The Shard London - Moods and Views
Earlier this week I posted a photo of the Shard on social media and it reminded me how often I’ve taken photos of this iconic London landmark. As promised here is a blog where I’ve gathered together 16 images of the Shard in very different moods and views. Along with my top 10 Shard facts.
Since 2012 when I stood underneath it for the lighting up ceremony, the Shard (short for the longer nickname of The Shard of Glass) has become a familiar and loved part of the city skyline - visible from a huge amount of vantage points in London.
You can click on any of the images below to see them in full size, then click on the cross to exit.
I took the first two images below at New Year 2023/24. We had a brilliant viewpoint on the river for the countdown and a perfect spot for capturing the Shard, Tower Bridge and St Pauls in the distance. The tall building with the lights on top, on the left of the Shard, is Guys Hospital.
This second wider angle scene is one I love for the smokiness of the air. When the fireworks at the London Eye are going off, you might think from seeing it on TV that they’re the only ones, but there are fireworks, small and large, being fired off in 360 degrees.
I was standing right next to the calm river, my camera was fixed on the tripod for the best angle so that I could relish the scene and the moment as well. I was enjoying the sounds of the other people around us, clinking glasses and shouting out Happy New Year! The fireworks were exploding every second and the ships were blaring their horns. The sounds of celebrations across the city drifted across the water. All this for me is captured in this one image.
The next one goes back to March of 2020 when the top of the Shard was lit in blue to honour the NHS and essential workers during the pandemic. On this evening the sunset coloured the sky in a deep orange and the blue contrasted perfectly. It’s also unusual in that there are very few lights on in the building.
My next one is from the following year in February 2021. The pandemic and lock downs did seem to drag on forever I remember. The Shard top is still lit in blue and this is what I wrote at the time:
“Last night I saw the light at the top of the Shard reflected in the Thames. The light is lit almost every night and during the pandemic it’s been lit mostly in blue. So you would think that it’s not unusual to see the reflection in the Thames. It is though! I look at that view often and rarely see the reflection. Thinking about it, it seems that the right combination of strength of colour of the light, the height of the river due to tides and the calmness of the water all play a part. After all, the Shard is a couple of miles away across the river as the crow flies.
So, when I had the chance yesterday I jumped at it. I’m pleased with this photo although it would have been nice if the glow from the street lamps had lined up artistically or symmetrically with the blue reflection. That’s photographers for you. Always chasing perfection!”
The next two were taken in completely different weather conditions. The first is on a snowy day in February when the snow was falling lightly and there were white rooftops and a snowy riverside path. Tugboat Assassin motors upriver to give a bit of colour to the scene.
The next is on a sunny day. In certain conditions the Shard becomes a magnifier for the sun and I’ve heard that the whole of one face of the glass becomes blindingly white and projects rays. I hadn’t seen it in person until this day when I was able to capture it. The effect here is partial but it’s still pretty spectacular.
The next photo was of an event on 8 June 2020 when the Red Arrows and the Patrouille de France flew over London to commemorate 80 years since Charles de Gaulle gave a speech to occupied France from London. I chose to capture it in with the Shard in the frame and this was the result.
10 FACTS ABOUT THE SHARD
At 309.6 metres, the Shard is still the tallest building in the UK right now.
It was built relatively quickly, being started in 2009 and completed in 2012.
Views from the top can reach to 40 miles on a good day.
The outside of the Shard is covered in 11,000 sheets of glass.
The windows are cleaned manually (by daredevils I imagine!). It takes around 4 weeks to clean the 4 sides and then they start all over again.
It’s said that it has 95 floors but the highest occupied floor is the 72nd. The higher floors form the glass shard structure.
During construction a fox was found living on the 72nd floor. (London foxes are very cool customers!) The workers named him Romeo.
There’s a swimming pool on the 52nd floor. (Fun fact: I was there once with friends for a private synchronised swimming show - ladies in gold costumes performing to a James Bond soundtrack - as you can imagine it was a Wow! moment)
You can admire the view from the paid entry attraction ‘View From The Shard’ on levels 68 to 72. However, if you want to include the Shard in your sky high view of London you can advance book into the Sky Garden on the opposite side of the river for free.
For a swish night out you can also book to drink, dine or stay in the Shard by booking into a bar, restaurant or hotel. The views are sublime at sunset!
Here are 3 night views. The first is early in the morning when the Wolf Moon was rising in March 2020. The second is a time slice incorporating Tower Bridge at sunset. And the third is just a beautiful sunset overlooking the Thames.
Below we have a mini gallery
1 The top of the Shard and the London Eye lit in purple and pink
2 Stormy steely grey skies
3 ICM (intentional camera movement) at night
4 Pink and blue mottled early morning skies and reflection
5 Autumn colours
6 Stripy red and pink clouds at sunset (yes, they really were so evenly striped!)
I hope you’ve enjoyed this quick run through of my views of the Shard.
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Yours
Loren x