Wandering in the City

St Botolph without Aldgate. Originally built around 1100, first rector called Norman,(Thinking about this he may have been Norman rather than called Norman!)  demolished as unsafe in 1739 and rebuilt. (Read about the history of St Botolph here)
30 St Mary Axe, (The Gherkin), designed by Norman Foster and completed in 2003. Built on the site of The Baltic Exchange, damaged in an attack by the IRA in 1992. There were plans to keep the facade of this building but it was too badly damaged. Apparently parts of it are in Tallin in Estonia, to be reconstructed. (Not sure if it has been yet!)

St Andrew Undershaft, almost right under the Gherkin. Named for the shaft of the maypole which used to stand opposite it, until it was destroyed in 1547 for being a pagan symbol. This church was built in 1532, and there has been a church on this site since the twelfth century. There is building work going on all around in this area, and it is strange and lovely seeing the old churches amongst all the steel and glass.

 One of the panes of glass fell out of this building in 2005. All the other panes were checked!

 It was the second plan for this site. Originally plans were submitted for a tower called The Millennium Tower which would have been 386 metres tall. This was not approved as it was out of scale to other buildings in the city and would have disrupted main flight paths. The 30 St Mary Axe building is 180 metres tall and does not have a huge footprint. I like the way you can walk around the bottom of it quickly. It is always windy when I have been there and there is a statue of a windblown woman nearby. I like it from nearby and far away. I think it is the curviness I like. It looks more friendly than some of London's other skyscrapers.

Windblown woman!