LondonLife
LondonLife – Kew Gardens’ new Carbon Garden…
A cutting edge ‘Carbon Garden’ opened at Kew Gardens on 25th July with the aim of revealing the critical role carbon plays in sustaining life on Earth, the scale of the climate crisis, and the “extraordinary potential of the natural world to combat it”. The permanent new garden features a selection of herbaceous perennials which illustrate the dramatic rise in global average temperatures over time, a dry garden which showcases how we can work with plants to adapt to a changing climate, more than 20 new trees selected for their resilience to projected future climate conditions, a rain garden and bioswale which, among other things, illustrate the ways we can manage waterflow, prevent soil erosion, and reduce flooding, and carbon storage. and grasslands, wildflower meadows and native hedgerows which aim to boost biodiversity. At the centre of the garden is a pavilion designed by Mizzi Studio which is inspired by the symbiotic relationship between the plant and fungal kingdoms, and is created using low-carbon, natural materials. Admission charges apply. For more, see www.kew.org/kew-gardens/whats-in-the-gardens/carbon-garden
LondonLife – Bold play in Hyde Park…
LondonLife – Eel Pie Island (from above)…
LondonLife – Remembering 7/7…
London paused on. Monday to mark the 20th anniversary of the terror attacks which took place on the 7th July, 2005.
Fifty-two people died in the attacks and hundreds were injured when three suicide bombers struck at 8.50am in the vicinity of Aldgate, Edgware Road and Russell Square Tube stations. A fourth device exploded at 9.47am on a bus that had been diverted via Tavistock Square.
On Monday, the names of all those killed in London’s 7/7 bombings were read out at the National Memorial Service at St Paul’s Cathedral. In Hyde Park, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and Mayor of London Sir Sadiq Khan laid wreaths at the 7/7 Memorial, marking the time when the first bomb exploded.
Commemorative events were also held at the sites where the bombings occurred.
In a message to mark the anniversary, King Charles III said his “heartfelt thoughts and special prayers remain with all those whose lives were forever changed on that terrible Summer’s day”.
“We remember with profound sadness the 52 innocent people who were killed in senseless acts of evil – and the enduring grief of their loved ones. We recall, too, the hundreds more who carry physical and psychological scars, and pray that their suffering may ease as the years pass.”
The King also called on people to “remember the countless stories of extraordinary courage and compassion that emerged from the darkness of that day”.
“The selfless bravery of our emergency services, transport workers, and fellow citizens who rushed towards danger to help strangers reminds us of the very best of humanity in the face of the very worst.”
LondonLife – Battleship perspective…
LondonLife – Passing under Southwark Bridge…
LondonLife – Trooping the Colour…
More than 1,000 soldiers and 200 horses from the Household Division took part in the King’s Birthday Parade, also known as Trooping the Colour, on Saturday.
LondonLife – Japanese print master Utagawa Hiroshige writ large…
The work of Japanese artist Utagawa Hiroshige has entered the digital realm thanks to a partnership between the British Museum and Outernet London. The collaboration centres on a animated reimagining of Hiroshige’s print Ferry on the Fuji River, Suruga Province from Hiroshige’s Famous Places in Japan series (1832). Using state-of-the-art technology, the installation transforms what was a serene landscape into a large-scale digital experience across Outernet’s 16K wraparound screens. The installation, which can be seen for free in the Now Building until 7th September, complements the British Museum exhibition, Hiroshige: artist of the open road which invites visitors on a journey through Edo Japan. For more, head to outernet.com. For more on the exhibition, see britishmuseum.org/hiroshige.
LondonLife – Looking down Whitehall…
LondonLife – Bridge reflection…
LondonLife – Scenes from the RHS Chelsea Flower Show…
It’s that time of year again and the flowers are blooming at the annual RHS Chelsea Flower Show which started today and runs until Saturday. Here’s some images from this year’s event…
For more, head to https://www.rhs.org.uk/
LondonLife – Tunnel vision…
LondonLife – VE Day remembered 80 years on…
London commenced four days of national commemorations for the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe – known as Victory in Europe (VE) Day – on Monday.
A military processions of about 1000 members of the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force made its way from Parliament Gardens along Whitehall before turning through Admiralty Arch and down the Mall to Buckingham Palace. Some 23 aircraft were involved in a flypast.
Tea parties were also held across the country to mark the event, including at Buckingham Palace and 10 Downing Street.
LondonLife – London in bloom…
LondonLife – Cambridge completes a clean sweep at The Boat Race…
CCambridge took the honours over Oxford in both the men’s and women’s races as well as both reserve races and the lightweight men’s and women’s races in the annual rowing event on the River Thames in west London on Sunday.
The Light-Blues won the men’s race by five-and-a-half lengths – their sixth victory in seven years, while the women won by two-and-a-half lengths in their eighth consecutive win.
There was controversy when the women’s race had to be restarted – the first time its happened on the Championship Course (the women’s race moved there in 2015 having earlier been held at Henley-on-Thames and before 1977 on the River Isis in Oxford and the Cam in Cambridge – and history was also made in the men’s race with Sarah Winckless the first female umpire.
The first men’s race was held in 1829 and the first women’s in 1927. It takes place over what is known as the Championship Course which covers 4.25 miles between Putney and Mortlake.
For more on the race, see www.theboatrace.org.
LondonLife – View of Westminster Bridge…
LondonLife – View down Whitehall…
LondonLife – Swans on the Serpentine…
LondonLife – Parliamentary pinnacles…
Exploring London 
