Under and over London

Much concern in the press this week about the risk to UNESCO World Heritage status of the Tower of London and the Palace of Westminster due to what Simon Jenkins calls the 'phallic obsession' of Ken Livingston and Boris Johnson. It seems that the Tower could be downgraded thanks, in particular, to the Shard. Next door to London Bridge and casting its shadow over the Tower, the dazzling 66-storey block will be the tallest building in Europe when it is finished. And the Westminster Abbey is likely to be blighted by the 43-storey Doon Street tower, to rise immediately behind the National Theatre on the South Bank, higher than the London Eye and visible from everywhere in west London. Will future generations curse us for this high-rise mania, I wonder?
Buildings are driven ever higher in London by the rising cost of real estate so one solution is to go underground instead. A brilliant idea from a new company called the Old London Underground Company is to recover and refurbish 26 empty tube stations. deep-level shelters and caverns to use as nightclubs, meeting rooms and members clubs as well as tourist attractions. For sure the Old Vic Tunnels have become very popular very quickly and the Rotherhithe Shaft, built by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, is on my 'to do' list , to see before Christmas. The ups and downs of London life .... love it !