london vantage points, your favourite

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so i was in muswell hill the other day, and the views at twilight are great, i feel like because muswell hill is known for its views its kind of like "yeah, were so over that" and it gets ignored. its better than hampstead surely?

the top of the shopping centre in stratford is not so good, i thought it would be better than it is, but the view from the east isnt as encompassing, though the views away from london can be good there, and i like the unknowbility of the charlton-woolwich-plumstead hillock.

willesden platform is ok, but london seems so far away from there.

nunhead i was surprised by but the view was fleeting, and i didnt have chance to look properly.

i need to go to muswell hill and compare it with the westcombe park-maze hill-greenwich view to see which i like best. i have no photo of the former, but here is a pic of docklands from greenwich. i will upload better ones when i have access to pc again, and am not at work...

http://www.norfolkwindmills.com/cityscapes/london.jpg

― gareth (gareth), Saturday, 10 May 2003 13:22 (twenty-two years ago)

I Can't Believe It's Not A Gareth Thread....Oh Wait It Is!

my fave London views: Parliament Hill, Primrose Hill, Observation Floor at BBC Centre (and i bet the view from the top of the Trellick tower is terrific - as good as you'll get in West London)

i haven't been on the Millennium Wheel yet...when are they taking it down? and whats the furthest you can see in any direction on a clear day? i hope i can see the Trellick for example...)

― stevem (blueski), Saturday, 10 May 2003 13:47 (twenty-two years ago)

i wonder if a Fancy A Milennium Wheel thread would work?

― stevem (blueski), Saturday, 10 May 2003 13:48 (twenty-two years ago)

also, what is the furthest point you can see the top of Canary Wharf from? personally i have seen it from High Barnet, Greenford and Chiswick Park...i imagine you can see it from much further on the east side though

― stevem (blueski), Saturday, 10 May 2003 13:50 (twenty-two years ago)

Ummm, there's a great view from the top of Brockley Hill, near Bushey. Or yeah, Ally Pally.

I was really into views of London when I was about 16, but everything looks amazing when you're on acid.

― Nordicskillz (Nordicskillz), Saturday, 10 May 2003 13:51 (twenty-two years ago)

Once I caught myself looking at a brick wall in Kilburn, thinking it was fucking BEAUTIFUL.

― Nordicskillz (Nordicskillz), Saturday, 10 May 2003 13:51 (twenty-two years ago)

From my window at work, I can see alot of Chiswick, Brentford and Richmond.

― jel -- (jel), Saturday, 10 May 2003 15:12 (twenty-two years ago)

I always liked the view from my office on the 8th floor of Henry Wood House at the BBC. Parliament Hill is pretty classic though.

― Ed (dali), Saturday, 10 May 2003 16:16 (twenty-two years ago)

Is Muswell Hillbillies a good album?

― Mary (Mary), Saturday, 10 May 2003 16:56 (twenty-two years ago)

view from Harrow Hill is good, tho more for looking further West than towards the city. Horsenden Hill in Perivale probably provides better views in all directions tho (havent been there since i was about 10 so can't remember).

― stevem (blueski), Saturday, 10 May 2003 17:02 (twenty-two years ago)

From my house, I can see all the way across the road. The house there has an entirely different front door from mine, so it's pretty exciting.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Saturday, 10 May 2003 17:28 (twenty-two years ago)

My favorite London vantage point is from the front seat on the top floor of a double decker bus.

― Mary (Mary), Saturday, 10 May 2003 18:41 (twenty-two years ago)

Top deck of any double-decker heading along Central Hill, SE19 gives you pretty much the whole city in one panoramic gobful. Every day is a slightly different set of matte paintings.

In Greenwich Park, getting as high as you can as East as you can is important for capturing the bend in the river. In fact, standing in the middle of the road near the top of Maze Hill may be better than any view within the park boundaries.

