A work contact once told me that his city's claim to fame was that it was one of the few in the United Kingdom that were younger than the United States. I had to chuckle because, as I was walking around London, I often would be struck by the realization that almost everything around me was much older than my country. But of course, when you look around the city, you can still see many modern touches.
The view from the Golden Jubilee Footbridge alongside the Hungerford Railway Bridge is definitely a metropolis skyline (top). Two recognizable landmarks are The Shard, a multi-use high-rise finished in 2012 (middle left), and The Gherkin, a slightly older but perhaps more distinctive building (middle right). The two structures stand like sentinels on either side of the Thames in line with London Bridge. If you look west instead of east from the footbridge, the major landmark is The Eye, which was the world's largest observation wheel when it was built in 1999 to celebrate the millennium (bottom).
With its many cultural influences, London has evolved over time. Ethnic enclaves fill the urban area: Afro-Caribbean in Brixton, Scandinavian in Rotherhithe, and Middle Eastern on Edgware Road. Brick Lane, which is always bustling with locals and tourists alike, is a base for South Asians (top left). The road intersects with Fournier Street, which was named as such by the Huguenots who once lived there; the corner building started as a church, then was a synagogue and now is a mosque (top right). Chinatown is another cultural destination for tourists, mainly due to its proximity to Picadilly Circus, the Times Square of London.
Even traditionally English neighborhoods have been updated to attract modern Brits. Neal's Yard, a small area of the Seven Dials section of Covent Garden, was a derelict collection of warehouses until the 1980s, when an entrepreneur opened Neal's Yard Remedies and launched its gentrification (top). Carnaby Street, a main artery in Soho, used to be the center of the city's counter-culture: the home to plague victims in the 1600s, a hangout of Jimi Hendrix and The Kinks in the 1960s, and the lexus of punk in the 1970s. Now, it is a haven for hipsters with its trendy boutiques, restaurants, and public art (bottom left). Similarly, Covent Garden Market, once a local fruit and veg source, attracts the up-and-coming with a Jamie Oliver restaurant and a Charles Petillon art installation (bottom right).
Even the more traditional markets have been modernized. Leadenhall Market, which started out as a simple stone structure, didn't gain its distinctive glass and wrought-iron design until the the late 19th century, and it didn't move its poultry market to make room for high-end shops until the late 20th century (left). Most likely, there were small shops along Hay's Wharf, where tea clippers unloaded their cargo in the 19th century; now, Hay's Galleria has been enclosed and covered to accommodate kiosks and cafes (right).
Right outside the wharf is anchored not a clipper, but the Golden Hinde II, a replica of the galleon Sir Francis Drake landed on America in the 16th century (top left). (In case you're interested, the Cutty Sark, a famous tea clipper, sits in dry dock in Greenwich.) St. Katherine Docks is where Gloriana, the royal rowbarge, rests when it is not in use (top right). Perhaps the most modern maritime attraction is the HMS Belfast, a Royal Navy cruiser that was part of the initial German blockade during World War II (bottom).
But by far, the most modern structure on the river is the Thames Barrier. The feat of engineering, completed in 1982, protects the city from tidal flooding (left). A pair of impressive engineering masterpieces lies under the river: The pedestrian tunnels at Woolwich and Greenwich were dug mostly by hand in the early 20th century to replace ferries as a means for South Londoners to get to the wharves and businesses on the north bank (right).
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