Juxtaposed in London

Juxtaposition. That’s what Patti wants from us for this week’s Lens-Artists Challenge. The unexpected frame-pairing.

I thought immediately of London, of a shot I took a while ago now showing the Gherkin, begun in 2001. Nearby, in the foreground, is one of London’s oldest still-standing buildings, the Tower of London, begun almost 1000 years before, in 1078. One, a glass and steel landmark in London’s present-day financial district: the other a foresquare stone monument to royal power, to Norman dominance, and to conquest. One is peopled by office workers – financiers. The other, once upon a time, by royals, nobility, and political prisoners. It’s my featured photo.

Let’s continue down the Thames on the waterbus service, the Thames Clipper. It’s easy to spot new development – apartment complexes for more moneyed citizens, with rusting old ships and barges tied up in the shallows.

We’ll leave our Thames Clipper at Greenwich, and walk up towards the Royal Observatory. Let’s join the crowd leaning over a balustrade to look at the city beyond. They echo and complement the skyscrapers they’re looking at.

Nearby, in Woolwich, an unlikely garden. A cracked and battered wall serving as an impromptu flower pot.

My last London shot is a slightly incongruous juxtaposition. Mudchute Farm, a community city farm and charity is on the densely-populated Isle of Dogs, surrounded by city life in all its forms – tower blocks, offices, social housing, businesses old and new. How mis-matched it feels to wander among farm animals browsing in their fields with the nearby back-drop of the high-rise development at Canary Wharf.

Thanks, Patti for an interesting challenge. I thought I couldn’t come up with anything. But I (sort of) got there in the end.

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Author: margaret21

I'm retired and live in North Yorkshire, where I walk , write, volunteer and travel as often as I can.

50 thoughts on “Juxtaposed in London”

  9. For someone who thought they couldn’t come up with anything, you’ve done a great job! I love the sightseers in Greenwich and even more the wall in Woolwich, while the city farm is especially incongruous 😀

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  10. London IS a great choice for juxtapositions. The silhouettes against the skyline and your final image are my absolute favorites here. Now, I want to see the Isle of Dogs. I’m so glad you joined us.

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  15. Very nice. London is very giving. My daughter once lived on the Isle of Dogs in a shared house. I recall walking past Mudchute to Greenwich on a particularly freezing December morning!

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      2. My friend Google says ‘Alpacas are more popular than llamas in the UK primarily due to their smaller size, docile temperament, and highly prized, soft fleece. With over 40,000 in the UK, they are favoured for petting, fibre production, and therapy, while llamas are generally larger, less affectionate, and used more for guarding or packing’. Not your American experience then?.

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