― Michael Jones (MichaelJ), Saturday, 10 May 2003 19:30 (twenty-two years ago)

the view from the bridge over the Thames on the m25 is stunning

― james (james), Saturday, 10 May 2003 20:21 (twenty-two years ago)

Waterloo Bridge is very good for the view too, though that's influenced by spending about an hour crossing it with my Italian girlfriend last year, one of the best memories from our relationship.

― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Saturday, 10 May 2003 21:21 (twenty-two years ago)

also, what is the furthest point you can see the top of Canary Wharf from?

It can be seen quite clearly as you travel south on the M11, just north of where it intersects with the M25 - so completely outside London. You have a view of a patchwork of fields extending to the horizon but with the Canary Wharf towers clearly visible (and absolutely no other evidence of London). It always makes me think of pantomime backdrops for Dick Whittington which have Old St. Paul's, amid fields, visible from some hill to the north.

― David (David), Saturday, 10 May 2003 22:47 (twenty-two years ago)

Is it just me, or compared to other major cities, do London panoramas look a bit lame? It is possible that I am being quite rockist about panoramas.

― N. (nickdastoor), Saturday, 10 May 2003 23:20 (twenty-two years ago)

Is it just me

Probably not. London is neither really old nor strikingly modern (there's so little left that's old and the new is just middle of the road high rise). Also the river is nothing special and there's no harbour/sea or distant mountains to add interest.

― David (David), Saturday, 10 May 2003 23:30 (twenty-two years ago)

the dome at the top of St. Paul's has a good view

― Randall Helms (RPH), Sunday, 11 May 2003 02:45 (twenty-two years ago)

There's a place in Richmond Park where you can St Paul's nicely framed by two columns of trees. Somebody's building a house there deliberately positioned to take advantage of this aspect.

Also, there's a place on the outskirts of Croydon, Shirley Heights I think, which has quite an amazing lookout over London - I always wondered what it would be like to be there on November 5th.

There's a cafe in the Tate Modern which has a roof terraces looking out over the Thames which is pretty special. Being from and living in London, it's very easy to be underwhelmed by London's architecture. But from that vantage point, of an evening when the lights are coming on, you really see what all the fuss is about.

― Alfie (Alfie), Sunday, 11 May 2003 11:34 (twenty-two years ago)

Horsenden hill is very good Stevem, as is Harrow, yes.

On the M1 coming in to London (especially if on the top deck of a coach) you come round a bend and you get a great (but brief) glimpse of a lot of London.

My Office in Uxbrige has a good view of the centre of town, and there in the distance Canary wharf.

The M25 near Brentwood has a quick lovely view of the city too.

There's a really good view of Manchester from the M6 too.

― chris (chris), Sunday, 11 May 2003 11:43 (twenty-two years ago)

My ex-boyfriend had a flat at the top of a towerblock in Brixton. From his balcony, there was the most amazing view - not just amazing because you saw London from the "wrong side" but also because it made you realise how the tube map twists geography and lies to you. You think of the Thames as a straight line due East-West, but when you see it from below, you realise that it really twists around in a great arc, and the Houses of Parliament are not where you would expect them to be, relative to Brixton.

― kate, Monday, 12 May 2003 08:02 (twenty-two years ago)

the tube map is indeed a big fat lie, esp. as it positions Victoria further north than Waterloo which it actually is not. another mad thing is if you cross the Thames on the Metro Silverlink to Clapham Junction (from Willesden) you see the Telecom Tower on your exact left when you expect it to be further behind you and to less of a left - another example of Thames twistiness being too complicated for the map devisers

― stevem (blueski), Monday, 12 May 2003 08:15 (twenty-two years ago)

The view from my flat (5th floor on top of a hill in Crouch ENd) is pretty awesome - on a clear day you can see the south downs. The view from Emma's bedroom is even better, but I'm not allowed in there.

Of course thetube map is a big fat lie. That's why it works so well.

― Pete (Pete), Monday, 12 May 2003 08:19 (twenty-two years ago)

Steve - I don't think the Eye is coming down for the forseeable future. But yeah, obviously on a clear day you can see most of London and it's pretty incredible.

