Alan Whitehead's Pictures of London

The Church of St George the Martyr on Borough High Street with The Shard Behind

The Church of St George the Martyr on South London's Borough High Street was probably the tallest building in the area when it was built in the early 18th century. Now it is dwarfed by The Shard

This picture appears in the following picture tours:
London, Churches, Buildings and Structures, Street Scenes, Greater London

Camera Make: NIKON CORPORATION Model: NIKON D810

Buy photo

Evening View of Trafalgar Square Fountain and Canadian Embassy

An evening view from one of Trafalgar Square's fountains, to the Canadian Embassy

This picture appears in the following picture tours:
London, Buildings and Structures

Camera Make: NIKON CORPORATION Model: NIKON D810

Buy photo

Piccadilly Circus

No wonder any busy place in England is said to be 'like Piccadilly Circus' as London's busiest crossroads is throng with tourists and traffic day and night. Hardly surprising, as it's built at the junction of Regent Street, Shaftsbury Avenue and Piccadilly and the site of Eros, one of the city's most famous and popular bronze statues.

This picture appears in the following picture tours:
London, Buildings and Structures, Street Scenes

Camera Make: NIKON CORPORATION Model: NIKON D70s

Buy photo

Eastwards View From the Millennium Bridge

Looking Eastwards along the River Thames, from the Millennium Bridge near St Paul's Cathedral, towards The Shard and Tower Bridge

This picture appears in the following picture tours:
London, River Scenes

Buy photo

Evening View of City Hall and Tower Bridge, London

An evening view of London's iconic helmet-shaped City Hall, with the equally iconic Tower Bridge beyond.

This picture appears in the following picture tours:
London, Buildings and Structures, Greater London

Camera Make: NIKON CORPORATION Model: NIKON D810

Buy photo

Mounted Police on Duty at Admiralty Arch

Connecting the south side of Trafalgar Square to the eastern end of The Mall is probably London's most memorable and imposing building. Admiralty Arch is built with an expansive Portland stone concave curve on each side and with 3 archways through, for traffic and pedestrians.

This picture appears in the following picture tours:
London, Buildings and Structures, Street Scenes

Camera Make: NIKON CORPORATION Model: NIKON D810

Buy photo

The Debating Chamber at City Hall

By now (April 2022) the Greater London Assembly may well have moved out of its original Foster designed Helmet-like City Hall in Southwark, as a move has been on and off for the last 2 years. The original debating chamber was designed to seat the 25 GLA members centrally, with additional seating for many more observers and interested parties. Whatever the future holds for this building, it's sure to remain a tourist attraction, for its unique design, as well as its relatively short history.

This picture appears in the following picture tours:
London, Buildings and Structures

Camera Make: NIKON CORPORATION Model: NIKON D70s

Buy photo

The Ship and Shovell Pub near Charing Cross

Positioned conveniently close to Charing Cross station and adjacent to the popular under-the-arches shopping centre in Craven Passage is the Ship and Shovell pub. Originally consisting of two separate pubs, The Shovell and The Ship, which were created from two rows of terraced houses. In 1998 the two separate cellars were connected by a new kitchen and the now single business was renamed The Ship and Shovell.

This picture appears in the following picture tours:
London, Pubs And Inns, Street Scenes

Buy photo

The Hope Pub at Smithfield Market

I'm sure that a pub such as The Hope has many stories to tell from its 230 years sitting just across the street from Smithfield Market, but what caught my attention was the unique fluted bell window, which surely contributes to this building's Grade II Listing. Even if we still have the skills to produce such architectural features, I can't imagine it to be considered viable these days purely for decoration and I think our streets are all the poorer for it.

This picture appears in the following picture tours:
London, Buildings and Structures, Pubs And Inns, Street Scenes

Buy photo

The Cedar Tree and Church Spire on Round Hill

In 1829 the spire of St Antholin's church in the City of London was removed, but there is disagreement as to the reason. Robert Harrild had a very successful business nearby and recognised that the spire was unique of its time, being designed by Sir Christopher Wren and built from stone when all others were timber framed and clad with tiles or lead. So he bought the spire and had it moved to his large estate in Forest Hill, to be preserved. The huge gardens were subsequently developed for housing, etc, leaving only this Cedar Tree, along with the spire, looking somewhat incongruous in this setting.

This picture appears in the following picture tours:
London, Buildings and Structures, Trees and Woodlands

Buy photo

St Antholin's Church Spire on the Round Hill Housing Estate

In 1829 the spire of St Antholin's church in the City of London was removed, but there is disagreement as to the reason. Robert Harrild had a very successful business nearby and recognised that the spire was unique of its time, being designed by Sir Christopher Wren and built from stone when all others were timber framed and clad with tiles or lead. So he bought the spire and had it moved to his large estate in Forrest Hill, to be preserved. The huge gardens in which the spire stood were subsequently developed for housing, etc, but the spire remains, displayed in the somewhat incongruous setting.

This picture appears in the following picture tours:
London, Buildings and Structures

Buy photo

Narrow House in West Smithfield, London

On London's West Smithfield is the very narrow St Bartholomew's Gatehouse, a 16th Century Tudor building on top of the 13th Century archway leading to St Bart's church. This demonstrates just how crowded London was even 500 years ago.

This picture appears in the following picture tours:
London, Buildings and Structures, Street Scenes

Camera Make: NIKON CORPORATION Model: NIKON D810

Buy photo

Cardinal Cap Alley in Southwark, London

Just beside Shakespeare's Globe Theatre on London's South Bank you might find Cardinal Cap Alley, which used to lead to the Cardinal's Cap brothel, so-called because it was owned by Henry Beaufort, Bishop of Winchester, who legend has it, paraded here, wearing the red hat given to him by the Pope on appointing him Cardinal. Of course this story is probably unproveable, as official records of such detail were rarely kept in the Middle Ages, but legends often have an element of truth, so who knows?

This picture appears in the following picture tours:
London, Buildings and Structures, Street Scenes

Buy photo

Sunset View of London's South Bank from Tower Bridge

A sunset view of the south bank at Southwark in London, including the Shard and City Hall, from Tower Bridge

This picture appears in the following picture tours:
London, Buildings and Structures

Buy photo

Evening View of King's Cross Station from Euston Road

Evening view of King's Cross station, taken from the Level 0 Concourse of St Pancras Station next door

This picture appears in the following picture tours:
London, Buildings and Structures, Street Scenes, Trains and Railways

Buy photo

Sir John Betjeman, Saviour of St Pancras Station

The bronze statue of Poet Sir John Betjeman was created and erected on the upper concourse of St Pancras station to celebrate his saving of the station from demolition in the 1960s.

This picture appears in the following picture tours:
London, Buildings and Structures, Trains and Railways

Buy photo

St Pancras Station View

A general view along St Pancras' main internal area, showing both levels and the great arched roof.

This picture appears in the following picture tours:
London, Buildings and Structures, Trains and Railways

Buy photo

The Concourse in King's Cross Station

The Western Concourse at King's Cross was opened in 2012 and admired for its modern interpretation of the traditional steel lattice and glass curved roof. The lighting discretely changes colour to give a fresh yet relaxed atmosphere.

This picture appears in the following picture tours:
London, Buildings and Structures, Trains and Railways

Buy photo