6 building, the Vauxhall Tower where the helicopter pilot was killed and the buildings that look like owls. Bonnington Square has one of London's finest community gardens, with a water-wheel at one end. It has a volunteer-run cafe. The houses are covered in greenery and so are the streets outside.
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aletheia
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Post by aletheia on Apr 20, 2018 19:07:57 GMT
"I sometimes like spotting the Blue Plaques that are dotted around." I spotted one for Charles Fort in Bloomsbury, and posted it on here just for Avacyn ! When I walk around Bloomsbury I spot several blue plaques to Vladimir Lenin! He must have had quite the presence in that area of the town ...
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UnseenI
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Post by UnseenI on Apr 21, 2018 6:25:42 GMT
Lenin? I have seen some references to Karl Marx myself.
The historic associations alone make living in London worthwhile.
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UnseenI
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Post by UnseenI on Apr 21, 2018 6:27:07 GMT
A synchronous quotation from 1853
Today is Charlotte Brontë’s birthday.
I was looking at some of her work to mark the occasion and found that she had a few words to say about why people are drawn to London:
"I did well to come," I said ... "I like the spirit of this great London which I feel around me. Who but a coward would pass his whole life in hamlets; and for ever abandon his faculties to the eating rust of obscurity?"
From Villette
In other words, London is where the action is.
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Avacyn
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Post by Avacyn on Apr 21, 2018 22:32:31 GMT
"I sometimes like spotting the Blue Plaques that are dotted around." I spotted one for Charles Fort in Bloomsbury, and posted it on here just for Avacyn ! I doubt I will see it in person, not with the way things are. I've been seeing developments in London, and I don't want to visit there, unless for very key reasons. I live in a town where the demographics have notably shifted, and we have suffered as a result. With the amount of immigration, there is nothing recognisable in the city that I can identify. Here is a video that I watched recently, highlighting the situation in London.
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UnseenI
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Post by UnseenI on Apr 22, 2018 6:17:43 GMT
Don't forget all the sphinxes in London! The city was full of horrors in Victorian times too.
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aletheia
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Post by aletheia on Apr 22, 2018 6:18:39 GMT
Lenin? I have seen some references to Karl Marx myself. The historic associations alone make living in London worthwhile. Karl Marx is buried in Highgate Cemetery. Here is his tomb
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UnseenI
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Post by UnseenI on Apr 24, 2018 17:06:12 GMT
Rus et urbs: chalk, cheese and culture shock
It has always been the case that city people, 'town mice', are considered to be more sophisticated than their country mouse cousins.
In that connection, I remember an unkind but amusing article about the Countryside Alliance demonstration. This took place in 2002, and was one of the biggest demonstrations in British history.
The participants, most of whom came from remote areas, marched through central London to highlight the needs of rural communities. They were also protesting against the ban on hunting with hounds
Many of the country folk seemed never to have been to London – or indeed any big city – before. The journalist said that watching them trying to work out how to buy tickets from the machines and use the barriers in the Underground was one of the funniest things he had ever seen. He said that a large group got separated from the main march and charged off down Pall Mall like a herd of cattle with Mad Cow Disease!
London had never seen such a huge turnout of what seemed like people from another planet. Who knew that there were so many people with such views?
In fairness, I have made a fool of myself when away from London. I couldn't find the bus stop in a little town in Wales because I didn't know what I was looking for, and had to ask a policeman. He seemed very amused when I told him that I was from London and accustomed to highly visible bus stops with London Transport logos.
The reverse culture shock can be severe. The shops close early, and buses may be infrequent. 'Town centres' that consist of just a few shops are easily missed; they look like a joke to Londoners. I think nothing of hearing many different languages spoken around me in London, but was astounded to hear Welsh spoken in Wales!
So much depends on what we are accustomed and attuned to; our subconscious minds equate the familiar with the safe.
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Post by UnseenI on Apr 25, 2018 7:28:35 GMT
Public art in London
Street art is yet another attraction. Much of it is nothing special, but sometimes I come across something that is worth taking a picture of. The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, a temporary installation on the foreshore at Vauxhall: Life size metal men at Woolwich Arsenal:
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Post by UnseenI on Apr 25, 2018 18:40:15 GMT
More London street art
Fallen Angel – a ridiculous piece that would disgust Lucifer: The cat-rats:
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Post by UnseenI on Apr 26, 2018 6:08:47 GMT
London’s beautiful buildings
London’s buildings are one of the city’s biggest attractions for me. There are still innumerable beautiful buildings left, despite some hideous modern developments. I don’t like the new tall buildings with nicknames such as The Gherkin, The Cheesegrater and The Walkie-Talkie very much. The Strand, an art deco building in Hackney, is more my style: Many more images of this building can be found online.
