UnseenI
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Post by UnseenI on Dec 21, 2018 7:36:30 GMT
London lights
London can be difficult to cope with at this time of year. There are swarms of people marching along like an army of zombies. They are probably short of time and possessed by the buying frenzy. Each year I find that more independent shops where I bought good presents in the past have closed and been replaced with the same old names, plate glass and goods that you get in every high street. Christmas window displays in the big stores are much less attractive than they used to be. The street lights are another matter. Central London probably has the best in the UK. The main ones are best seen from the top of a bus when it is dark. I have seen this flight of angels in Regent Street:  
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UnseenI
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Post by UnseenI on Dec 24, 2018 8:05:10 GMT
More lovely London lights
This is Oxford Street. It is a place I normally avoid, but at this time of year I take a bus ride from end to end to see the lights. There is talk of a total ban on traffic, which is mostly restricted to buses and taxis now, so who knows how much longer I will be able to do this. 
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aletheia
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Post by aletheia on Dec 24, 2018 22:08:40 GMT
Oxford Street is a place I’ve been avoiding for some years now but I do have fond memories of riding the buses in Winter, through the West End, up Shaftesbury Avenue, getting out at New Oxford Street & walking up to Great Portland Street and on to the Euston Road. All the good things about London do seem to have come or are coming to an end, which is sad.
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UnseenI
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Post by UnseenI on Dec 27, 2018 8:59:20 GMT
There isn't much to go to Oxford St. for these days. The new developments are very unattractive.
There is talk of a tram service to take people from one end to the other.
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UnseenI
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Post by UnseenI on Dec 31, 2018 9:06:54 GMT
New Year’s Eve celebrations in London
There is a big firework display and a huge turnout of people. Trafalgar Square is the traditional place to go, but it became dangerously over-crowded so the celebrations are now regimented. The best viewing areas are now ticketed too. It can all be seen on TV anyway. How Big Ben and the London Eye look during the firework display:  
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UnseenI
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Post by UnseenI on Feb 19, 2019 8:17:55 GMT
Giant thumb in Trafalgar Square
The Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square is reserved for temporary installations. A giant thumb was an exhibit in 2016. I saw it for myself: it really did look like this: 
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UnseenI
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Post by UnseenI on Feb 20, 2019 7:31:47 GMT
Big white fingers in Trafalgar Square
Yet more temporary public art in the centre of London. I saw these fingers arriving on the back of a truck. At first I thought that they were water pipes!  
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UnseenI
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Post by UnseenI on Feb 21, 2019 21:07:17 GMT
30,000 Bananas in Trafalgar Square
This ‘art installation’ is from 2004; it consists of 30,000 bananas in a pile shaped roughly like a pyramid. The proud concept artist is Doug Fishbone:  
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Post by magpiejack on Feb 22, 2019 20:52:21 GMT
Are those real bananas? Free snack for everyone! Seriously though, how can that be called art?
I came across a secondhand book that's in my winter reading queue - Underground London: Travels beneath the city's streets by Stephen Smith. I might try to get it read this weekend as I'm off to the Smoke next week for a tour of Down Street tube station. It's quite an expensive tour but I've been dying to go on that ever since I found out about it, the Railway Executive was housed there in the war which interests me as I have a lot of family railway connections. I'll report back on my day!
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UnseenI
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Post by UnseenI on Feb 22, 2019 20:59:24 GMT
Hello again!
Yes, they were all real. I am not a fan of such things.
There were some really good posts about underground London on the old forum, many not by me unfortunately so they are not saved.
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Post by magpiejack on Feb 22, 2019 21:10:20 GMT
That's a pity. I have come across some Youtube videos by people who go into hidden/closed places, I was watching one today about a huge air raid shelter that had lots of its fittings still intact. There are probably quite a lot of ones of London locations, if I come across any I'll report back.
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Post by magpiejack on Feb 27, 2019 11:52:56 GMT
I went on the Down Street tube station tour and it was just brilliant. (I would have posted a couple of pics but it sounds too complicated!) It was privy to a lot of wartime secrets, so it's perfect if you like history and transport, there are quite a few fittings still in place and the tour guide was excellent. The best part is that there is a partition between the lines and the platform, in places there are emergency exits in case there is a train stuck, and at those you can see the trains passing and the roar of them going by is deafening. The Railway Executive staff had to work, eat and sleep with all that noise!
