London, through the eyes and camera of David Bull

David takes us on a privileged London tour through his beautifully framed pictures. First, we go to Palm House, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Built between 1844 and 1848, the Palm House provides a hot and humid environment - an indoor rainforest that houses tropical plants from some of the most threatened environments in the world. You can climb up to a balcony that runs round under the roof, from where this picture was taken.

 

On the way to the Great Pagoda in Kew Gardens, we admire a cherry blossoming to then reach the Great Pagoda, that was completed in 1762 as a gift for Princess Augusta, the founder of the Gardens. It was one of several Chinese buildings designed for Kew by Sir William Chambers, who had spent time travelling and studying the architecture of East Asia. It offered one of the earliest and finest bird’s eye views of London.

Part of the Barbican Estate, a residential complex of around 2,000 flats, maisonettes, and houses in the City of London. It is in an area once devastated by World War II bombings and a prominent example of British brutalist architecture built in the 1960s and ‘70s. It includes lakes, gardens and balconies with hanging plants – a haven in the midst of central London.

Columbia Road Flower Market on Mothers’ Day. This traditional East End market started in 1869. It is now open every Sunday and has become a tourist attraction. On Mothers’ Day, it is at its busiest. The East End's love of cut flowers and plants stemmed from Huguenot French immigrants.

The Dome of St Paul’s Cathedral at sunset. Architect Christopher Wren was commissioned to build a new cathedral after the previous one was destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666. The new cathedral wasn’t completed until 1711. The Dome was one of the last parts to be finished. After his retirement Wren often visited the Cathedral to sit under the dome. After one such visit on the 25th of February 1723, he fell ill and was found to have died in his sleep at the age of 91. He is buried in the Crypt of the Cathedral.

St Paul’s Cathedral – a wider shot showing part of the Churchyard Garden. The churchyard garden is part of the precincts of St Paul's and is an important part of its setting, as well as providing valuable open space for public use. The garden was laid out in 1879 by Edward Milner, designer of private gardens and public parks. The garden includes winding footpaths, fountains, sculpture and seating, and features lawns and mature trees and shrubs, as well as a lovely rose garden.

The Shard at sunset. The 309.6 metres (1,016 feet) tall, 72-storey skyscraper, designed by the Italian architect Renzo Piano, is the tallest building in the United Kingdom, and the seventh-tallest building in Europe. There is a viewing gallery and open-air observation deck on the 72nd floor, at a height of 244 metres (801 ft). It was completed in 2012 and is 95% owned by the State of Qatar.

A wider view, taken from the pedestrian Millennium Bridge, including the lights on the embankment on the north side of the River Thames, showing Southwark Bridge, with London Bridge behind it.

Tower Bridge from Millennium Bridge. Tower Bridge is a suspension bridge in London, built between 1886 and 1894. The bridge is 800 feet (240 m) in length and consists of two 213-foot (65 m) bridge towers connected at the upper level by two horizontal walkways. It can open to allow shipping and remains an important traffic route with 40,000 crossings every day. It is sometimes confused with London Bridge, about 0.5 miles (800 m) upstream, which has led to a persistent urban legend about an American purchasing the wrong bridge. The brick towers on the left of the picture are part of Cannon Street railway station.

The London Eye with the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben across the river to the right. The “big ben” tower is actually called the Elizabeth Tower (named for the late Queen’s Diamond Jubilee in 2012). The name Big Ben refers to the bell inside the tower. The tower was covered by scaffolding for more than 4 years during recent repairs but this was removed in April 2022. The London Eye is Europe's tallest cantilevered observation wheel and is the most popular paid tourist attraction in the United Kingdom with over 3 million visitors annually. The structure is 135 metres (443 ft) tall, and the wheel has a diameter of 120 metres (394 ft). It opened to the public in 2000 and is always now the centrepiece of the New Year’s Eve firework display.

View of St Paul’s Cathedral from the Tate Modern art gallery, with Millennium Bridge in the foreground. Construction of the pedestrian bridge began in 1998, and it initially opened on 10 June 2000. Londoners nicknamed it the "Wobbly Bridge" after pedestrians experienced an alarming swaying motion on its opening day. The bridge was closed later that day and, after two days of limited access, it was closed again for almost two years so that modifications and repairs could be made to keep the bridge stable and stop the swaying motion. It reopened in February 2002.

XUNICEF members may be interested in the shot of the annual Soccer Aid celebrity football match in aid of UNICEF, held at the London Stadium (the venue for the 2012 Olympics).