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London From Above
Welcome to London - one of the most cosmopolitan and energetic cities in the world. An international hub of trade, finance, politics and culture, it is a city rich in tradition, tragedy, and triumph, each layer adding to London's unique character.
St Paul's Cathedral, the Palace of Westminster, Tower Bridge and the Tower of London are just a few of the city's more historic buildings, but equally eye-catching are the London Eye, the Gherkin, and the UK's tallest building at Canada Square.
Castles and Royal Palaces sit comfortably alongside modern buildings, busy thoroughfares and the vibrant infrastructure of a thriving metropolis.
St Paul's Cathedral, the Palace of Westminster, Tower Bridge and the Tower of London are just a few of the city's more historic buildings, but equally eye-catching are the London Eye, the Gherkin, and the UK's tallest building at Canada Square.
Castles and Royal Palaces sit comfortably alongside modern buildings, busy thoroughfares and the vibrant infrastructure of a thriving metropolis.
32 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 31, 2016
These large format 'From Above' series books really are something to behold. Authors Adrian Warren and Dae Sasitorn operate their own Cessna 182G out of a tiny farm strip close to their home. They purchased the four-seater aircraft in May 1999 in order to develop a new wing-mounted camera system for cinematography. And this is the aircraft they use for their exciting aerial shots of here, there and everywhere. But not on this occasion were they able to use the Cessna for over London it is not permitted to fly a single engine fixed wing aircraft in case of engine failure. The Cessna had, therefore, to be abandoned in favour of a helicopter. Fortunately the quality of the photographs has not suffered one jot because of this enforced change.
Probably the most spectacular image in the book is the centre double-page spread, which is 24 inches by 16 inches. This is a view of the Palace of Westminster, with the River Thames in the foreground and a view of London in all its majesty stretching out to the far horizon - absolutely breathtaking! The accompanying text concentrates on the Palace and Big Ben, which the authors inform us stands 100 meters tall with the great bell that was cast in Whitechapel in 1858 weighing in at 13.5 tons.
The Tower of London and Tower Bridge take on a fresh perspective when viewed from above and we learn that the last prisoner to be held at the Tower was Rudolph Hess in 1941 and that the Bridge was built in 1894 because the east end of London had become so densely populated that a bridge was urgently required.
More modern edifices among the photographs are the Thames Barrier, the piers built on solid chalk over 15 metres below the level of the river and the huge steel gates weighing up to 1500 tonnes each; the faithful reconstruction of the Globe Theatre, the Millennium Wheel (aka London Eye), which at 135 metres high is the tallest observati0n wheel in the world - it is also London's fourth tallest building -; the now closed Millennium Dome; the 41-storey Gherkin, a round tapered building designed by Norman Foster; Tower 42, which for 10 years from its completion in 1980 was the tallest building in the United Kingdom; 1 Canada Square, now the tallest building in the UK; and Canary Wharf, so named because many of the imports originally received at Canary Wharf when it was a cargo warehouse emanated from the Canary Islands.
These images sit comfortably alongside many old favourites such as Trafalgar Square, where Landseer's lions, so spectacular close up, look minuscule from the air, Lord's Cricket Ground complete with media 'carbuncle', the impressive St Pancras and King's Cross Stations, and Piccadilly Circus (where Linda and I dined just down Haymarket the day after our marriage - the restaurant can just be seen in the corner of the photograph) with its small statue of the Angel of Christian Charity, designed by Alfred Gilbert and nowadays regarded as the Greek God of love, Eros.
And there are many more in this colourful and spectacular selection of London views 'From Above'.
Probably the most spectacular image in the book is the centre double-page spread, which is 24 inches by 16 inches. This is a view of the Palace of Westminster, with the River Thames in the foreground and a view of London in all its majesty stretching out to the far horizon - absolutely breathtaking! The accompanying text concentrates on the Palace and Big Ben, which the authors inform us stands 100 meters tall with the great bell that was cast in Whitechapel in 1858 weighing in at 13.5 tons.
The Tower of London and Tower Bridge take on a fresh perspective when viewed from above and we learn that the last prisoner to be held at the Tower was Rudolph Hess in 1941 and that the Bridge was built in 1894 because the east end of London had become so densely populated that a bridge was urgently required.
More modern edifices among the photographs are the Thames Barrier, the piers built on solid chalk over 15 metres below the level of the river and the huge steel gates weighing up to 1500 tonnes each; the faithful reconstruction of the Globe Theatre, the Millennium Wheel (aka London Eye), which at 135 metres high is the tallest observati0n wheel in the world - it is also London's fourth tallest building -; the now closed Millennium Dome; the 41-storey Gherkin, a round tapered building designed by Norman Foster; Tower 42, which for 10 years from its completion in 1980 was the tallest building in the United Kingdom; 1 Canada Square, now the tallest building in the UK; and Canary Wharf, so named because many of the imports originally received at Canary Wharf when it was a cargo warehouse emanated from the Canary Islands.
These images sit comfortably alongside many old favourites such as Trafalgar Square, where Landseer's lions, so spectacular close up, look minuscule from the air, Lord's Cricket Ground complete with media 'carbuncle', the impressive St Pancras and King's Cross Stations, and Piccadilly Circus (where Linda and I dined just down Haymarket the day after our marriage - the restaurant can just be seen in the corner of the photograph) with its small statue of the Angel of Christian Charity, designed by Alfred Gilbert and nowadays regarded as the Greek God of love, Eros.
And there are many more in this colourful and spectacular selection of London views 'From Above'.
April 9, 2020
My late wife and I toured London in August 2011 and visited most of the sights shown in this book. The pictures were Great!
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews