HMS Belfast

 

HMS Belfast was launched in Belfast on St Patrick’s Day 1938 and was the largest and most powerful cruiser in the Royal Navy. She played a crucial role escorting Arctic convoys to the Soviet Union during 1943.
In June 1944 Belfast spent five weeks in Operation Overlord supporting the D-Day Normandy landings. She reportedly fired one of the first shots on D-Day. From 1950-1952 the ship played an active role in the Korean War. She is now preserved by the Imperial War Museum.  http://www.iwm.org.uk/visits/hms-belfast



 HMS Belfast's bell, Silver ship's bell, bearing the arms of the City of Belfast. The inside of the rim

has various names engraved on it, as the bell (inverted) was used as a font and those baptised were

named here, in naval tradition.

 

The view from the bridge, today looking upstream over the river Thames.

 

These are the forward A and B Turrets each holding three of the twelve

 6-inch guns, each capable of delivering a shell onto a target 12½ miles away.

 

 

Bunhill Fields

 

 This cemetery can be found just off London's City Road.

 

It is a little oasis of calm in the city with tombs of some famous people, ...

 

 ... including writers John Bunyan

 

... and Daniel Defoe and William Blake.

 

Doggett's Coat and Badge Race

The Doggett's Coat & Badge Race takes place annually on the Thames between London Bridge and Cadogan Pier (Chelsea).  It is the oldest rowing race in the world with up to six River Thames apprentice watermen taking part in a race which has been held every year since 1715.

 Here we see the traditional watermen's red coat with a 

silver badge being worn by previous winners of the race.

The rowers are followed by the umpire's motorlaunch 'Panache'.

 This year the race was watched by The Duke of Duke of Edinburgh, the first time since 1951.

 

 The flotilla of small boats follow the race upstream to the finish at Chelsea.

Le Tour de France 2014

Stage 3 Cambridge to London

 The flag seller walks along the route in London's lower Thames Street 

 before the crowds and cyclists arrive at great speed!

 All of a sudden the Peloton comes around the corner and are gone past within twenty seconds!

Just behind the main Peloton come more riders including André Greipel of team Lotto-Beliso.

Wilton's Music Hall

Who would think that a small pair of doors .........

.... is your way into the last remaining Victorian Music Hall.

This year is it was one of the many indoor venues for world music.

All part of the Cultural Co-operation World City Music Village.

http://www.culturalco-operation.org/

World City Music Village 2014

This year Cultural Co-operation held their world music festival at the Natural Trust's beautiful 

Osterley Park and House. The Saturday was wet at times, the Sunday was better, but the weather

did not effect the wonderful quality of the music from around the world by London based artists.

London Nocturne 2014

Cyclists of all disciplines were back this year to race the 1.1km circuit around Smithfield Market.

 

 From the very serious cyclists ......

 

..... to the fun riders on "Boris Bikes". Special Yellow edition to celebrate the

Tour de France starting this year in Yorkshire.

Bankside views by night

 The lights of the City are at their best as the sky begins to darken.

The "Cheesegrater" and  the "Walkie Talkie tower" are majestic when lit up!

The Dog and Pot

"My usual way home was over Blackfriars' Bridge, and down     

that turning in the Blackfriars Road which has Rowlands Hill's

Chapel on one side, and the likeness of a golden dog licking     

a golden pot over a shop door on the other."                           

                                                 Charles Dickens  1812 - 1870 

                 

 What Dickens saw on his way home as a child was the sign on an ironmongers shop

It is now commemorated by a new "Dog and Pot!" at a spot in Union Street at it's

junction with Blackfriars Bridge Road, Southwalk.

  

      This is in the pavement with details of the shop.

   

Charlie lived in Kennington.

On the corner of Methley Street and Bowden Street, Kennington is a tiny space that is a tribute

to Charlie Chaplin. The Blue Plaque, seen above, is on the house where the family once lived.

Charlie's Patch is opposite The Camera Club which was founded in 1885.

The property that is now home to The Camera Club was once a pickle factory. One of

its workers was Charlie Chaplin’s father! Hence the Chaplin lived just across the road.

thecameraclub.co.uk

London Nocturne 2013

The speed Kings and Queens of the road were racing around Smithfield Market again.

Competitors in the Leigh Day Kermesse.

Chelsea Flower Show 2013

This was my first visit to the RHS show in the grounds of the Chelsea Hospital.

 Here are some of my inpressions of their 100th anniversary show.

There were lots of people and of course lots of flowers and gardens.

There were the big show gardens. This one is the Arthritis Research UK Garden

created by Chris Beardshaw who was diagnosed with a form of Arthritis, when a teenager.

The SeeAbility Garden. Designed to give an impression of the effects of various types of sight loss. Created by Darren Hawkes.

This garden was a load of old rubbish. It was constructed of mostly recycled materials.

The Cancer Research Garden, After The Fire by James Basson. This is a small section of it,

 designed to show how a South of France landscape can regenerate after a forest fire.

Some "gardens" were just flights of fancy.

The local residents were also interested to see what was going on in their grounds.