In which Westminster Abbey and the Palace of Westminster (Houses of Parliament) come into view and we cross over the River Thames upon Westminster Bridge
The fact that London is the destination for countless travellers from all over the globe makes this the greatest city anywhere, in my opinion. London is innately able to draw all nationalities to itself. Part of that, of course, stems from its imperial and colonial days, still at times controversial and sometimes embarrassing for the Brits, I think. But one of the byproducts of being one of the largest empires in world history (at its height England controlled a quarter of the world’s population and a third of its land mass), is that the peoples of many, many of the countries once, or still, part of the Commonwealth, and many others, land here either temporarily or permanently and they find their people, their community. This creates the ingredients for the most fascinating melting pot anywhere.
The next leg of our London photo walk takes us directly to the control center of the British Empire, Westminster. On the day after Christmas, Westminster Bridge was extremely crowded, much more than usual, which is saying something. It was understandable, though, given the views one has of Westminster Palace (the Houses of Parliament) and the Thames and Southbank from the bridge and the fact that many families from all reaches of the world met up in London for the holidays.
We’ll end this third leg of the walk at a new memorial which I didn’t know existed until now. It is created simply, with painted heart upon painted heart, and is located directly on the other side of Westminster Bridge: the National Covid Memorial Wall. There are so many painted hearts on this wall, each one representative of a life snuffed out by the Modern Plague.
The sun had set by the time I reached Westminster, so I opened up the aperture of my camera lens and increased ISO incrementally as the ambient light dimmed. Some of the photos from here on out might be a bit blurrier and noisier, not unlike London the day after Christmas, after the sun sets!
I’d love to know if any of the above photos strike a chord with you and why, if you’d like to share! Architecture? Covid? Scam artists on Westminster Bridge? What do you think?
Thank you for joining me on this walk through London in black and white! The Lightshare Letters is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber. Thanks, again!
I think my fav is the one you lead with at the top of the letter. Beautifully framed and the subject matter is alone stunning. You captured a good one! Of course all of the photos are wonderful to look at and enjoy. It’s funny seeing life in another place.😁
I think my fav is the one you lead with at the top of the letter. Beautifully framed and the subject matter is alone stunning. You captured a good one! Of course all of the photos are wonderful to look at and enjoy. It’s funny seeing life in another place.😁
I enjoyed the statues. Our history is so important. Interestingly, women in Utah were granted suffrage in 1895.