A little piece of Egypt on the Thames

On a sunny day in London, there is no better place to be than down by the river.  Embankment Gardens are a perfect place to stroll through a leafy relaxed area with plenty of seating and even enjoy the sound of the birds above the noise of the traffic.

This area on the north side of the Thames is full of interesting history by way of a vast selection of statues.  Opposite the Ministry of Defence, you can see the stunning Royal Air Force memorial made of Portland Stone and topped by  the symbol of the RAF, a golden Eagle.   Originally dedicated in 1923 to members of the RAF who died in the First World War, later the inscriptions were augmented to include the men and women of the RAF who lost their lives during the Second World War.

 When it is time for a break from walking, there is a great little café with a very large seating area in the gardens and a few tables on a little terrace overlooking the river.  The Embankment Café also has inside seating and a good selection of snacks, coffees, drinks and ice cream. 

Sitting on the sheltered terrace gives you a view of the 21 metre high red granite obelisk Cleopatra’s Needle which arrived in London in 1878 and adds an exotic Eygptian element to the riverbank, although nothing to do with Cleopatra.  It is one of three, the others are now in New York and Paris and are believed to have been made in 1460BC for Pharaoh Thutmes III.  The inscriptions were added about 200 years later by Ramesses II to commemorate his military victories.  They were then moved to Alexandria in 12 BC and set in a temple built by Cleopatra in honour of Mark Anthony and after some time were toppled and lay buried, which helped to preserve the hieroglyphics. 

In 1877, Sir William James Erasmus Wilson, a distinguished anatomist,  paid over £10,000 (a fortune in those days) for the obelisk to be shipped to London.  A huge buoyant iron cylinder 93 feet long was designed to carry the obelisk and was named Cleopatra.  The journey turned into a disaster, during a storm in the Bay of Biscay the steam ship towing the cylinder was damaged and capsized with the loss of six lives and the cylinder floated away before being rescued five days later by another vessel.  The names of the men who died are remembered in an engraving on a plaque at the bottom of the monument.

The drama of this little piece of Egypt on the Thames is enhanced by the two bronze sphinxes which sit at the base of the needle.  Apparently they were installed incorrectly and appear to be looking up, rather than guarding the obelisk.