The Changing Face of London

Posted by Cathy Smith Aug 9, 2007

I remember when Big Ben was the tallest building in Westminster. Not only was it tall, it was built in a traditional style - in nice red brick and comfortably faux Gothic, matching the style of its neighbour, the Houses of Parliament. The original Parliament building (built in the original Gothic style) stood on the same spot for over three hundred years. Then, in 1834, came the fire and by 1860 a new Parliament building had risen from the ashes.

But what did they go and do? They rebuilt it in the Gothic style they were used to. Old was good, new was not considered. Fat chance of that happening today. Take a walk along the south bank of the Thames. A good place to start is Waterloo Bridge. From here, looking down the river, the great dome of St. Paul’s Cathedral can be seen. The second largest in the world, it seems to be dwarfed by some of the contemporary buildings around it. Like the huge green and blue edifice that looks like a rocket waiting to be fired. This is the Swiss Re Tower, a private office block that Londoners have nicknamed the Gherkin. It seems to pop up everywhere.

Go to the Tower of London and there it is, peering over the ancient battlements. Then there’s the new CityHall. Now wouldn’t you think a city hall should be a building of ministerial dignity? Not this one. It looks like a stack of pancakes about to slide off the plate! This is where the Mayor of London hangs out as well as being the headquarters of the Greater London Authority. Its design is said to make the building energy efficient and apparently its strange shape contributes to this. But to a lot of people it looks like Darth Vader’s helmet.

City Hall stands close to the beautiful Tower Bridge. Quite a contrast. The enormously popular LondonEye, like the previously mentioned sights, had it’s detractors when it was completed in 1999. It too is constructed in steel and glass and is also a rather strange creature that sits amidst more traditional neighbours. But it is so elegant and graceful that it has been embraced as an asset to the South Bank.

It is the world’s tallest observation wheel and for a bird’s eye view of London this is the place to come. It has 32 sealed, air-conditioned capsules, each holding around 25 people. It moves very slowly, in fact you need to gaze at it for a minute or two to reassure yourself that it is moving at all. Many of the major sights of London move slowly into view and it’s a great place for photo opportunities.

Not quite so loved, at least not when it first arrived on the scene, is the Millennium Bridge which crosses the Thames from the Tate Modern Gallery to St. Paul’s Cathedral. It is the first pedestrian bridge to be built over the Thames (in central London) for over a hundred years. And what happened when it opened in 2000? It vibrated so badly that it was nicknamed the Wobbly Bridge and immediately closed down and remained so for seven months. It’s perfectly safe now .