Pre Christmas London Bimble ~ 18Dec17

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Member for

19 years

Posts: 2,656

I hadn’t intended going to London on Monday but the weather forecast was for wall to wall blue sky and sunshine, but cold, before reverting back to normal winter weather of cloud and rain so too good an opportunity not to take advantage of and besides I wanted to try out my shoot in the dark lens in daylight. Down side to the excellent weather was that there was very little wind to blow away the traffic pollution and by sunset you could see a band of exhaust haze hanging over the city and by the end of my bimble I had a sore throat which fortunately cleared once I started breathing the clear Cambridgeshire air again. Photos in the order taken.

Skate rink and the Fortnum and Mason Christmas tree in the courtyard of Somerset House.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4725/24331804897_08ff853a7d_o.jpg

Built in Victorian Gothic Style out of grey stone, the Royal Courts of Justice were opened by Queen Victoria in 1882.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4597/38485395944_787dc7a7ea_o.jpg

Although DC Thomson, publisher of the Sunday Post, Dundee Courier and the Beano, have their head office in Dundee they also have a London office at 185 Fleet Street. The address is actually more famous as being the location where the Demon Barber of Fleet Street, one Sweeney Todd operated his cut throat business. Only trouble is that Sweeney Todd never existed as he was a fictional character created for the Victorian Penny Dreadful story ‘The String of Pearls’ that was serialised over the winter of 1846-47.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4736/39165288652_caa0e236b7_o.jpg

The Holborn Viaduct was a road bridge completed in 1869 and now carries the A40 over the A201 more commonly known as Farringdon Road.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4645/24331797037_044543547f_o.jpg

Looking south towards the River Thames from the Holborn Viaduct, Farringdon Road was completed in 1840 and follows the route of the River Fleet which drained water from Hampstead Heath down to the Thames. The River Fleet, where Fleet Street got its name from, became more an open sewer than river which was why it was covered over by the road and today the Fleet still runs under the Farringdon Road and discharges into the Thames from a small outlet under Blackfriars Bridge.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4727/39165286232_4a7cfdc064_o.jpg

Chinese pre-wedding photo shoot around St Paul’s Cathedral. A Chinese custom for couples to have their wedding photos taken before the wedding ceremony so on their wedding day back in China/Hong Kong/Taiwan they can show them to their guests.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4593/24331795057_68ebb83e18_o.jpg

The Bank of England, Threadneedle Street.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4589/24331793977_c783649544_o.jpg

Leadenhall Market, who’s origins date back to to the 14th Century, is a lot more photogenic at night.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4693/39165283172_8f4bb64c08_o.jpg

An empty Thames Rockets RIB who claim to have the fastest passenger carrying rides along the Thames at 35mph. Looking down from the Millennium footbridge.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4725/39165281892_25be38ab1a_o.jpg

Looking east along the Thames towards Southwark Bridge from the Millennium Bridge.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4692/39165280832_e685d4d99a_o.jpg

View looking east along the public viewing terrace at the top of the One New Change Shopping Centre.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4730/39165280062_840f010d5c_o.jpg

Grateous Arty-Farty Shot - taken in the reflection of the sloping glass panels along the roof terrace, see photo above, rotated 180deg so the flag stones of the terrace form the sky, the drainage channel the horizon and the roof panels the ground.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4738/24331788477_73c04c92c8_o.jpg

St Paul’s Cathedral at sunset.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4639/38485373564_846ac69d7e_o.jpg

Slightly different angle of St Paul’s at sunset.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4598/24331785777_765b4182da_o.jpg

The Trafalgar Square Christmas Tree has been donated by the Norwegians since 1947 and the plaque at the bottom of of the tree reads ‘This tree is given by the city of Oslo as a token of Norwegian gratitude to the people of London for their assistance during the years 1940-45’
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4682/38485371514_fc77abd308_o.jpg

Victory House, Leicester Square, was built in 1899 as the Hotel de l’Europe and is still a hotel to this day.
https://farm5.staticflickr.com/4587/25327375818_66ff224c64_o.jpg

Sony a6300 + Sigma 16mm 1.4 DC DN/C lens, manual settings, hand held.

Brian

Original post

Member for

9 years 5 months

Posts: 33

Nice shots, as usual, Brian.
Leadenhall Market is a brilliant subject, well executed, as are the St Paul's and Sweeney Todd shots.
Thanks for posting!
David.

Member for

19 years 5 months

Posts: 9,821

You make London look better than it does in person!
The hallmark of a talented photographer. :)

Member for

18 years 11 months

Posts: 8,847

Agree Mr. B! There were a lot more people there when I was there a couple of weeks ago. Great photos, but I thought the title was going to refer to a Forum bumble, when was the last one ?!

Member for

13 years

Posts: 520

Many thanks for explaining the Wedding photos. I often see them being taken but never asked why.

Member for

24 years 2 months

Posts: 8,464

Lovely set of pics - just after I started work in about 1987, my then boss took me to Leadenhall market - but I never remembered its name until now!