Peta Bridle’s London Viewpoints

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Today it is my pleasure to publish Peta Bridle‘s latest drawings

On the 55 Bus

Me and my daughter Daisy took the 55 bus from Old St to Oxford St on a shopping trip. Great views are to be had from the top deck and I like the play of the light on the roof.

Beech Garden, Barbican

This is a quiet residential area in the City of London with its concrete architecture and tower blocks, beautiful lake and gardens. When I went to sit down on a step I fell off backwards into the flowerbed and then had ants crawling over my legs whilst I was drawing. Yet it was worth it for the composition and the view.

Brushfield St, Spitalfields

A view along Brushfield St with a terrace of Georgian buildings, the original Gun Pub on the corner of Gun St and the glass towers of the City looming in the background.

Raven Row & Artillery Lane, Spitalfields

This is the view over Raven Row & Artillery Lane from the White’s Row car park which is now demolished.

The Emirates Air Line

This is a cable car which crossed the Thames between the Greenwich Peninsula and the Royal Docks, reaching a height of ninety metres. The ascent was terrifying as I am not very good with heights but, once high up in the air, the views are spectacular. I also had my son’s arm to hang on to which helped. The crossing is quite gentle unless the wind catches the cabin causing it to sway.

St Augustine’s Tower, Hackney

When you climb St Augustine’s Tower there are wonderful views to be had across Hackney towards the City. A bus turns on to Mare St which is busy with shoppers and a lone beggar sits under the bridge.

London Bridge Station & The Shard

For my exhibition at Southwark Cathedral, I was given special permission to go to the top of the tower. At the time the Shard was still under construction and London Bridge Station was being rebuilt. From such a height, people walking up Tooley St appear ant-like and the toy traffic moves slowly.

Borough Market from Southwark Cathedral Tower

This is a favourite view from the top of Southwark Cathedral Tower. Looking south, trains pass in front and behind the market roof with a jumble of architecture receding into the distance. To the west you overlook the streets of Southwark, while to the north London Bridge spans the Thames, and to the east sits the Shard and London Bridge Station.

St Paul’s Cathedral from Tate Modern

I visited the Tate Modern on a wet and miserable day, and sat on the floor in front of a gallery window, watching people cross the Millennium Bridge to St Paul’s. Music playing on a loop, combined with the dimness of the gallery and the outside gloom made it difficult to draw, so I completed my sketch at home.

Trinity Buoy, Leamouth

I visited Trinity Buoy on a bright and breezy spring day to make a sketch looking towards the Millennium Dome. In the background, an Uber boat pulled into the pontoon.

Wardrobe Place, City of London

This is a secret little courtyard close to St Paul’s Cathedral. The shade of the trees was welcome as it was a very hot day. An occasional breeze sent a flurry of small leaves to the ground and in the distance bellringing practice began.

Waterloo Station

A good viewpoint over Waterloo Station from the balcony with the station clock directly in front of me. I sketched the ironwork and roof structure first, then added people from random snaps taken on my phone.

Greenwich Park

I sat on a hillside in Greenwich Park in the shade of oak trees, looking towards the National Maritime Museum and the Canary Wharf towers. A blob of ink fell off my brush in front of a dog I had drawn, resembling a ball, so I just left it there.