Capturing a Moment in Time - Holborn Viaduct

A camera card is such a wonderful thing.  No longer worrying about whether there is enough film.  No longer checking that the subject is just perfect before clicking for that one and only shot.  However, the down side... why take 10 photos when 303 will do!!  Yes, the last trip to London shocked me when I got back and the amount of photos that were taken.  303 useable photos (there was double that before I started deleting!).

For our trip to the Museum of London, we got off at Holborn Station and decided to walk to St Pauls.  This was mainly so I could be quietly selfish and enjoy walking through the streets without being pulled and pushed around on the tube.  

There are certain places in London that are an absolute joy to walk around at the weekend as they are practically deserted.  Holborn is one of them.  The old and new are happily married here and I just love to see how the modern buildings have quietly shuffled up close to the old buildings and enhanced them, along with helping with their preservation.  We were just passing through, but when I looked through the camera card, I felt that this moment in time warranted its own blog post.  The reason?  Well just this shot!  

Isn't it amazing that with a click of the camera you capture something that just inspires you.  When I captured this building, I was really excited with the old building, Sixty London (Amazon Headquarters) and old chimney pots in the distance.  

Sixty London is an amazing modern building (which was described as a building of razors by Miss Teen) on Holborn Viaduct .  However, the old looking building was where my curiosity lay though with its restored stonework and the beautiful red lamps outside and iron work.  On the four corners of the viaduct are these particular memorials (which after researching them I understand to be step-buildings as their stairs link Farringdon Street to the Holborn Viaduct).  This one has Sir Hugh Myddleton above the North East door - Sir Hugh was a goldsmith and entrepreneur from Wales in the 1500's.  The original building was demolished after World War II due to the Blitz damage, however here it is back to its former glory made with Portland stone and the intricate carvings in place once again.

Amazon's Headquarters, even though dark on the outside, is a beautiful modern building of glass complete with some quirky curves to keep with the rule of being able to view St Pauls.  The step-building should look out of place, but it contrasts perfectly and shows that the old and new can look beautiful side by side.

On the North West corner is the Sir William Walworth step-building and behind this another modern building containing offices and shops cuddling up to its corners.  Sir William was Lord Mayor twice in the 14th Century and a distinguished member of the Fishmongers Guild, where his sword is displayed at the Fishmonger's Company.

To me this is the reason I love London.  The eccentricities of the buildings and the pockets of time all captured and living next to each other.

Behind the South West corner where Fitz Eylwin is immortalised (the first Mayor of London), lies a busy worksite which no doubt will join the other corners of modern architecture enhancing this particular step-building.

The Viaduct also has four ornate bronze statues depicting the fine arts, agriculture, commerce and science.  Behind the statue of Agriculture stood the last step-building on the South East corner - a memorial to Sir Thomas Gresham, who worked for King Edward VI, Mary I and Elizabeth I.

This walk of just a few metres above Farringdon Street made me feel uplifted and truly inspired.  The brightly painted ironwork against the white Portland stone was striking and I was lucky enough to come across a website by Patrick Baty here which shows the layers of paint through the decades and some historical facts which I found really interesting.

Even though our visit to this tiny little corner of London was just a walk through on our way to St Pauls and London Wall, the visual splendour will remain with me always.  

The camera card captures moments that make us smile, but sometimes just clicking away and then coming home you realise that that moment can teach you so much.  Next time I am here I will take more detailed shots for the memory books!

After another short walk we were playing Peek a Boo with St Pauls... but that's for the next blog post.

I hope you enjoyed this moment in time and that your holidays were full of capturing moments.