Some shots of London’s loftiest buildings, including the iconic Gherkin, The Shard – Europe’s tallest structure – and some other impressive edifices around the city’s financial district and Docklands.
Click on the first image to launch the full-size image gallery
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London’s very tall buildings are often signs of financial muscle, so you have to visit the capital’s business centre to crane your neck, bump into lamp posts and fall off the pavement.
Londoners have picked up this odd habit of giving their skyscrapers pet names, with the Gherkin being a prime example because it looks like a bulbous pickle thrusting into the sky. It’s officially known by its address of 30 St Mary Axe – not exactly memorable. This shot was taken whilst lying on my back, though I flipped the photo on its side to create this angle.
Meanwhile, across the river sits the razor-sharp contours of The Shard, the tallest structure in Europe and a regular source of fascination. The building is due to be unveiled this week, and you can only wonder what views it will offer, and a new London vantage point for photographers.
This trip to the heart of London’s skyscraper district yielded other shots. I will return with a gallery of the city’s highest heights for you to look at.
They are found all over London in their thousands, and you can hire them to travel just a matter of metres – or from one side of the city to the other.
Boris bikes – named after London mayor Boris Johnson who introduced the scheme – are parked in hundreds of docking stations across the city, and are distinctive with their blue livery and chunky frames.
Tourists and locals alike seem to love them, although I’ve yet to hop onto one, fearing the traffic of this great city.
This perfectly neat and unhired line of bikes was found in the financial heart of London on a quiet Sunday afternoon, nestling just beneath the Gherkin, one of the city’s famous skyscrapers.
It was an opportunity to take out the camera for some perfectly obvious and slightly more artful shots.
Happy biking!
