Hidden Halls of Greenwich & Cadmium of Canary Wharf

Yikes!  It's been an entire week of radio silence, but in that time I've completed my semester-long research paper (which I submitted just a few minutes ago) and seen some pretty amazing things.  The submission is bitter-sweet.  On one hand, I am so glad not to be worrying about it anymore and I'm quite pleased with the product (hopefully my professor and graduate assistant agree!).  On the other hand, because I've lived and breathed this for MONTHS, I guess I'm having a little separation anxiety.  But, never fear, because I still have to prepare a presentation for my next (and final *sniff*) class.

Pedestrian tunnel beneath the Thames

But enough of that because I am here to catch you up on my London adventures.

On Monday, I returned to Greenwich via Canary Wharf and the Isle of Dogs with my architecture class to see some incredible interiors that I missed last time (week 1 seems like forever ago!).  These interiors are part of Christopher Wren's Naval building, which sits on the riverfront, down the hill from the Royal Observatory, and straddles the meridian line.  Today, some of Wren complex is still the Royal Naval Academy, and the others house the University of Greenwich.  (We walked under the Thames through the pedestrian tunnel that connects the Isle of Dogs, which looks like a peninsula because of the sharp bend in the river, to Greenwich.  It felt and looked like a never-ending passageway ... I wouldn't fancy being down there if the lights went out!)  The Painted Hall is inside the Western Hemisphere building (the building has a real name, but this is more interesting), and was painted by Sir James Thornhill.  It is one of the most beautiful buildings I've visited!

Just across the courtyard, we visited a chapel in the Eastern Hemisphere building.  This interior was actually done by 18th century Pennsylvanian James Stuart.  Before we stepped inside, all I could think was "there is NO WAY this could top the Painted Hall."  I don't think it did, but the chapel was very impressive.  The best part was the white marble sculptures along the wall of the balcony section (I think this is the choir section) ..... but wait ..... they weren't sculptures at all!  These Athenian style figures were PAINTINGS made to look like 3D sculptures!  It honestly felt like I was losing my mind before I realized what was going on.

Chapel, Greenwich, Eastern Hemisphere

Painted Hall, Greenwich, Western Hemisphere

I know I went out of order in this post, but I just had to mention Greenwich first.

JP Morgan (left) and (probably) another bank, Canary Wharf

We actually started our adventure at Canary Wharf, the newest part of London, in a matter of speaking.  Located east of the City and east of Tower Bridge, Canary Wharf is where London's first tall buildings appeared ... ahem ... thank you, Mrs. Thatcher.  This part of London is where the Thames starts to get significantly wider and therefore the perfect place for the docklands.  When the docks started to shut down, Thatcher wiped the slate clean by implementing ZERO building restrictions in this area (which is why there are so many sleek tall buildings); remember those protected sight lines in the City? They don't exist here.  In fact, many of these buildings are built ON the docks, which means that every time a new one goes up, engineers have to make sure they don't overflow the canal.

Layers of Canary Wharf

Canary Wharf is what my professor refers as "Corporate America London" because it is a planned area, with straight streets and a layered look.*  The irony, though, is that the "center piece" of Canary Wharf (the tallest building) is One Canada Square ... a whopping 50 stories!**  And, if that wasn't enough, it is flanked by the Bank of America tower on one side and Citi Bank on the other.  In my opinion, it looks a bit like Chicago, with a canal running through the center, bridges, and elevated trains.  You would NEVER see this amount of layering in the City of London.  There are underground parking structures and train stations that weave between the buildings - you never really know if you are, in fact, standing on the ground level.  Also, there is no trace of old architecture - everything is covered with metal and glass.***  The only reason why the City of London remains the real financial center of London is because the Bank of England is still there.  Also, the Canary Wharf Tube station was designed by my professor's husband, Gerard Evenden, and it even won the award for best transportation center design in 2001 (I believe the station was built for the millennium).  It feels like a huge concrete cavern.  I know that sounds strange, but the design lets in a LOT of natural light, which is really nice because the Underground primarily operates underground.

Canary Wharf Tube, South Entrance

And, speaking of tall buildings, my last architecture field trip is over London Bridge to the top of the tallest building in Europe, THE SHARD.  And, while Londoners are quite proud that it is in their city, it was designed by an Italian architect - practically the only skyscraper in London NOT built by Rogers or Foster!

I didn't realize this was going to be such a long post!  Thanks for reading!


* It is this way because it was planned by a group of American and Canadian developers, which is also why the buildings are not as fantastic as the ones in the City of London.
** You would recognize One Canada Square from any movie with London - it has what looks like a big white pyramid on top.
*** Cadmium is an element on the periodic table (#48) and is a silvery-white metal.