London life

2011.10.15

The Bank of England

I like the juxtaposition of old and new in this shot.

Some of the Lloyds Building's iconic pipes, reflected in the Willis Building opposite.

The Gherkin, framed!

The warm late afternoon sunshine illuminated the Lloyds Building so beautifully.

Anyone for a spot of window shopping?

Sunset over the Millennium Bridge

Now, where did I put my placard?!

As I travelled into London this afternoon I planned where I was going to go and what I was going to photograph. I decided to make the most of the beautiful late afternoon sunshine with some architectural work and headed straight for the Bank of England. From there I just followed my nose, towards the Lloyds building and the Gherkin, shooting some interesting juxtapositions of old and new architecture. Eventually I found my way down to the River Thames and crossed the Millennium Bridge to Tate Modern where I took a look at a photography exhibition there. By this time I was beginning to get rather hungry so I headed back over the Thames in search of food, although I got something of a surprise too. As I rounded the corner beside St. Paul’s Cathedral I found myself faced with hundreds of policemen and at least a thousand demonstrators, protesting against the government’s cutbacks and the actions of the city’s bankers. Despite the presence of so many policemen it seemed pretty peaceful so I stopped off at Pizza Express for food and a ringside view of the action! Once I’d finished I couldn’t resist catching a few photos of this astonishing sight – I knew I’d regret it if I didn’t grab the opportunity. It certainly wasn’t the way I expected today to end but I’m glad I was there to catch some snapshots of history in the making.