A Year in Pictures – 21 to 26 April 2015 – The Kingdom of Men and The Kingdom of Heaven

Here is another miscellany of shots as I catch up with the backlog of the past week.

21 April
Looking west along Leadenhall Street. St Katharine Cree, the only complete Jacobean church in London, holds its own against the upstart Cheesegrater (the latest addition to the skyline by Richard Rogers, or at least his minions) and the rather more established and more likeable Gherkin – sounds like the beginning of a salad recipe.

22 April
Red double-decker buses crossing London Bridge show that they do indeed travel in groups, while against the glowering sky the Walkie-Talkie demonstrates once again what an overbearing addition it is to the cityscape. Imposed on London by a forgettable Secretary of State in the teeth of objections and previous planning refusals, it sticks out like the proverbial thumb. The winds whipped into a frenzy by its bulging shape have, as well as nearly bowling over pedestrians making their way along Fenchurch Street, also blown in some its own internal doors.
Behind the Cheesegrater lurks the unfinished Pinnacle, a central service core and not much else. The project ran out of steam and money and its embryonic remains will be disappearing—the ambitious swirly pointy design failed the test of providing floor space that people actually wanted to rent. London awaits with interest whatever will replace it.

23 April
Lloyd's of London, the Richard Rogers building that stands opposite his (or his minions') Cheesegrater on Leadenhall Street, and to which is tacked part of an earlier incarnation of the great insurance market. Finished in 1986, the building was granted Grade I listing in 2011, and is thus the youngest ever to receive such high statutory recognition and protection. It is famous for exposing its service pipes, lifts and other viscera on its outside, and is an example of the architectural style known as "Bowellism". Classy!

24 April
The spring blossom has been especially lush this year, it seems. Here is some from Moor Mead in Twickenham that caught my eye on the way home from French class.

25 April
Rosemary, my favourite herb, in flower in my back garden.

26 April
Cloudscape seen from the rear of my house as the sun began to set.