Posted in Chinatown, city life, Photography, Religion, Singapore, singapore photo of the day, temples, Travel, travel photography, Uncategorized, tagged CBD, old meets new, Photography, Singapore, Singapore photo of the day, skyline, Sri Mariamman Temple, temple, Travel, travel photography, views on November 24, 2015| Leave a Comment »
The Sri Mariamman Temple is the oldest Hindu temple in Singapore and was founded in 1827, eight years after the East India Company established a trading settlement in Singapore. Today it is a stone’s throw from Singapore’s Central Business District.
The rural South Indian mother goddess Mariamman is a protector against diseases.
Views in Singapore’s Chinatown are a mix of the old and the new.
Posted in Architecture, British History, Landmark, Views, tagged Architecture, Christopher Wren, History, Landmark, Le Havre, Monument, the Volcan, tube stops, views on September 23, 2010| 1 Comment »
www.themonument.info
Open Daily: 09.30 – 17.30 (last admission) 17.00
Phone: +44 (0) 207 626 2717
Ever wonder why there is a tube stop called Monument? I didn’t, but it didn’t surprise me to learn that there was an actual monument there. I don’t expect there to be a real Chalk Farm or an actual Elephant and Castle, but we all know there is a Tower Bridge and a Marble Arch. Sometimes tube stop names are still relevant, sometimes they are not.
Monument
The Monument was built in the 1670s to mark the rebuilding of London post the Great Fire of 1666.The structure, built by Sir Christopher Wren is 202 feet tall which is the distance between the monument and the location that the fire began.
Plaque on the Monument
Everything before the fire that wasn’t built of stone was a goner. The city must have felt so new and young in the years directly after the fire as a whole new generation of architecture made its way to the forefront. Wren built 51 churches after the fire. Would he have ever had such an opportunity? Would he be a common household name otherwise? What would the cityscape look like now if there had never been such a destructive event?
This type of opportunity intrigues me. I’m reminded of cities like Le Havre, France that were completely bombed out during WWII. The city now feels strangely overwhelmed by immediately post WWII design. If the whole city hadn’t needed to be rebuilt, would Oscar Niemeyer have found another forum for his googly hand?
Niemeyer's The Volcan in Le Havre
Anyway, for £3 you can climb the 311 steps to the top of the Monument and take in the views. Honestly, you can get better views in other structures around London, but it is neat to try and imagine where the fire started. If the monument were to topple over, there is a chance you would land there.
Views from the top of the Monument
Views from the top of Monument
While the climb up got narrow and uncomfortable, the climb down made me really dizzy and claustrophobic. Flip flops were a bad choice of footwear. At one point I lost a shoe and decided it was safer to make the remainder of the trip barefoot.
Dizzzzzzzzy.
As I exited, I was awarded a nice little certificate to show off that I had made the journey to the top. The certificate depicted how the Monument appeared when it first opened. Nice touch.
Drawing from Certificate, courtesy of http://www.themonument.info
Bottom Line: It’s a good way to contemplate the Great Fire of 1666. I am glad I did it once, but I don’t think I need to do it again. Wear appropriate footwear.
Texas on Thames 