I love that view from the top of Greenwich Park, but there's an even better one down the west side of the park on Blackheath where you can see pretty much the whole panorama of London from east to west.

I like the way that whenever they want to build anything taller than a few stories, it always has to be subject to the Kenwood Test in case it spoils the view for all the posh Hampsteadians.

You think of the Thames as a straight line due East-West, but when you see it from below, you realise that it really twists around in a great arc.

You don't watch EastEnders, do you ;)

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Monday, 12 May 2003 08:21 (twenty-two years ago)

The view from the top of the King's College Union at night is pretty stonking.

The downside of this is you actually have to go into the King's College Union, which is never a pleasant experience.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Monday, 12 May 2003 08:21 (twenty-two years ago)

Eastenders is something that happens so frequently in my flat that I have blocked it out completely.

But I'm not talking about the snakey bit in the East where it goes around the Isle of Dogs. The whole thing is a giant arc.

― kate, Monday, 12 May 2003 08:24 (twenty-two years ago)

Eastenders is something that happens so frequently in my flat that I have blocked it out completely.

I now have this horrible vision of Kate and Suzy in their kitchen wearing green lurex aprons and slapping each other round the face and shouting "you bitch! You caahw!" in atrocious faux-mockney accents.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Monday, 12 May 2003 08:26 (twenty-two years ago)

The only time it's ever come to blows was when Stenders was on opposite Time Team. >:-(

― kate, Monday, 12 May 2003 08:29 (twenty-two years ago)

no matt, thats you and blueski

― gareth (gareth), Monday, 12 May 2003 08:30 (twenty-two years ago)

shut et you

― stevem (blueski), Monday, 12 May 2003 08:32 (twenty-two years ago)

http://www.norfolkwindmills.com/images/geog.gif

― gareth (gareth), Monday, 12 May 2003 08:35 (twenty-two years ago)

That is so much cooler than the proper Tube map.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Monday, 12 May 2003 08:37 (twenty-two years ago)

Hey, but the river isn't ON that map!

It's astonishing how west/north biased the tube system is. I mean, it looks like all those lines go due north on the map. And South-East is the GREAT UNKNOWN!!!

We had to take the train through SW London to get to the wedding, and HSA was pointing out all the places where he grew up, and I knew of none of them! Because they don't have tube stations, I'd never heard of them. I mean ... Black Heath, whoever heard of such a place?

― kate, Monday, 12 May 2003 08:38 (twenty-two years ago)

I don't want Blackheath to get a Tube station. I mean, think of all the riff-raff it will attract.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Monday, 12 May 2003 08:40 (twenty-two years ago)

But Blackheath already has huge hole in it where they could put a tube.

Also no Jubilee Line extension.

― Pete (Pete), Monday, 12 May 2003 08:48 (twenty-two years ago)

But they pumped the Huge Hole full of concrete when it started to subside and take large buildings with it (at least so sayeth HSA...)

― kate, Monday, 12 May 2003 08:49 (twenty-two years ago)

There's another couple of huge holes that they've evidently left open just in case there's another outbreak of plague in the near future (Mark S to thread!)

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Monday, 12 May 2003 08:50 (twenty-two years ago)

that is one hell of a geographically accurate tube map - what a mess though

eventually the East London Line extensions to West Croydon and possibly even Wimbledon will restore the balance to an extent regarding the NW bias

― stevem (blueski), Monday, 12 May 2003 08:59 (twenty-two years ago)

Another vote for Crown Point 'cos I live virtually next to it and the view is indeed spectacular. Though the view out of the window in my current office (4th floor, Royal Free Hosp) is pretty damn good. Neither gives you much of a view of West London, however, for which I recommend my old 8th floor office at Charing Cross Hosp.

― Marcello Carlin, Monday, 12 May 2003 09:00 (twenty-two years ago)

Is St Thomas' the really really tall one? That must have a hell of a view from the top.

― chris (chris), Monday, 12 May 2003 09:01 (twenty-two years ago)

I'll second the view from the Royal Free. WHen my Dad was on the seventh floor the views were tremendous (filled in the east bits which are obscured from my flat).

