you and i'll be safe and sound

a-british-dream:

all-that-good-stuff13:

Victoria Station, London

this is one of the prettiest things ive seen

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Things that make me smile:London

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dai-sy-m:

1-7/50 photos of London

dramatis-echo:

mistletoe and silver snow

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fuckyeah-london:

Leading Lines | Mark-Spokes.com

St Paul’s Cathedral and the Millennium Bridge are illuminated during the twilight hours by thousands of little lights lining the length of the bridge. The Bridge famous for being destroyed by Death Eaters in the Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince movie, spans the width of the River Thames, running from the Tate Modern on it’s Southern Side, allowing a short walk to St Paul’s on it’s Northern Side. Despite being named after the Millennium and initially opening in June 2000, it wasn’t until 2002 that the bridge was fully completed, it originally swayed side to side whenever there was heavy footfall, which required 18 months worth of re-working to counteract this. The bridge allows access to many of London’s most famous landmarks and tourist attractions, including the Tate, the Tate Modern, The Globe Theatre & the City of London School, the latter of which can be seen to the left of the bridge.

St Paul’s Cathedral has dominated London’s skyline for over three hundred years, and as such has become not only much loved, but also massively famous. The most famous aspect of the Cathedral is undoubtedly its huge domed roof, as seen above. The famous dome almost wasn’t built, as Sir Christopher Wren’s sketches at the time showed a large pagoda like squire. However, when the King William III decreed that Wren could make some ‘Ornamental Changes’, many of which where made as construction progressed, the most significant of these was the dome which was inspired both by St Peter’s Basilica in Rome and the Val-de-Grâce Military Hospital in Paris. . The Cathedral is 518ft (158m) long, and 365ft (111m) high, a height which, made the cathedral, until 1962, the tallest building in London.

Mark-Spokes.com

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Her Majesty’s Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London was founded towards the end of 1066 as part of the Norman Conquest of England. The castle was used as a prison since at least 1100, although that was not its primary purpose. A grand palace early in its history, it served as a royal residence. As a whole, the Tower is a complex of several buildings set within two concentric rings of defensive walls and a moat. The Tower has served variously as an armoury, a treasury, a menagerie, the home of the Royal Mint, a public records office, and the home of the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom.

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Tower ravens. “If the ravens leave the Tower, the kingdom will fall…” is the old superstition.

Tower jewels. The Tower has been home to precious jewels since William the Conqueror began storing treasure there. Today there are 23,578 jewels, and the most impressive single piece is the Imperial State Crown, which contains 2,868 diamonds, 273 pearls, 17 sapphires, 11 emeralds and five rubies.

Tower zoo. For over 600 years there was a royal menagerie in the Tower of London. It was founded by King John in the early 1200s and was filled with exotic animals given as royal gifts for the entertainment and curiosity of the court.

Tower mint.The Royal Mint was set up at the Tower of London in 1278. At the time, many of the coins in circulation were minted locally around the country.

Tower prison. The Tower wasn’t built as a prison but it was convenient to keep state prisoners there, as it was near the courts in Westminster and was a Royal Stronghold. Bishop Flambard, a former Constable of the Tower, was the first prisoner, and the first escapee, in 1100. 

Tower block. Only 22 executions have ever taken place inside the Tower of London. Most happened on the nearby Tower Hill. The last man to be beheaded there was the Jacobite octogenarian Lord Lovat on April 9 1747.

LOCATION: London, United Kingdom; SEASON: Winter.

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1-7/50 photos of London

lheartlondon:

The London Eye is probably the most famous Ferris wheel in the world. It is located on the south bank of the river Thames in central London, United Kingdom. It is 135 meters tall and 120 meters wide. In fact, it’s the biggest Ferris wheel in Europe and it is one of the best known symbols of Britain. It was opened in March 2000 and it took seven years to build it. The 32 capsules of the London Eye symbolise the 32 boroughs of London.  It is the 20th tallest structure in London.

The London Eye, or Millennium Wheel, was officially called the British Airways London Eye and then the Merlin Entertainments London Eye. Since 20 January 2011, its official name is the EDF Energy London Eye following a three-year sponsorship deal.

Some Facts:

-On 5 June 2008 it was announced that 30 million people had ridden the London Eye since its opening in March 2000

-It cost £70 million to build The London Eye

-You can see around 40KM (25 miles) from the top as far as Windsor Castle on a clear day

-The London Eye can carry 800 passengers per revolution - equivalent to 11 London red doubled-decker buses

-Each of the 32 capsules weighs 10 tonnes. To put that figure into perspective, it’s the same weight as 1,052,631 pound coins!

-The total weight of the wheel and capsules is 2,100 tonnes - or as much as 1,272 London black cabs!

-The spindle holds the wheel structure and the hub rotates it around the spindle. At 23 metres tall, the spindle is around the size of a church spire and, together with the hub, weighs in at 330 tonnes: over 20 times heavier than Big Ben

-Despite there only being 32 capsules, for superstitious reasons they are numbered 1 – 33. For good luck number 13 is left out

-Capsules travel at a leisurely pace of 26cm per second, which is twice as fast as a tortoise sprinting

 

pretty things ☾ london

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