BLIMEY! IT’S A BIRD, IT’S A PLANE, IT’S A SCOFFLAW!
There are shy and law-abiding tourists and there are scofflaw adventurers. The defiant latter include the authors of London Rising: Illicit Photos From the City’s Heights, which chronicles a determined quest to see the sights normally viewed only by birds, construction workers and aircraft pilots. Bradley L. Garrett, Alexander Moss and Scott Cadman stealthily gained access to many of the English capital’s tallest buildings and construction sites.
ROOFTOP BIRTHDAY PARTY, LOOKING TOWARDS THE GHERKIN
A birthday BBQ, looking out over a cityscape that includes “The Gherkin,” an office building so nicknamed because of its distinctive shape. The Gherkin is for wealthy business people, not open to the general public — except for these guys, who don’t ask permission.
THE SHARD RISES AND YOU CAN SHUN EUROPE FROM HERE
Definitely not your average view of The Shard, the 95-storey skyscraper in the London Bridge area of Southwark that opened four years ago this month. It’s not only the tallest building in the United Kingdom, it’s also the tallest building in the European Union — until “Brexit” happens, of course.
THE CHEESEGRATER COULD FRAY YOUR NERVES
The two-year-old skyscraper at 122 Leadenhall St. is known as “The Cheesegrater” for its resemblance to a certain parmesan-shredding kitchen tool. It also seems to fray the nerves of these aerial adventurers, who call it one of the most difficult buildings to access in London — but oh, that view!