― Pete (Pete), Monday, 12 May 2003 09:04 (twenty-two years ago)

Jonnie's kitchen window has a pretty spectacular view from the top of Muswell hill, especially good is seeing the bright pink lights from Stow dogs.

― chris (chris), Monday, 12 May 2003 09:07 (twenty-two years ago)

Thanks Gareth - I've wanted a copy of that since they printed it in the papers a few years ago.

I always get totally thrown by the twists of the Thames too. I'm standing on the south bank and I look left and think "Wha'? - Battersea power station has moved north of the river?"

― N. (nickdastoor), Monday, 12 May 2003 09:28 (twenty-two years ago)

Haha... in my more ignorant days I once swore blind in a pub argument that Battersea Power Station WAS nouth of the river, for that exact reason. You get the same thing with the Dome from some places as well.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Monday, 12 May 2003 09:33 (twenty-two years ago)

Chris is OTM - my mum was in one of the higher rooms in St Thomas' and the view was breathtaking.

In fact, I'll give Waterloo as a whole top marks for views of London. The top of the LWT building on Upper Ground gives the best high-up views of London I've seen, but first prize goes to standing in the middle of Waterloo bridge. Both views up and down the river are stunning, with the palace of Westminster on one side and St Pauls, the city and docklands on the other. Wow.

― Mark C (Mark C), Monday, 12 May 2003 09:39 (twenty-two years ago)

i feel a song coming on

― stevem (blueski), Monday, 12 May 2003 10:15 (twenty-two years ago)

Is it "Gertcha" by Chas & Dave?

― Tim (Tim), Monday, 12 May 2003 10:26 (twenty-two years ago)

The top of King's Reach Tower in Stamford Street is pretty brilliant.

Otherwise I'm with Nordic for Ally Pally and Mary for the top deck of the bus.

― Anna (Anna), Monday, 12 May 2003 10:35 (twenty-two years ago)

Hey, but the river isn't ON that map!

I was about to say, I'm looking at it and going, "Something's wrong..."

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Monday, 12 May 2003 14:22 (twenty-two years ago)

The Underground network is biased towards the north-west because a) it's not so easy to dig tunnels south of the river b) all the nice new early-20th-century suburban developments were in that direction. c) the East and South had lots of overground railway lines, courtesy competing 19th-century railway companies.

It would be worse, but the Central line grabbed a lot of ex-Liverpool-Street suburban lines in the 1940s.

― caitlin (caitlin), Monday, 12 May 2003 14:48 (twenty-two years ago)

What that map exposes most clearly is the enormous gap around the Hackney area.

HACKNEY TUBE NOW.

― N. (nickdastoor), Monday, 12 May 2003 14:52 (twenty-two years ago)

But the reason for that gap is the overground services out of Broad Street and Liverpool Street, which might not be there as much now but were very busy a hundred years ago.

― caitlin (caitlin), Monday, 12 May 2003 14:56 (twenty-two years ago)

I have lots of photos similar to Gareth's Greenwich Park one, some even with added ilxaz wandering across the grass. Good to compare with Turner's:

http://content.barewalls.com/closeup/c9Tsa917tuc.jpg

The Millbank Tower gives a good view looking down on the Houses Of Parliament, heh heh. Also East towards the City & Docklands where reality seems to conflict with tourist perception of London geography as described above.

― Mooro (Mooro), Monday, 12 May 2003 15:02 (twenty-two years ago)

i like the deer in the foreground

― stevem (blueski), Monday, 12 May 2003 16:00 (twenty-two years ago)

willesden platform is ok, but london seems so far away from there.

where is this? i feel ignorant.

― toby (tsg20), Monday, 12 May 2003 16:03 (twenty-two years ago)

i assume Gareth meant Willesden JUnction (7 stops North West of Baker Street) elevated BR platform altho the view doesnt strike me as that great (you can see the BT Tower in the distance ahead of about 15 lines of rail heading south towards the city, but not much else if i recall right)

― stevem (blueski), Monday, 12 May 2003 16:15 (twenty-two years ago)

Bear in mind gareth's over-enthusiasm for his adopted home.

