City views: the best views, vistas and sights in the City
With its extraordinary marriage of ancient and modern architecture, iconic buildings and colourful history, the City offers up some great views – from the quietly-beautiful to the mighty and awesome. Here’s ten.
1. St Helen Bishopsgate and 30 St Mary Axe
See the extraordinary juxtaposition of two magnificent buildings – the 13th-century church of St Helen’s Bishopsgate nestling up to Foster’s mighty ‘Gherkin’.
Where? View from Great St Helen’s EC3 (off Bishopsgate)
2. Gibson Hall and Tower 42
Set against the dramatic backdrop of Tower 42, the statues aloft Gibson Hall provide another stunning example of the contrast between old and new. This view is particularly dazzling when the sun hits in the early morning and glints against the windows of the tower.
Where? Corner of Threadneedle Street and Bishopsgate EC2; view from the east pavement of Bishopsgate
3. Girdlers’ Hall and City Tower
The area in front of Girdlers’ Hall has just undergone a major facelift and the public space this provides – with its garden and benches – provides the perfect vantage point to look at the Hall (a post-war rebuild). Set against the backdrop of City Tower, the marriage of the two buildings is both strange and beautiful.
Where? Corner of Coleman Street and Basinghall Avenue EC2
4. St Paul’s Cathedral
St Paul’s Cathedral is magnificent whatever angle it is seen from. The view from the Southwark side of Millennium Bridge with the bridge sweeping up to the Cathedral’s south face though, is difficult to beat.
Where? View from the Southwark side of Millennium Bridge (outside the Tate Modern)
5. Tower Bridge from London Bridge
Another City icon, Tower Bridge is recognised the world over. Its imposing Gothic towers are so often the close-up used on postcards and in films and most approaches to the bridge are dominated by their presence. Perhaps the best way to appreciate the bridge in its entirety though is face-on from the river – this can be done from London Bridge.
Where? Eastern pavement of London Bridge
6. City views from the Tower Bridge Walkways
The Walkways at Tower Bridge provide some of the best views of London. Enjoy spectacular vistas as part of a trip to this much-loved visitor attraction, which charts the history and construction of the bridge in its permanent exhibition.
Where? Tower Bridge
7. Leadenhall Market
Restored to its original Victorian splendour, with shops, bars and eateries lining its cobbled alleyways, Leadenhall Market is always worth a visit. Spare a few minutes to gaze up at the ceiling above the central part of the marketplace –magical.
Where? Leadenhall Market
8. Number One Poultry
Built in 1998 by architect Sir James Stirling (of the Sterling Prize fame), 1 Poultry houses offices, shops and eateries. A little known but exceptionally unusual view can be had by looking up when entering the central section of the complex via Bucklersbury Passage.
Where? On the corner of Poultry and Queen Victoria Street (enter via Bucklersbury Passage EC2)
9. The Barbican from Beech Gardens
Built in 1982, the Barbican complex achieved Grade II listed status in 2001 and has been heralded a fine example of Brutalist architecture (the term deriving from from the French béton brut meaning raw concrete). The best way to appreciate this much-debated style as well as the complex itself is by venturing into its heart…
Where? Beech Gardens EC2 (take staircase from corner of Aldersgate Street and Long Lane to raised walkways)
10. Bank Junction
Stand on the steps of the Royal Exchange and enjoy an almost 360º view of some great examples of 18th and 19th-century architecture – the Royal Exchange itself (built in 1844 and now home to luxury and designer shops); Sir John Soane’s masterpiece, the Bank of England; and Mansion House (the residence of the Lord Mayor of the City of London).
Where? The steps to the Royal Exchange are located on the junction of Cornhill and Threadneedle Street EC2