Draper Gardens, London 16/7/06

[paulo999]

Well I hadn't planned any exploring this weekend... then I get a call from Si o Doom. Where are you? How soon can you be in the city? Do you have your camera gear?

Answer: Wimbledon, be with you in 45 minutes, and yes I've got the heavy fucking lot... please no climbing.

Well, no climbing fences... but oh man... 60 flights of stairs, up to the 30th-ish floor. Spent an hour or two photographing the skyline and waiting for the sun to set. Not one of London's finest I'd say, but still good.

The view? Well, it's higher than the London eye.

It took a little while to find the viewing balcony. Some bits at the top are blocked off with asbestos removal. Very seriously done too... full poly sheeting seal, 8 foot long decontamination shower units, boxes full of protective suits, respirators, filters et al. So we decided not to "puncture" through the "seal off" and went another way round to get to the balcony.

Great stuff. One of those ones where you think... shit, if only we had some beers!

And of course, due credit to Robsey for getting this one first. :)

28th-ish floor...

http://static.flickr.com/76/191168107_f0443ce314.jpg

Same floor still, this one shot through grubby windows, before Si found the balcony above...

http://static.flickr.com/56/191169354_3a3c7d2207.jpg

Tower 42 (or the Natwest Tower as us oldies remember it...)

Now we're on the balcony and the shots are somewhat clearer :)

http://static.flickr.com/45/191170318_e4c6903983.jpg

Canary Wharf "cluster", then Swiss Re hiding behind Tower 42...

http://static.flickr.com/77/191171173_78232facf0.jpg

And where's that plane going? City Airport... so Millennium Mills of course ;)

http://static.flickr.com/57/191171877_cdbe41362f.jpg

Si...

http://static.flickr.com/53/191174165_145886a43a.jpg

A well known church, London...

http://static.flickr.com/59/191176352_5b6a0eaec4.jpg

A popular art gallery, near the Thames...

http://static.flickr.com/53/191175725_9cc72ce75e.jpg

Tower 42 again...

http://static.flickr.com/62/191177556_6f27acbef5.jpg

http://static.flickr.com/47/191180377_67470284cf.jpg

And finally, the Barbican towers...

http://static.flickr.com/53/191165199_a5d5310b13_b.jpg

[si o doom]

Right then my two penneth on this one. I was in town on unrelated business (buying my new lens :D) And taking a random wander around the city to see what looked good, I spotted this

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a210/si-o-doom/london/Drapers%20gardens/Drapergardens.jpg

And so i decided to have a butchers, spotted a clowns pocket and thought wow you could get some great shots from up there :D

Gave Paulo999 a quick buzz and luckily he was in his way home with all his camera gear ETA 1/2 hour, So after choking down some food I met him at the tube and we headed in, the walk up the stairs was Lots of fun.......In fact if you remember the scene in ghostbusters where they are headed up the stairs to fight the bad guy near the end.........kinda similar :D

Got to the top and got a few good shots through the windows

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a210/si-o-doom/london/Drapers%20gardens/P999Drapers.jpg

then we spotted a viewing level one floor up, so away we went hunting through the plant rooms to find a way out there (WARNING: If you go DO NOT GO IN THE ASBESTOS CHAMBER, there is another way out)

Once on the roof its a good long way down too :D

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a210/si-o-doom/london/Drapers%20gardens/Longwaydown.jpg



We then spent the rest of the evening snapping away and be-moaning the fact we didn't bring any beers!

Heres my best shots of the day


http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a210/si-o-doom/london/Drapers%20gardens/Londonpowerwarm2.jpg

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a210/si-o-doom/london/Drapers%20gardens/Leavinonajetplane.jpg

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a210/si-o-doom/london/Drapers%20gardens/BTtowerorange2.jpg

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a210/si-o-doom/london/Drapers%20gardens/Canarywharfwarm.jpg

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a210/si-o-doom/london/Drapers%20gardens/Sunsetbarbican2.jpg


And with a bit of tweaking you can be on "bespin" (nerd prize for anyone who knows were that is :D )

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a210/si-o-doom/london/Drapers%20gardens/Moorgstetowersunset.jpg


Or watching world war 3 kick off

http://i12.photobucket.com/albums/a210/si-o-doom/london/Drapers%20gardens/LondonNuke.jpg

[paulo999]

Disco, tonight...

http://static.flickr.com/57/193000180_a853f55a3a.jpg