It's quite expensive but for H&S reasons the numbers they can take down there are small. The London Transport Museum do several tours, including closed parts of Euston, Clapham, Aldwych... I can't wait to go on another one.
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UnseenI
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Post by UnseenI on Feb 27, 2019 18:54:03 GMT
Under London
Your expeditions sound exciting. Do be careful not to invade Avacyn’s many hideouts, and watch out for Tibetan Tunnellers too. “(I would have posted a couple of pics but it sounds too complicated!)” ProBoards can’t link to pictures stored on your laptop, and it can’t load and store them inside itself for reasons of space. So unless you put your own pictures online somewhere, you can’t post them on here. You could always attach them to an email, send them to me and I will post them for you!
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UnseenI
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Post by UnseenI on Mar 1, 2019 6:26:15 GMT
London Lumiere 2018
The London Lumiere festival of lights is a new event. First held in 2016, it was repeated in 2018. The temporary installations are very beautiful. There are many images online; here is a composite and two individual examples:   
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UnseenI
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Post by UnseenI on Mar 10, 2019 7:58:04 GMT
A book about Bankside
I have just finished reading a very good book that covers the history of Bankside, the riverside district on the southern bank of the Thames that runs roughly from Blackfriars Bridge to London Bridge. It started as a Roman settlement and thrived because it was close to the south end of London Bridge, the only bridge across the Thames for many centuries. There are many historical associations and the area holds many attractions. For example, it was the site of Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre; a faithful modern reconstruction now stands there. The modern Globe was a location for a recent St. Trinian’s film. With the help of Images, YouTube and websites, anyone can take a tour and see the attractions, although being there and experiencing the fantastic river views in real life is best! www.visitbankside.com/attractions
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UnseenI
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Post by UnseenI on Mar 11, 2019 7:11:19 GMT
More tunnels under the Thames
magpiejack there are two largely forgotten tunnels of great historical significance that run under the Thames to the Bankside area. They were once used for tube trains. One is now an eerie ghost tunnel, home only to rats, while the other, Tower Subway, is still in use but not by the public. Tower Subway was opened in 1870; train traffic was unprofitable so it was used as a foot tunnel. One million people per year paid a halfpenny to use it. It was superseded by Tower Bridge, sold off and is now used for water mains. A typical tube train in 1890. No windows? Nothing to see! 
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Post by magpiejack on Mar 22, 2019 18:17:46 GMT
More tunnels under the Thames
magpiejack there are two largely forgotten tunnels of great historical significance that run under the Thames to the Bankside area. They were once used for tube trains. One is now an eerie ghost tunnel, home only to rats, while the other, Tower Subway, is still in use but not by the public. Tower Subway was opened in 1870; train traffic was unprofitable so it was used as a foot tunnel. One million people per year paid a halfpenny to use it. It was superseded by Tower Bridge, sold off and is now used for water mains. A typical tube train in 1890. No windows? Nothing to see! Very interesting, thanks! I'd heard about one of the tunnels, I didn't realise that there are two. |
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UnseenI
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Post by UnseenI on Mar 22, 2019 19:34:28 GMT
I am glad that you have managed to find some time for this forum. I hope that your affairs work out. I have been neglecting this thread.
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UnseenI
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Post by UnseenI on Mar 24, 2019 8:52:18 GMT
London and Brexit
There was a big anti-Brexit march through central London yesterday. I saw some of it.
The people taking part seemed happy and optimistic, perhaps because they think that there will be a new referendum or we will not leave after all.
There are some stories going around about what will happen if we leave the EU with no deal. Our old friend Pindar, the network of tunnels and rooms under Whitehall, will be the control centre when civil war breaks out!
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UnseenI
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Post by UnseenI on Mar 24, 2019 9:07:41 GMT
London is the place to be
There should be some big developments this week. Central London is where the action starts. I may go down to see how many Leave Means Leave demonstrators there still are outside Parliament.
