The BT Tower

The Post Office Tower, now called the BT Tower, stands 189 metres above London, with 53 metres of foundations below.  The then tallest building in London was opened to the public by the Postmaster General, Mr. Anthony Benn and Mr. Billy Butlin in 1966, having been built at a cost of £2.5 million.

The distinctive, functional building is clearly visible from most areas of the capital whether relaxing in Kensington Gardens:

Or enjoying a sunset view from the Southbank:

Designed by Eric Bedford, it was to be the first purpose built tower to transmit high frequency radio waves and support the British Telecom microwave network.  Technology has moved on since those days and now the tower is equipped with all the very latest digital systems.

The public used to be able to access the viewing galleries, cocktail bar and revolving restaurant however, in 1971 the tower was closed to the public after an IRA bomb blast.  No-one was injured, but it was decided that access all areas posed too much of a security risk.

The express two lifts, travelling at 7 metres a second, would transport diners to the ‘in place to dine’ in the1970s with all the very latest furnishings and cuisine.  The narrow restaurant on the 34^th floor, operated by Billy Butlin, did a complete revolution in 22 minutes and the view was further enhanced by the curved mirrors in the centre of the room.

The Grade II listed building has been one of the most recognisable sites on the London skyline since the 1960s, but strangely does not appear on Ordnance Survey maps due to it’s classification as an Official Secret!  Under this law it was an offence to take, or possess photos of the Post Office Tower until the mid 90s!

150 Years of the Tube

At 1.10pm, 150 years ago today, the very first underground train in the world left Paddington for the three mile journey to Farringdon.

This was a significant world first, which went on to inspire similar metros around the world and revolutionise the planning of our city. The second city to develop an underground system was Budapest. The major railway stations were not permitted to be built in the centre of London, so this alternative solution to link the stations and ease the growing traffic problems was funded by the private sector.

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The Metropolitan line was mostly excavated along the route of the Euston Road, taking in seven stops and the 120 trains a day in each direction, carried over 26,000 passengers a day in the early days. The steam powered railway service offered three classes of travel, costing 3d (3 old pence) for 3rd class on the wood benches and 6d for 1st class travel in the teak varnished coaches with red plushed button backed seats.

People were keen to experience the new form of transport although some were anxious at the thought of travelling underground, in the dark, with people not known to them! However, underground was soon developed to link up more of the city and this new network of transport then allowed for the creation of living spaces further away from the centres of work.

In 1890 the City and South London line started a service on a route which had been tunnelled, operating electric cars, this was another world first.

The very first passenger service began on 10th January 1863 and to commemorate this occasion a steam locomotive has been restored and carriages have been borrowed from the Bluebell Railway, to run a special service on the evening of Sunday 13th January from Olympia to Moorgate.  (This is an all ticket event.)  The last passenger steam trains were withdrawn in 1905, but they were kept in use for engineering work until the early 1970s.

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The underground tunnels provided a much needed place to shelter for thousands of people during the bombing raids of the Second World War.

The tube, its iconic branding and simple map designed in 1933 by Harry Beck, is known and loved around the world and is just another aspect of what makes London great.

The Lord Mayor's Show

More than 6500 people will be parading through the streets of the City of London tomorrow, to take part in the three and a half mile long magnificent procession to welcome the new Lord Mayor of London.

David Wootton, Lord Mayor 2011  Photo:PA

Alderman Roger Gifford has been inaugurated  as the 685^th Lord Mayor of London in the Silent Ceremony today and tomorrow he will travel in the gold State Coach from the Mansion House in the City to the Royal Courts of Justice in the Alydwich, to swear loyalty to the Crown.

In 1215 King John gave the City a charter which stated that the new Lord Mayor must swear an oath of allegiance to the Sovereign and show himself to the people.  This began the tradition of the largest unrehearsed pageant in the world, full of our usual British pomp and pageantry.  The journey was originally made on horseback, then the parade took to barges on the river which began the term ‘floats’, which we still use today for vehicles carrying decorated platforms for celebrations.  The four ton Golden State Coach was constructed in 1753 and this now carries the new Lord Mayor through the streets.  It is the oldest carriage in regular use in the UK and can be seen on display in the Museum of London

Scenes of this splendid river pageant have been captured by many artists including Canaletto and after a trial last year,  the Lord Mayor’s flotilla is back in the water.  The beautiful Gloriana barge which was used for the Queen’s Jubilee and Olympic celebrations will take the Lord Mayor from Vauxhall at 8.30am.  The barge will lead a flotilla of 24 traditional Thames boats and will make its way downstream to HMS President, just below St. Katherine’s Dock.

