Nine Days in London

NINE DAYS IN LONDON

LONDON JULY 14 through

JULY 22

2O12 P H O T O G R A P H Y B R A D

H A A N

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T E X T

W I L L

B Y

M Y E R S

NINE DAYS I

IN LONDON

FARNBOROUGH COUNTRYSIDE & AIRSHOW

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y first days in England were spent outside London in Farnborough, to participate

in the 2012 International Airshow.

It was a huge contrast – staying at an Eighteenth Century country estate Four Seasons Hotel, while expolring the latest aerospace technology. The rolling countryside was expansive, with small hamlets and classic pubs. The airshow itself was an extravagant display of 21st Century technology, advancement and, of course, airplanes.

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SATURDAY FIRST DAY: RAIN

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ill arrived in the afternoon We first headed for Canary Wharf and our new hotel. My disappointment gave way to resolve as we

started the trip in typically wet London weather. I knew that the gray skies were as much a part of the city as any day. Still, the sun broke through a couple times. We didn’t have time to really explore, so we settled for a quick first ride on the ferry, under the Tower Bridge past the damp waterfronts for a sweep around the government buildings and then back for dinner at what became our favorite pub, The Gun.

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SUNDAY DAY TWO

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e felt a strong need to really push forward and take the day, despite what the skies were doing. Cool, slightly

breezy, with sudden dark skies. Then, clear again. The ferry was like taking a 15-minute tour up the Thames.

We started at Charing Cross, walked through Trafalgar Square, Theatre Row and back, next heading west on Pall Mall, through Whitehall past Downing Street and on to Parliament, Westminster Abbey, and through Dean’s Yard. Signs of the impending Olympics were everywhere, including huge groups of students from all over Europe. We had to negotiate around cordoned-off parks and security personnel surrounding massive viewing stands.

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St Martin-in-the-Fields

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Theatre Row

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Admiral Lord Nelson

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Carlton House Terrace

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Admiralty Arch

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Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs and the Treasury

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Westminster Abbey

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Dean’s Yard

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The Westminster Cloisters

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Houses of Parliament

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The Globe Theatre

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MONDAY DAY THREE

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estminster Abbey has a long-standing policy of no photography inside the main sanctuary. I was devastated, but

not completely undone. We sought out and were granted an audience with the Abbey’s librarian, who resides in a magical, ancient set of rooms above the Cloisters. The main room housed a series of two dozen twelve-foot high bookcases filled with thousands of unbelievably rare leather-bound volumes. At the end was a blackened, majestic fireplace above which hung an equally ancient portrait of Charles II. We wound our way up a tightly circular oak staircase to her offices, where she sold us these images of the Poet’s Corner. They are copyrighted on the back “Dean & Chapter of Westminster.”

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Methodist Central Hall 102

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St. James’s Park Transportation Station

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Covent Garden 108

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TUESDAY DAY FOUR

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Sir Walter Raleigh’s Prison Quarters

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he first five hours of Tuesday were spent inside the Tower.

The grounds and exhibits go on forever. The Royal Family Crown Jewels were extraordinary, as you would

expect. But the armor and historical displays in the Tower were extensive and breathtaking as well. We took a break and went back to Canary Wharf, before setting off again for dinner and a nighttime tour of Leicester Square, The Trocodero, Chinatown and Trafalgar.

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WEDNESDAY DAY FIVE

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ithout much break in the weather, we took the Tube to Temple, and scoured

the legal district until we found the Temple Church, built by the Knights Templar. We wound our way past the Royals Courts of Justice, through the commercial streets until we found St. Paul’s, then on to the financial district and Barbican, where we unexpectedly came across the city’s original Roman walls, re-discovered and excavated after the bombings of WWII.

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Royal Exchange

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Roman Ruins at Barbican

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THURSDAY DAY SIX

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hursday started with a naval adventure to Greenwich, just south of Canary Wharf. One of Britain’s larger aircraft carriers was in port

there to serve as a command center for Olympic security.

The Cutty Sark’s restoration was miraculous, the ship was pristine head to toe, bow to stern. Much of the Maritime Academy was shrouded in Olympic security and construction, but we were able to find a few good angles. And the sun re-emerged. We then rode back into the city to wind up at Buckingham Palace, Piccadilly Circus and Soho.

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London School for Boys 206

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FRIDAY DAY SEVEN

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e started to feel the trip in our legs and heads as we set out to explore Kensington Gardens.

The day was a huge contrast of black rain storms and brilliant sun. We passed again through Barbican to capture all the sleek new architecture, which rose in complete contrast right next to 17th Century neighborhoods and Roman ruins. London was like this everywhere, a striking mix of super new and historical old. At the Prince Albert Memorial, a violent storm broke and we were forced to seek refuge and have cappuccinos in the lobby of the Royal Albert Hall. We eventually ended up in Chelsea, dined at The Orange and shared a toast with a wonderful couple out for a birthday celebration.

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Kensington Palace & Gardens 263

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SATURDAY DAY EIGHT

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ur last full day was bittersweet. We started with a stroll through Canary Wharf with all of its towering glass,

then took the Tube to Mayfair. We walked north and west past Marble Arch through much of Hyde Park, then back around to Paddington Station and the Lancaster Tube stop. We emerged at Holborn, winding our way to the Viaduct – ending up at the Smithfield Market and a pub called The Red Cow. We closed our trip with one last dinner at The Gun, where we were greeted by name – and made our goodbyes to our truly wonderful hosts and waiters.

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High Holborn Street

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SUNDAY NINTH DAY

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unday was very short, as our trip home was the main event. I managed a few photos from our cab as we sped to the

airport in the early afternoon. Of course, the weather had turned brilliant, cloudless and perfect, but that weather will be for another time – our next visit. We drove straight through the heart of town, as if on a re-cap of our trip. A week later, watching the coverage of the Olympics on television, all we could think about was where we had been, and how familiar it all was. Nine days is never enough, but how many would be? Regardless, we felt like native Londoners now. And that will be the best memory of our trip.

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LONDON, EN

NGLAND 2O12

♚ Photographed in July, 2012, just before the London Olympics.

Authored, designed and published in August & September, 2012.

Typeset in Goudy Old Style, Gotham Book and Trajan Pro. All images in this book were photographed by the authors and document the trip to London, England of Brad Haan and Will Myers. Š 2 0 1 2 BR A D H A A N All rights reserved.

No portion of this work may be copied, reproduced or used in any way without the prior written consent of the author.