The Shard This Evening

It’s ages since I posted a photo of the Shard.

So here is one from this evening.

Inside the Shard

I’m not a great fan of heights, and this job would be so far down my list of things I would like to do you would probably have to tunnel through the earth to Australia to find it.

Cradled

That chimney you can see to the right of them is Bankside Power Station, aka Tate Modern, and they’re way above that. I was just a few feet away from these smiling men, but the big difference was that I was inside, with strong glass between me and the cold air outside.
Today I visited the Shard. It opens to the public next month, but I was lucky, thanks to my job, to get a preview. Actually, doubly lucky, as I am going again on Sunday as I am a Southwark resident. It would be too much to hope for a free ticket (or two) and a clear day, and if I could change one other thing, it would be to rebuild the Shard with non-reflective glass. If only they’d asked me first.
Anyway, as you can see, visibility wasn’t great and the sky was a greyish white.
Still, St Paul’s always looks impressive.

St Paul’s

I saw St Paul’s from the top of Guy’s Tower once after a carol service. It was dark and the view was spectacular. I don’t know if the Shard is going to be open at night, but if it is, I should like to make yet another visit.

Advertisement

Weekly Photo Challenge: Illumination

Funnily enough, I know the illuminations featured in this week’s challenge. They are not far from the subject of my photograph.
If you follow my page, you know that I have taken many many pictures of the Shard, which is Europe’s tallest building and beside London Bridge. It is our newest landmark. Illuminated at night, it stands out on the skyline.

Disappearing into Mist

Shard-U-Like

I was at London Bridge again this afternoon. No camera, but these photos were taken with my ‘phone.

Today’s Shard Photo (and Some From Before)

This morning’s photo of the Shard. I am starting to feel like the Harvey Keitel character in Smoke who took a photo of the same corner orf the street across from his shop every day. Or was that Blue in the Face?

The Shard from Surrey Row SE1

At the end of Surrey Row is Great Suffolk Street. I like the view throught the Victorian railway arch of these two buildings, the juxtaposition of old and new.

Weekly Photo Challenge: Changing Seasons

I’ve been posting and running all this week, and tonight is no exception. At some point I shall catch up, and I am looking forward to seeing the interpretations for this theme.
Here in London it is definitely winter. Cold, mostly blue skies, but some white ones as in this picture which was mid afternoon today, the light starting to seep out of the sky. Snow promises from not too far away. It is easy to imagine this as a shard of ice.

Cold Shard

The Shard of Glass, London SE1

I posted a photo of the Shard at dusk the other day. Pat commented that she’d like to see more pictures of this new addition to London’s skyline. At 1016ft (309.6m), it’s the tallest building in Western Europe.
I took these two photographs from Borough, London SE1, just by the tube station.
In the first, you can see the Shard behind the spire of St George the Martyr. Perspective makes the two buildings look almost the same height, but of course they are very different.

The Shard and St George the Martyr

The Shard at Dusk

Whatever you think of the Shard, it has quickly become a feature of Loindon’s skyline. I see it from my windows and have watched its slow journey to completion. Naturally I have several photos of it as a work in progress. Not being wild about heights, I have so far not taken the opporetunity to visit and enjoy the views. I am still getting used to how it looks from the ground.
With the leaves gone, and shorter days, the Shard is growing on me a little. I took this picture of it the other day at dusk.

The Shard at Dusk

On Reflection