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UNITED KINGDOM - London
Location - Western Europe; Capital - London; Population - 61 million; Currency - Pound Sterling MORE UK - LONDON
I've lived in London on and off since 1993, and have recently taken a bundle of photos for this website.
20 Pounds Sterling
The London Eye was opened on 31 December 1999 for the Millenium celebrations - London
The London Eye makes a full rotation in about 30 minutes - London
The London Eye is 135 metres high and each capsule accommodates up to 25 people - London
Oysters, cocktails and sofas on the South Bank - London
The Shed is a pop-up theatre on the south bank. I'm sure it's meant to be temporary but it's been there for a few years now - London
A colourful baobab tree welcomes visitors to Africa Utopia at the South Bank, a celebration of African music in July 2012 - London
Hedge sculptures formed part of South Bank's Festival of Neighbourhood - London
A few African singing legends at one of the South Bank concerts. In the red top is Angelique Kidjo (Benin), Mory Kante all in white (Guinea) and next to him Baba Maal (Senegal) - London
The South Bank is always original - in the summers of 2014 to 2016 this yoghurt stall has been on show - London
The graffiti tunnel on Leake Street, a few blocks behind the London Eye - London
Hidden away on Station Approach Road (above Leake Street) is the House of Vans, a converted tunnel complex formerly known as the Old Vic Tunnels. It's now an arts and exhibition centre aimed at 16-25 year-olds but has a bar, cafe, skateboard rink and cinema open to all ages - London
There's many floating nightclubs on the Thames, the one here moored in front of the Hungerford Bridge - London
The London Bridge, illuminated at night, London. The original London Bridge was moved to Lake Havasu City, Arizona, USA
The eyes definitely follow you around.. The Navigators is a bronze sculpture by David Kemp in Hay's Galleria - London
The Tower Bridge was built in the late 19th century - London
The Tower Bridge as seen from the north bank of the Thames - London
Looking skyward at Tower Bridge - London
The Tower of London was built in the 11th century on the orders of William the Conqueror (King William I of England) - London
As well as being a royal palace, Guy Fawkes, Queen Elizabeth I, Sir Walter Raleigh and Rudolf Hess were imprisoned here.
The Crown Jewels are now stored in the Tower. London
The White Tower, the central fortress at the Tower of London, as seen from an archway beneath the Bloody Tower. Around 125 people live in the Tower of London, principally those who work there - London
In 2014, to commemorate 100 years since the outbreak of World War I, a total of 888,246 ceramic poppies were progressively laid in the Tower's moat - London
The installation was called Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red and ran from July to November 2014 - London
Each ceramic poppy represented a British fatality in World War I. All the poppies were sold, raising money for charities - London
A statue of Roman Emperor Trajan stands in front of a section of the London Wall, built around 200AD by the Romans, which used to surround Londinium (Roman London) - London
Opposite the Tower of London is St Katharine Docks, where bars and restaurants overlook the water - London
The ruins of St Dunstan-in-the-East Church. The 11th century church was badly damaged in the Great Fire of London in 1666, repaired, but damaged again in The Blitz of World War II - London
Part of the Iraqi supergun bound for Saddam Hussein's Iraq stands outside the Royal Artillery Museum. The museum belongs to the Royal Arsenal, a former military barracks in Woolwich, south east London
Arsenal football supporters know their team is closely linked to these barracks; Arsenal FC (aka The Gunners) was originally named Dial Square (and then Woolwich Arsenal), after the Royal Arsenal workshop where the club was founded.