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UnseenI
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Post by UnseenI on Mar 30, 2019 7:59:54 GMT
Leave Means Leave
The action is in London. There was a big pro-Brexit gathering in and around Parliament Square yesterday. Remainers said that few people would come; even one coach would be too much, a taxi cab would be big enough for Nigel Farage and his supporters! There was actually a very big turnout - Parliament Square and Whitehall were packed with people for much of the day. Unlike the People’s Vote march last Saturday, it was not a family gathering and there was a very strong police presence. I must say that some of the demonstrators looked very tough! A full report and many colourful pictures can be found here: www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6863863/Dozens-Brexit-voters-celebrate-tonight-UK-not-quitting-EU.html 
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UnseenI
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Post by UnseenI on Mar 31, 2019 19:59:05 GMT
Liberty bells and a fashion statement
On the Leave Means Leave march to Parliament Square on Friday: 
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UnseenI
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Post by UnseenI on Apr 30, 2019 7:35:02 GMT
The former Bavarian Embassy in Soho
Bavaria has been featured in many posts in the Monarchy board. There is a Catholic church in Soho, close to Regent Street, with a Bavarian connection. The site was home to first the Portuguese Embassy then the Bavarian Embassy. The Bavarian chapel was destroyed in anti-Catholic riots in 1780. The church was built in 1790. The church has retained the links with the Bavarian royal family. There is a plaque to the memory of Crown Prince Rupert (Rupprecht):  
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UnseenI
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Post by UnseenI on Jun 5, 2019 7:31:28 GMT
Anti-Trump demo in London yesterday
Demonstration, marches and protests are a regular occurrence in central London. I went to have a quick look at the anti-Trump demonstration yesterday. I think that the organisers must have been a little disappointed with the turnout, which was much lower than predicted. Rain and having to be at work might have kept some people away. I took a few pictures. This demonstrator’s costume was really good:  This badge seller had a clever name for his business: 
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UnseenI
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Post by UnseenI on Jun 5, 2019 7:33:34 GMT
Opposite sides at the demo
I saw a very small group of pro-Trump people. They were standing in a place at the top of Whitehall often occupied by far right groups. Scots for Trump:  There were a few anti-Fascist people there too: 
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UnseenI
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Post by UnseenI on Jun 17, 2019 18:54:27 GMT
Tiny black tube mice at Leicester Square Station
The London underground is full of rats and mice, but mostly they are not seen by passengers. An exception is the little black/dark grey mice at Leicester Square. They are well camouflaged so are often seen only when they move. They are almost a tourist attraction. I have seen them running around on the tracks myself. I vaguely remember reading that someone bent down to look at them, fell onto the rails and was maybe even killed. This is the way that ghost hauntings start. 
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Post by magpiejack on Jun 17, 2019 19:53:31 GMT
Tiny black tube mice at Leicester Square Station
The London underground is full of rats and mice, but mostly they are not seen by passengers. An exception is the little black/dark grey mice at Leicester Square. They are well camouflaged so are often seen only when they move. They are almost a tourist attraction. I have seen them running around on the tracks myself. I vaguely remember reading that someone bent down to look at them, fell onto the rails and was maybe even killed. This is the way that ghost hauntings start. I've seen the black mice! I'm not sure if it was at Leicester Square, but I've seen them on several trips to London. |
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UnseenI
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Post by UnseenI on Jun 29, 2019 18:48:25 GMT
The Thames Tunnel between Rotherhithe and Wapping
This tunnel has the honour of being the first ever to be successfully constructed underneath a navigable river. It was built between 1825 and 1843. Many men died during the operation. Originally intended for horse-drawn carriages, it became primarily used by pedestrians. Queen Victoria was one of the many people to walk through it. From 1869 onwards, it has been used only by trains. There was even a shopping arcade in the early days, and people promenaded at leisure:  
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UnseenI
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Post by UnseenI on Jun 30, 2019 7:11:42 GMT
The Thames Tunnel again
“I'm always on the lookout for a good read.” magpiejack I first heard about this tunnel from one of the books in Anthony Horowitz’s Diamond Brothers series. They are all very funny, and there are many references to various areas and attractions of London. There is a lot about the Wapping area and the Thames Tunnel in Public Enemy Number Two. You can go and see some of it any time, but the tunnel is only occasionally open to visitors: “It is still possible to take a walking tour through the tunnel to Wapping from Rotherhithe and back, but these are infrequent and on an ad-hoc basis as they can only take place when that section of the line is closed for maintenance.” en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thames_Tunnel
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