The procession leaves Mansion House at 11am, after a two minute silence as a mark of request to Armistice Day on Sunday, and will be lead by Gog and Magog, traditional guardians of the City.  These are 14 foot high heavily armed carnival figures, made from wicker and pasteboard they walked ahead of the procession around five hundred years ago and the tradition was lost when they had to be replaced by wooden figures which were too heavy to carry.  However in 2006 the Company of Basketmakers recreated the mediaeval figures to connect the Show to its origins.

Photo:  PA

The Lord Mayor, wearing an ermine-trimmed robe and feathered tricorne hat will leave Mansion House in the Golden State Coach at about 11.45 and joins the procession, stopping at St. Paul’s Cathedral to receive a blessing before continuing down Ludgate Hill and Fleet Street to the Royal Courts where he gives his oath of loyalty to the Crown.  The procession then retraces its route to Mansion House.

Pearly King and Queen  Photo: PA

This family fun day of celebration with 22 marching bands, horses, vintage cars, carriages, military bands and dancing is all organised by the Pageantmaster,  who has been working on the detail for this splendid event for over nine months.  Dominic Reid will be calming standing in the back of a ceremonial Land Rover, keeping a very close eye on every aspect of a parade he has been directing for nearly twenty years.

Photo:  PA

The Royal Albert Hall

Photo:  PA

The red carpet stretched down the grand steps to the Royal Albert Hall last night to welcome the Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, who were guests at the premiere of the latest James Bond movie Skyfall.  This is not a normal location for film premieres, but proved to be a stunning venue to celebrate the release of Skyfall which comes 50 years after the launch of the first Bond film, Dr. No.

Naomie Harris & Daniel Craig  Photo:  The Picture Library

This magnificent building in the heart of Kensington was built on land purchased with the profits of the Great Exhibition of 1851 and opened in 1871.  Prince Albert, Queen Victoria’s husband, had a vision of a Central Hall which would be used as dedicated area for the promotion of Art and Science.  Unfortunately Prince Albert did not survive to see his Central Hall of Arts and Sciences, and following his premature death from typhoid in 1861 Queen Victoria named the building the Royal Albert Hall in dedication to her beloved Prince Consort.

The design of the building was started by Captain Francis Fowke of the Royal Engineers based upon the Roman Amphitheatres, following his death Major Henry Darracott Scott completed the plans for Lucas Brothers to build.  Constructed in Fareham Red brick, with terracotta block decoration and a dome made from steel and glass.  Henry Cole was the driving force behind the construction of the Hall, having achieved great success with the Great Exhibition of 1851; it was his energy which ensured the project was successful. 

The frieze which runs around the top of the building is an inscription in 12 inch terracotta letters which combines historical facts and biblical quotations.

With a grand organ which is one of the largest instruments in the world at 70 feet high with nearly 10,000 pipes, it was soon apparent that the hall was not suitable for music due to a terrible echo from the domed roof.  The problem was finally solved when 135 ‘mushrooms’ filled with glass fibre wool were hung from the dome in 1969. Now it is a world famous venue seating over 5,500 people, priding itself on the diverse range of events which fill the hall almost every night of the year.   

During seven weeks of the summer months it is home to the Sir Henry Wood Promenade Concerts – known as The Proms, when visiting orchestras, famous soloists and conductors join the BBC Symphony Orchestra and the famous last night is typically a very rowdy evening. The very moving Royal British Legion Festival of Remembrance is held in November and the tone changes at the beginning of December for the Masters Tennis championships. 

The floor of the hall has been flooded to make a water garden for Madam Butterfly; frozen for ice-skating; turned into a boxing ring for the likes of Muhammad Ali and Frank Bruno and has hosted most of the world’s top singers, whether they be classical, rock or heavy metal. 

As the Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall  arrived at The Royal Albert Hall for the premiere of the 23^rd Bond film, it is worth remembering that Shirley Bassey performed the Bond theme songs Diamonds are Forever and Goldfinger on the stage in June 2011, as a climax to the memorial concert for the composer John Barry.

Photo:  PA

London showcases the best international design

Sport has left the limelight in London and handed over the focus to design. London is now receiving the attention of the international design world as we host numerous creative events across the capital.

Lady Gaga with her floral headpiece at Philip Treacy's first show in London for 10 years
Photo:  Getty

Today is the last day of London Fashion Week based in Somerset House and with shows at various locations across the capital. Always one of the best is Burberry, who attracted the current sporting celebs Victoria Pendleton and Andy Murray to their show on Monday. Focusing on volume, jewel colours and new shapes, this luxury brand never fails to deliver a stunning show.