Peter Burke's Assembly stands near the former barracks in Woolwich - London
Canary Wharf (out of picture) and the London Eye (left) can be seen from Leytonstone in east London
A full moon over Hollow Pond in Leytonstone - London
One of the world's most famous album covers is The Beatles' Abbey Road, and this is that same zebra crossing in north west London, with Abbey Studios and a souvenir shop just behind. There were queues of mainly Japanese tourists waiting to pose
Before the Battersea Power Station towers were recently dismantled, a series of open-air cinema events took place complete with bars and food stalls. Beer, headphones, Saturday Night Fever and a sleeping bag! London
Altitude Bar at the top of Millbank Tower is a superb place to get a bird's eye view of London. There's a champagne bar, with restaurant below, but check the website for opening times as it's often booked for corporate events
HMS Belfast is docked near the Tower of London - London
Walking on the Hungerford Bridge towards Embankment - London
The Houses of Parliament contains the House of Commons and House of Lords. It's where the goverment and opposition shout, argue and bicker - London
The Clock Tower, popularly known as Big Ben (which is actually the name of the bell) - Houses of Parliament, London
The London Eye and Houses of Parliament - London
The National Theatre, London Eye and Houses of Parliament on the south bank of the Thames - London
The Houses of Parliament from the base of the London Eye - London
Westminster Bridge, with the Houses of Parliament in the background - London
Night falls on Piccadilly Circus in the heart of London
Chances are you'll use Piccadilly's Eros statue as a meeting point in London
Eros is popular with pigeons - London
Covent Garden market is busy year round - London
Forget Munich, London has its very own Oktoberfest. Venues are at Kennington and Canary Wharf (pictured)
There's some very hot fraulines at Kennington Oktoberfest. As well as guys in lederhosen - London
In true Oktoberfest tradition the tables are for standing on - London
A makeshift beerhall at Hyde Park's Winter Wonderland - London
Winter Wonderland is open for about six weeks around Christmas, and gets bigger and bigger every year. Virtually all the stalls, park rides and even the multi-tier bars are temporary - London
Of course! You always need a singing moose (yes it mimed and sang) - London
The world's tallest German welcomes visitors to a Bavarian beerhall at Winter Wonderland 2016 - London
Plenty of wurst, bratwurst and currywurst are on offer, along with German beers and gluhwein - London
An alternative to Winter Wonderland is Winterville. When it was hosted in East London it had a more local, bohmenian feel with an ecelectic mix of stalls. But it's now moved to Clapham in south London, and has a more corporate feel to it - London
Having said that it's still an enjoyable, lively atmosphere and definitely less crowded than Winter Wonderland! - London
Spinning the wheel on a Friday night at the British Museum - London
Bandstand Busking showcases free live music at the dozens of bandstands across the capital. These guys are The Leisure Society - London
The BT Tower, formerly the Post Office Tower and London Telecom Tower - London.
Plans to open a rotating restaurant were quietly ditched recently.
For all Harry Potter fans, there really is a Platform 9¾! Head to King's Cross station, and if you're lucky there'll be an assistant providing a scarf and wand for a photo opp - London
It's worth checking out the very grand St Pancras building outside King's Cross St Pancras station. It was recently converted to the luxurious St Pancras Renaissance Hotel - London
Buckingham Palace, home of the Queen - London
View of Buckingham Palace from St James's Park, London
Looking east towards Horse Guards Parade - St James's Park, London. The Royal Parks website provides information on St James's Park, Hyde Park and several others
This statue of Achilles forms part of the Wellington Monument in Hyde Park - London
The London Central Mosque is also called Regent's Park Mosque due to its location on the western side of Regent's Park
London's traditional red telephone box
A dragon statue at Temple Bar, the Strand, marking the boundary of the City of London - London
The Royal Albert Hall, opened by Queen Victoria in 1871, hosts ballet, opera, concerts, tennis and much more - London
The Natural History Museum in South Kensington, London
Trafalgar Square, with the National Gallery in the background - London
The blue cockerel has stood on Trafalgar Square's fourth plinth in since 2013 - London
A cool place for a drink is the Vista Bar on Trafalgar Hotel's roof terrace, which towers over Trafalgar Square - London
A Sunday afternoon at the Oval watching the England v India cricket test match. It was Alastair Cook's final match and the following day he hit a century. Adios Cooky! - London
One of the most attractive green spaces in London is Battersea Park
The London Peace Pagoda in Battersea Park tells the story of Buddha - London
Some quality rowing (?) at Battersea Park - London
Coinciding with Chinese New Year, the Magic Lantern Festival made its UK debut in 2016 at Chiswick in west London - London
Hundreds of illuminated sculptures are spread around the large Chiswick House Gardens. These look like spooky baobab trees to me but they're not from China. Any ideas? London
The Magic Lantern Festival runs through February to the beginning of March - London
The permanent temple in Chiswick House Gardens was illuminated for the festival - London
I'm thinking along the lines of terracotta warriors here - London
2016 is the year of the monkey and all 12 of the animals of the Chinese zodiac are represented in the festival. The mighty dragon must have been over 8m high and 50m long - London
The Magic Lantern Festival runs through February to the beginning of March - London
Sunset on the River Thames at Hammersmith, west London
The Crystal Palace Dinosaurs are a Grade I listed set of dinosaurs (and extinct animals) in Crystal Palace Park, south east London. Unveiled in 1854, they were the first dinosaur sculptures in the world and pre-dated Charles Darwin's On The Origin Of Species by some years - London
Website and content Copyright © 2008-2021 Mark Wilkinson. All rights reserved.
LINKS
www.visitlondon.com - London's official website
www.timeout.com/london - what to do in London
www.tfl.gov.uk - info on the Underground (tube), buses etc
www.londonnet.co.uk - London news
www.london.gov.uk - more useful links on this page
www.enjoyengland.com - England tourist board
www.visitbritain.com - Britain's official tourism website
www.eurostar.com - Eurostar train from London to Paris, Brussels and more
I am not responsible for the content of external websites.
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