Tower Bridge and Monument
Today we split up again. After breakfast, Margo went out to Colchester to get the lay of the land, while Sarah and I went out.
We got off the Tube at the Tower Hill station and crossed the Tower Bridge.
Across the Thames we made our way to the London Design Museum to see an exhibit on 50 years of Formula One racecar design. There were half a dozen F1 cars from the 1950s onward to a 2004 Ferrari and included a partially exploded Renault. We also saw the other exhibit, a historical retrospective of British design. A highlight for me were excerpts from Factory Records and the Hacienda nightclub of 80s Manchester; included were the album covers for New Order's Blue Monday single and the albums Power, Corruption and Lies and Technique, plus an early poster by Peter Saville for Tony Wilson promoting concerts by the Durutti Column and Joy Division, possibly their first collaboration. If this isn't absolute geekery to you, you might enjoy watching the Factory story in the film 24 Hour Party People.
Next, we returned to the Tower Bridge. There's a tourist exhibit in the upper levels; currently they're featuring Victorian children's games like marbles and tiddlywinks and hopscotch. Here's Sarah.
Can you see this coming? Top of the Tower. Nyuk nyuk.
Here's a westward view of the Thames from the top, and if you've a keen eye, you'll discern our next destination: the gold-topped Monument, to the right of St. Paul's dome.
But first we worked our way along the south bank of the Thames, stopping for lunch in a French cafe. Then we crossed the London Bridge, which despite what the song says, was not falling down, and we reached the Monument. We paid the fare and started climbing the 311 steps of the spiral inside the column. It was a bit freaky because the centre of the spiral was open space. We were no less scared when we reached the top because, despite the bars, you're still in the open air atop a really tall column.
We made our way around, staying close to the inside, then back down. We decided what to do next and I planned an Underground route to Hyde Park. We got off at Hyde Park Corner station, but unfortunately this corner also abuts a corner of Green Park, so once we went under Wellington's Arch I saw we were in the wrong area, but we strolled on anyway for a while, coming close to one of the Buckingham Palace entrances, before turning back as it started to rain heavily. Then we regained the Tube and rode it back to Kings Cross, ending one more outing for us.
We got off the Tube at the Tower Hill station and crossed the Tower Bridge.
Across the Thames we made our way to the London Design Museum to see an exhibit on 50 years of Formula One racecar design. There were half a dozen F1 cars from the 1950s onward to a 2004 Ferrari and included a partially exploded Renault. We also saw the other exhibit, a historical retrospective of British design. A highlight for me were excerpts from Factory Records and the Hacienda nightclub of 80s Manchester; included were the album covers for New Order's Blue Monday single and the albums Power, Corruption and Lies and Technique, plus an early poster by Peter Saville for Tony Wilson promoting concerts by the Durutti Column and Joy Division, possibly their first collaboration. If this isn't absolute geekery to you, you might enjoy watching the Factory story in the film 24 Hour Party People.
Next, we returned to the Tower Bridge. There's a tourist exhibit in the upper levels; currently they're featuring Victorian children's games like marbles and tiddlywinks and hopscotch. Here's Sarah.
Can you see this coming? Top of the Tower. Nyuk nyuk.
Here's a westward view of the Thames from the top, and if you've a keen eye, you'll discern our next destination: the gold-topped Monument, to the right of St. Paul's dome.
But first we worked our way along the south bank of the Thames, stopping for lunch in a French cafe. Then we crossed the London Bridge, which despite what the song says, was not falling down, and we reached the Monument. We paid the fare and started climbing the 311 steps of the spiral inside the column. It was a bit freaky because the centre of the spiral was open space. We were no less scared when we reached the top because, despite the bars, you're still in the open air atop a really tall column.
We made our way around, staying close to the inside, then back down. We decided what to do next and I planned an Underground route to Hyde Park. We got off at Hyde Park Corner station, but unfortunately this corner also abuts a corner of Green Park, so once we went under Wellington's Arch I saw we were in the wrong area, but we strolled on anyway for a while, coming close to one of the Buckingham Palace entrances, before turning back as it started to rain heavily. Then we regained the Tube and rode it back to Kings Cross, ending one more outing for us.
posted by Michael Nelson at 11:39 am
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