County Hall

I’d suggested we head out to Canary Wharf to take pictures of London’s tallest buildings before winter is gone and the darkness comes later. I wanted to catch the steam coming off the top of One Canada Square before winter is behind us and it turns too warm.

So, we met in front of Bush House and walked along the river as far as the Millennium Bridge, where we crossed over and took pictures on the South Bank. It was a perfect night for photos. Enough movement on the water for long exposures to freeze the motion and give the surface a glassy, reflective quality. Sufficient people passing by on the banks for them to soften the hard edges of the architecture as they swept by as blurs on each frame.

But it was so very cold. We spent a couple of hours taking pictures as the skies darkened and the temperature continued to drop, and I wished I’d brought my gloves.

By the time we got to Bermondsey, our fingers were stiff, and we jumped on the tube, to cut off the corner to Canary Wharf, the station whose design was apparently inspired by Stromberg’s Liparus. You can certainly see its influence in the shapes of the support columns, which look like submarine conning towers.

We never did get those pictures, though. We had some food and drink, and sat looking up at the buildings, but it was still too cold to stay still for long, and so we drifted off to warmer spots and eventually, as the cafes and restaurants were turning out, towards the station and home.

So they stay on the photo to-do list, but I’m still quite happy with what I got. The South Bank - even on a cold winter’s night - can put on a good show when it must.

HMS Belfast

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