please empty your brain below
London, lets play outdoors initiative not National....blah blah, meh. What was it? A competitor to the annual City of London Festival? Nice views though.

B | 25.07.19 - 7:52 a.m. | #

I think it is a great idea! London’s variety of green spaces has always been an asset: this could be a way of making us all even more proud of them, and maybe, reducing the number of gardens being replaced by tarmac

Thomas | 25.07.19 - 8:29 a.m. | #

Number One Poultry, that's the pink striped building, isn't it? I've been up there once, on a guided walk in the City. Aren't there some people who have taken the quick way down from there?

Leuconoe | 25.07.19 - 8:35 a.m. | #

As a cynic, I share your views on the motivation of the Mayor. However, London is fortunate to have wonderful open green spaces, and many are often under-appreciated.
Bravo for the parks and gardens, but you can keep the elitist roof-tops (even though the views are impressive).

Frank F | 25.07.19 - 9:19 a.m. | #

No.1 Poultry was built in the 90s. It replaced the stunningly beautiful Mappin and Webb building which was disgracefully demolished c.1989. For anyone who thinks the current Duplo set is striking take a moment to see the building that was sacrificed in its name.

A crime against London

dg writes: Updated, thanks.

daveid76 | 25.07.19 - 11:00 a.m. | #

Although there's a lot of them about, pictures of London's skyline are always welcome to me. Since you are rather good at taking them, I'm glad this rather odd pretext provoked some more nice ones.

Malcolm | 25.07.19 - 11:29 a.m. | #

I say it's worth a go, and would argue that every gap in a back garden fence for hedgehogs a National Park City makes. Looking at their website, it's certainly an incremental thing. It's rather like how when the current generation of Northern line trains was introduced, they had multi-purpose bays before any step-free access was possible. 20 years later, many platforms have gained humps to allow boarding and more stations are step-free, and it's starting to make sense.

Considering how London was the first mega-city, and is still a growing 'world city' it has a privileged defining characteristic that wherever you are, you are invariably within sight of vegetation or trees, something you can't say for many denser/higher cities. It's worth developing that, so it gets my thumbs-up.

NickW | Homepage | 25.07.19 - 1:36 p.m. | #

Thanks to National Park City Week, last evening I tried Stand-up Paddleboarding for the first time; they offered free taster sessions at Fairlop Waters. It was brilliant: equipment provided, instructors to help, temperatures of 30’C, smooth water, gentle breeze. Always wanted to try it, and delighted to find I could.

Lorraine | 25.07.19 - 3:13 p.m. | #

No.1 Poultry - not to everyone's taste, but it is now grade II* listed.

At least we didn't get the slab-sided bronze carbuncle designed by Mies van der Rohe in the 1960s. More on this at Apollo and the C20 Society.

Andrew | 25.07.19 - 5:20 p.m. | #

Interesting blog on the day when South London actually had a National nature reserve “presented”. It’s in the wonderful Happy Valley and Farthing Downs, known, by you as the best part of the London Loop.
https://nationalparkcity.london.gov.uk/events/0d064ad3...

Robert Butlin | 25.07.19 - 10:04 p.m. | #

No 1 Poultry; currently most of the ground floor of the building, including what was a very useful escalator from street level to Bank station, is closed to the public for refurbishment.
The restaurant gardens on the top floor had become a well known 'jumping off place' which possibly gave the restaurant some publicity. We had lunch there (excellent) and afterwards went out for a walk round the garden, we were watched very closely by a security guard the whole time.

amber | 26.07.19 - 10:06 a.m. | #











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