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    My NYE in London

    United Kingdom

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    Visitors The final visit and also part of the journey home was to be one of London’s oldest rivers, The Fleet. We had decided earlier on that the only way to get away from the crowds on a busy NYE in London, would either to be up high or underground - as we had already spent half of the evening 12 stories up, there was only one option left... The River Fleet is London’s largest subterranean river, and gives its name to Fleet Street which runs from Ludgate Circus to The Strand. It rises in 2 places in Hampstead Heath and flows approximately 4 miles to the Thames. In Roman times the Fleet was a major river, in Angle-Saxon times it was still a free flowing river and joined The Thames through a marshy tidal basin. Many places in London have derived their names from wells situated along its banks, such as Clerkenwell and Bridewell (Bride’s Well) and the waters were reputed to have healing qualities. By the 13th Century its waters were considered to be polluted and in the years up to 1780 it slowly became more of a sewer and dumping ground than a river. Eventually it was covered over and now is mostly used for rain water relief in very wet weather. The works to cover the Fleet were carried out during the Victorian times, with proposals from Sir Christopher Wren (architect of St Pauls Cathedral) and as expected the Victorian works are incredibly ornate, especially for structures that were never intended to be on show. Whilst being underground has its inherent dangers, the Fleet is considered relatively safe due to its predictable flow and position so close to the surface which leads to good ventilation. At times it is only 2 feet below the road’s surface. So concludes the story of our evening, hopefully it is something a little bit different. In a world that is increasingly safe and secure (at least in Surrey), I think it is important to try get some adventure wherever you can. We all do it in our own way and in whichever way we can afford, but I hope that this shows a willingness to explore and hopefully enough of a talent to be nurtured by Jason! This really would be a wonderful opportunity and something I really think I’m ready for! Thanks for readin my journal Alex McMillan by: alexmcmillan Views[203] Show Time With ten minutes to go, we focussed on The Wheel, poured another glass of mulled wine and got ready for the action. 20 minutes later as the last fireworks died out (and we had also been joined by some of the staff of the Savoy) we decided to pack up and head on to the next location. by: alexmcmillan Views[247] The Battle of Waterloo With midnight fast approaching we decided it best to find a good viewpoint to watch the show. Of course, trying to get anywhere in London - even at the best of times - is a mission in itself. Thanks to a bit of research and planning we quickly came upon a set of stairs in a back alley and, after waiting for the right moment, ascended above the crowds on the street. After many flights of stairs we found ourselves on the roof of the Savoy Hotel with a wonderful view of Waterloo Bridge (so packed with people that I thought it might collapse), huge amounts of boats on the Thames, The Houses of Parliament, The London Eye and Millennium Bridge. We were ready to enjoy the show. by: alexmcmillan Views[278] In Control After a scout around, the entrance was located and, after squeezing through some very tight spaces, we set about finding the good bits. Much of the interior of the building is now gone, with no generators or really anything of note in the main bulk. There were, however, two virtually untouched control rooms, which would once have controlled the supply of power to most of South London. The station is the largest brick building in Europe and despite numerous efforts at restoration (most recently by a Malaysian company who purchased the site for £400million) it has remained abandoned. Aware that we had other things to see, we made a visit to this London gem a quick one. by: alexmcmillan Views[217] Battersea Power This is the story of our 2012 New Years Eve adventure. The preceding weeks had been spent in a state of confusion, mostly due to the fact that not one of us could decide upon a good plan for NYE - the usual pub/club/bar options were simply too uninspiring to even think about. With a visit from some of the northern gang on the cards, we decided to plan an evening outing to remember! Picture one shows our first target – Battersea Power Station in South London. BPS is a decommissioned coal fired power station located on the south bank of the River Thames. The station ceased to generate electricity on 1983 and has since become one of London’s best known landmarks. It is a grade 2 listed building and owes much of its fame to numerous appearances in popular culture from a shot in the 1965 Beatles film“ Help!”, appearances in heavy metal band Judas Priest’s video for hit single “Another Thing comin’” and its image also being used as the cover art for Pink Floyds’ 1977 album “Animals”. by: alexmcmillan Views[256]
     

    Photos: My Scholarship entry - A 'place' I have visited

    Thursday, 4 Jul 2013 | Photo Gallery | Scholarship Entry

    The moment I saw this competition, I felt as though it had been designed for me! I have been seriously interested in photography for around 5 years. My father was an advertising and fashion photographer, but the bug didn't grab me until I was 21 or ... Read more >
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