― N. (nickdastoor), Monday, 12 May 2003 16:21 (twenty-two years ago)

Gareth lives on Willesden Junction station?

― caitlin (caitlin), Monday, 12 May 2003 16:27 (twenty-two years ago)

He wishes.

― N. (nickdastoor), Monday, 12 May 2003 16:46 (twenty-two years ago)

i have no love for willesden.

― gareth (gareth), Monday, 12 May 2003 16:47 (twenty-two years ago)

You disappoint me.

― N. (nickdastoor), Monday, 12 May 2003 16:50 (twenty-two years ago)

Why is it harder to dig tunnels South of the river? Is it because the land is full of empty and unstable mining seams and the decomposed skeletons of plague victims?

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Tuesday, 13 May 2003 07:11 (twenty-two years ago)

It's very chalky and prone to collapse, in Victorian times, tunnelling in this sort of condition was beyond their capabilities.

― chris (chris), Tuesday, 13 May 2003 07:15 (twenty-two years ago)

Taxi drivers still take this attitude, of course.

― N. (nickdastoor), Tuesday, 13 May 2003 07:17 (twenty-two years ago)

("I'm not going south of the river at this time of night mate - it's very chalky and prone to collapse")

― N. (nickdastoor), Tuesday, 13 May 2003 07:18 (twenty-two years ago)

especially after the great taxi driver killing subsidence disaster of 1954.

― chris (chris), Tuesday, 13 May 2003 07:40 (twenty-two years ago)

There is no tube in Hackney because it is a bloody great MARSH!!!

― kate, Tuesday, 13 May 2003 07:45 (twenty-two years ago)

MARSHY TUBE LINE-cum-WATER CHUTE NOW!

― N. (nickdastoor), Tuesday, 13 May 2003 07:55 (twenty-two years ago)

Ew. N's turned into some kind of bawdy stream-of-consciousness machine.

― Tim (Tim), Tuesday, 13 May 2003 08:22 (twenty-two years ago)

Bad mang.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Tuesday, 13 May 2003 08:24 (twenty-two years ago)

cum?

― Mark C (Mark C), Tuesday, 13 May 2003 08:41 (twenty-two years ago)

NOT THAT KIND OF CUM

― N. (nickdastoor), Tuesday, 13 May 2003 08:42 (twenty-two years ago)

Hackney Log Flume - now that would be fun

― stevem (blueski), Tuesday, 13 May 2003 08:45 (twenty-two years ago)

*reminds Nick where I'll be sleeping in 4 days time.

― Mark C (Mark C), Tuesday, 13 May 2003 10:31 (twenty-two years ago)

Not in my bloody bedroom if that's what you're thinking.

― N. (nickdastoor), Tuesday, 13 May 2003 10:37 (twenty-two years ago)

ten months pass...

Reason for revive - trying to prove that Matt DC had found a massag3 parlour in Blackh3ath.

Anyway - North London - London blue clay - easy to tunnel. South london - London shale. prone to filling in. Southern railway had also been building close in to Waterloo and Lunnon bridge since 1830 and had an extensive network. If we could just get the frequencies right and turn overland South London trains into coloured lines on the map, North londoners would feel better. They need coloured lines to feel safe.

― Dave B (daveb), Saturday, 20 March 2004 16:33 (twenty-one years ago)

This really should have been a picture thread.

― El Diablo Robotico (Nicole), Saturday, 20 March 2004 16:34 (twenty-one years ago)

Just getting the frequencies right = Hercules thirteenth task that he couldn't complete and was hushed up by his PR dude.

― Ricardo (RickyT), Saturday, 20 March 2004 16:38 (twenty-one years ago)

http://www.angelfire.com/wy/bby2k/view.jpg

― jel -- (jel), Saturday, 20 March 2004 17:07 (twenty-one years ago)

RickyT sadly OTM.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Saturday, 20 March 2004 17:12 (twenty-one years ago)

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