The Gherkin (London)

the Gherkin, London

I’m an old-fashioned gal. I don’t appreciate much modern art (sorry, but I just don’t understand it) nor do I like modern ugly apartment buildings. I think that castles and palaces of bygone eras showed more our engineering and artistic abilities than any modern-day skyscrapers. I might be wrong but who would say that some modern-day church is more beautiful than St.Peter’s basilica in Vatican? (apologies to all architects out there, this is simply my ignorant opinion).  I appreciate Art Nouveau style and Art Deco and that’s as modern as I get.

But there are a few contemporary architecture gems that I really like. What a surprise one of them is in London. Of course, it’s the Gherkin. That’s just its informal name by which it’s widely known but its actual name is the name of the street where it is: 30 St Mary Axe. It’s in the financial heart of London known as the City Of London. It was opened in 2004 and it’s 180m tall. It’s not the tallest building in London but it’s definitely one of the most interesting ones. During my first visit to London back in 2006 my BFF and me wandered around the City of London because we wanted to see the famous Llyod’s building. It’s really fascinating but in the end I liked better the Gherkin:)

Llyod's building
Llyod’s building

What can I say? The Romans would say: De gustibus non disputandum est or in English In matters of taste, there can be no disputes or more known as There is no accounting for taste (that’s just me showing off my Latin language knowledge). One of the reasons I love London so much is this mix of the old and the new. So, after all I might not be as traditional or old-fashioned as I believe I am. But maybe London is just an exception to the rule 🙂

London
the old &the new

London

What’s your favourite modern building in London or in the world?

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31 thoughts on “The Gherkin (London)”

  5. hahaha funny, I think the same as you when it comes to modern art! I think that one of the reasons I love Europe so much is to be able to encounter old architecture. I don’t mind the modern, I liked how London has this contrast, but I certainly do prefer the old, original 😀
    I think in terms of modern buildings, nowadays I am still impressed by the Burj Khalifa in Dubai 😀

    Thank you for joining #MondayEscapes

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  6. I’m a fan of the Gherkin as well…I love old architecture but when modern is done well it’s incredibly striking. I love that we have a fantastic mix in London and it all seems to blend in well together #mondayescapes

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  9. I’m all about modern art and architecture. My favorite building is the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles by Frank Gehry (it’s very similar to the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, but I haven’t visited that one) #mondayescapes

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  10. I’m a fan of the Gherkin too; I’d love to be able to go inside. I’m not sure that I’m so keen on all of the new skyscrapers in London though, it’s really changing the cityscape and I rather liked it when it was low rise. #Mndayescapes

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  11. I’m with you – I definitely prefer older architecture, and it often amazes me the detail you get in something hundreds of years old. But I am a fan of the Gherkin as well, and I love the way London’s skyline mixes the old with the very new. #mondayescapes

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  13. I love 30 St Mary Axe! It is such a beautiful building. I loved the Shard for a long time too and photographed it from when it was a hole in the ground. I also lovely 20 Fenchurch – the Walkie Talkie building, no matter what people say about it.

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