Photo: AFP

As we say farewell to the Fashion Pack and they jet off to Milan, the 10th London Design Festival opens across the capital. An extensive range of exhibitions, events, workshops, talks and tours will be taking place to promote the design capital of the world. With over 200 events, the majority of which are free, the London Design Festival programme reflects the widest possible range of design interests. www.londondesignfestival.com/

In the Brompton Design District www.bromptondesigndistrict.com/ you can visit a 12 roomed house, each room given a design experiment by a different designer. 

The V & A have an abundance of special exhibitions and the dome over the main entrance called the Cupola, has been used as an exhibition space showing the magical living patchwork installation ‘Prism’. www.londondesignfestival.com/profiles/london-design-festival-va-0

Design Junction, an old 1960s Sorting Office, showcases more than 100 world-class international brands, temporary restaurants, flash factories and live entertainment in a vibrant and relaxed space. http://thedesignjunction.co.uk

A host of craft makers will be exhibiting in the Old Truman Brewery at the multi faceted TENT London http://www.tentlondon.co.uk and at Earls Court you will find four days of leading contemporary lifestyle design at 100% Design. www.100percentdesign.co.uk/   Recognising the importance of design bloggers, Knoll has created a dedicated VIP lounge.

The Southbank Centre will host the 15th annual Designersblock, featuring furniture, lighting ceramics, graphics and installations in the Royal Festival Hall and the Queen Elizabeth Hall. www.verydesignersblock.com/2009/2012/05/28/designersblock-london-2012/

London has stamina and enjoys being the focus of global attention, there is no doubt.

End to a Sensational Summer

Some Games Makers gather in Trafalgar Sq for an early photo call

A very big thank you was what the day was all about. Thanks from the public to the athletes, the athletes to the public, to all the volunteers, the team coaches and support staff, the servicemen and women, the blue light services and the organising committees who had made the last six weeks, the most memorable London experience that we could ever imagine.

A good space was waiting opposite St. Mary le Strand

People begin to take up their spaces and the street cleaners arrive

An hours later, there wasn't a free space anywhere

A determination to have a good view and be at the front of the barriers, meant a two and half hour wait at the side of the road, but on these occasions time can pass quickly with some people watching. This is a time when total strangers strike up conversations and behave like old friends for a few hours, then pleasantly say farewell and never see each other again! 

There comes a point when everyone gets a cheer!

Great for the Police to work on a happy occasion

The mounted Police joined in the high fiving!

It was a day of overwhelming emotions for both cheering Londoners, our wonderful athletes and visitors to the city who must have been stunned by the euphoria.

The parade was led by red and blue lions followed by dancers, acrobats and musicians. Then it wasn’t long to wait for our first familiar face, the ever smiling Mo Farah on the first of the 21 flatbed trucks.

 

The pavements were now choc-a-bloc, office workers were hanging out of their windows and every side street and alley was packed tight with people. Many had no chance of seeing any of the parade, but were just happy to feel and hear the atmosphere.

Trafalgar Sq. and surrounding roads  Photo:  Getty

The athletes had their own messages of thanks and were quick to engage eye contact with the cheering crowd, and seemed to want to acknowledge us all personally. Some seemed slightly embarrassed to show their medals, we had to persuade some to hold them high for the crowds to see. 

Several looked understandably stunned by the depth of the crowds and the warmth of the welcome. 

A quick change of location to Trafalgar square was only achieved by taking a very speedy walk through the back streets of Covent Garden, before the rest of the crowd had the same thought. 

With a perfect vantage point sitting on the steps of St. Martin’s in the Field the flypast arrived on time, despite the fact the parade had seriously fallen behind schedule, but that didn’t matter everyone was in such a wonderful state of mind. 

 First over was the British Airways ‘Firefly with ‘Thank You’ imprinted on its underbelly, followed by 2 Lynx, a Puma and a Sea King helicopter. 

Photo:  National Pictures

Photo: AP

A surveillance aircraft flew in formation with the two Typhoons which had been on standby near London, in case of emergencies. Then our tremendous RAF display team the Red Arrows, with their red, white and blue streaming across London. This was a dramatic tribute to a remarkable occasion.

Observing this carnival of joy, I didn’t want to leave as it would mean this sensational summer had ended, but we have so many wonderful memories and a desire to keep this amazing spirit of London alive forever.

The empty flatbed trucks head out of London

The wonderful Games Makers head back to their normal lives

Thank you everyone.