The screen in this one is apparently the smallest size to qualify as an IMAX ever, which seems a little bit pathetic, although knowing that the entire building is built on rollers so that vibrations from the Jubilee line (Which runs right underneath the complex) do not disturb the movie-going experience do something to alleviate this inadequacy. I've been to this IMAX twice (You enter it by going underground) and compared to for example the IMAX in the Luxor Hotel, Las Vegas, it is definitely smaller. In the foreground of this picture you will see a rare example of the old phoneboxes, I've had difficulty finding these old-style ones around but we fortunately seem to have 2 in quick succession.
Round the corner from the Franklin-Wilkins Building (Named after the people who did the experiments that discovered DNA, Watson and Crick just processed the results and stole the credit) is our main administrative building the James Clerk Maxwell building. As every KCL has drilled into his head, Maxwell's most productive years were spent at King's when he served as head of the Physics Department, the well known Maxwell equations were derived at King's as well as many other things, I would elaborate, but it gets drilled into us so often it's painful extracting the memories so please excuse me.
This is a nice brief photo, where there is currently a poster advertising Burger King used to be a very attractive poster promoting Katy Perry, several of my friends wept when they took it down, ah the lonely life of a Physicist. And under the Railway arches is a popular hangout for Physicists during lunch breaks called (I kid you not) Fishcotheque.
Back to the Waterloo bit, yes it's a station in London, but it's a very pretty station. Every once in a while I find myself there and I marvel at the sheer beauty of the architecture, maybe everyone notices it, maybe everyone is too busy to notice it, but I notice it.
How is it difficult not to stand back and admire all the effort the stonemasons must have put into carving these intricate figures, modern day gargoyles of the past with of course Britannia gazing atop all.
Some close-ups of the masonry, this particular work is in memory of all the workers for the Railway company who died during World War 1. I am not sure who is represente by the figures, I shall try to find out in future.
And as I said before Britannia standing over all of them, holding a torch (presumably symbolising freedom and liberty and all that jazz) The wire nets you notice, I believe they're to stop pigeons from doing their business all over the sculptures (Yes I've noticed how I've referred to them differently each time). I hope that at some point they'll get around to cleaning the work, a lot of building in London used to suffer from this problem of black buildings, all that smog and dirt from the Victorian era never quite got washed off until the last 10 years or so. London's quite a pleasant place now, not as black and grimy as it used to be.
Inside the station, I love how the Victorians were able to make you feel like you were outside even when you were inside, the whole place feels so light and airy. The first time I visited Waterloo, I kept checking the ceiling to make sure that I really was undercover, as the photo below illustrates, the side walls do reinforce that illusion.
The clock at Waterloo is apparently quite famous, loads of people agree to meet under the clock before travelling together there so it seems apt to finish this post with an image of the clock.
Apologies for any shakiness, I was trying to do these things one-handed.
....And alright my friend bought a new battery charger and the unboxing is below:-
1 comment:
Pretty! ... I haven't been to Waterloo station, but it does look like you're outside.
I've had difficulty finding these old-style ones around but we fortunately seem to have 2 in quick succession. That's odd... when I was in London in 2005 they were everywhere I went. But then again, we were in tourist parts. :)
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