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UnseenI
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Post by UnseenI on Apr 27, 2018 6:50:51 GMT
The London Pedibus
Pedicabs are a common sight in the West End, but I saw these Pedibuses, sometimes known as Beer Bar Bike Buses, for the first time quite recently. Luckily, I had my camera with me as I had gone out to photograph some street art. Having these two mobile bars come past was a bonus:
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UnseenI
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Post by UnseenI on Apr 28, 2018 7:20:01 GMT
The city beneath the city
I like books and films that feature London, urban fantasy in particular. There are some good books about alternative London below: Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman Un Lun Dun by China Miéville The Borrible Trilogy by Michael de Larrabeiti
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Post by aletheia on May 18, 2018 16:27:40 GMT
A piece of architecture and historic building from the early 16th century that can be found in London is St John's Gate, which is formerly the south-facing gateway to the Priory of Clerkenwell. This served as a headquarters for the Knights of St John of Jerusalem and is now in the possession of the Order of St John (since the decade of 1870). The gate has undergone various alterations in the modern period by architects like Richard Norman Shaw and John Oldrid Scott. I may have a personal bias towards this site due to Clerkenwell being my home for the first decade of my life, but a visitor should certainly go and see this monastic ingress that has been so well preserved through the centuries.
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UnseenI
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Post by UnseenI on May 18, 2018 18:09:34 GMT
I like the Clerkenwell area very much. I have been past this gate a few times, and often thought that I should go back for a closer look. It is now on my list. I might even treat myself to a guided tour of the museum. I have been to a Christmas celebration in the Temple Church, built by the Knights Templar as their English headquarters in 1160:
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Post by Avacyn on Jun 1, 2018 20:48:08 GMT
More London street art
Fallen Angel – a ridiculous piece that would disgust Lucifer: Are you trolling me? It resembles what happens when I have the alarm for work wake me up, and I try to get out of bed...
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Post by Avacyn on Jun 1, 2018 20:53:33 GMT
I like the Clerkenwell area very much. I have been past this gate a few times, and often thought that I should go back for a closer look. It is now on my list. I might even treat myself to a guided tour of the museum. I have been to a Christmas celebration in the Temple Church, built by the Knights Templar as their English headquarters in 1160: Um, can you please stop posting pictures of the location of my secret bunker? :@p Seriously, if I was to go to London, I would be visiting this location, with a camera able to record lots of pictures and video. The City area could make for a few interesting novel stories, I suspect.
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UnseenI
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Post by UnseenI on Jun 2, 2018 6:12:53 GMT
I know very well that you are based in the Citadel! I bet you use the Pindar tunnels too. “The Admiralty Citadel, London's most visible military citadel, is located just behind the Admiralty building on Horse Guards Parade. It was constructed in 1940–1941 as a bomb-proof operations centre...it is also linked by tunnels to government buildings in Whitehall.”
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UnseenI
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Post by UnseenI on Jun 2, 2018 6:19:49 GMT
Fallen Angel
I took the picture of the statue when it was in a public garden close to Victoria Station.
It disappeared, and I wondered why. Then I saw it outside St. Pancras Church in Euston Road. It looks very out of place.
That was really funny: I am lucky not to need alarm clocks.
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Avacyn
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Post by Avacyn on Jun 3, 2018 22:44:49 GMT
I know very well that you are based in the Citadel! I bet you use the Pindar tunnels too. “The Admiralty Citadel, London's most visible military citadel, is located just behind the Admiralty building on Horse Guards Parade. It was constructed in 1940–1941 as a bomb-proof operations centre...it is also linked by tunnels to government buildings in Whitehall.” Shhh, it's supposed to be secret! You've even posted up the picture with my office window in it!
I use those tunnels, yes. But only when my black cloak has been dry cleaned, and my Segway has a fully charged battery. It takes forever by foot!
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Post by Avacyn on Jun 3, 2018 22:46:45 GMT
Fallen Angel
I took the picture of the statue when it was in a public garden close to Victoria Station. It disappeared, and I wondered why. Then I saw it outside St. Pancras Church in Euston Road. It looks very out of place. That was really funny: I am lucky not to need alarm clocks. I have them going every day of the week, because of being busy at the moment in the weekend as well. Still, it means I get out more. It also means I spend forever in the bathroom, unflattening my face...
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UnseenI
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Post by UnseenI on Jun 4, 2018 9:21:15 GMT
The citadel
Yes, you have been well and truly doxxed by me. The Illuminati will be round to get you any time now.
That building is hideous, although it looks a little better in some seasons when it is covered with ivy.
I wonder what really goes on in the tunnels below.
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UnseenI
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Post by UnseenI on Jun 4, 2018 9:23:48 GMT
Fallen Angel statue
I will look for the story behind this monstrosity.
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Avacyn
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Post by Avacyn on Jun 4, 2018 23:38:12 GMT
The citadel
Yes, you have been well and truly doxxed by me. The Illuminati will be round to get you any time now. That building is hideous, although it looks a little better in some seasons when it is covered with ivy. I wonder what really goes on in the tunnels below. Well, I'll have to motor up my Segway, to escape them!
I wonder if it was really bomb proof, and if it was all a fake target? The real citadel being elsewhere?
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UnseenI
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Post by UnseenI on Jun 5, 2018 6:40:34 GMT
There was a good thread about possible underground locations for a fictional community on the old forum. Edinburgh and London were featured. WiKi says this about London:
"A large network of tunnels exists below London for a variety of communications, civil defence and military purposes,however it is unclear how these tunnels, and the various facilities linked to them, fit together, if at all. Even the number and nature of these facilities is unclear; only a few have been officially admitted to."
The roof on the Admiralty Citadel is 20 feet thick! There are loophole firing positions for fending off attackers if the Germans ever invaded.
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