"Landmarks" I never saw

I was just reading about the Thames Barrier being raised and realised that not only had I never seen it, but that the London I knew has changed beyond recognition.

As someone who lived in a London suburb and for whom London was my "big City', there have been so new developments since I left. I have never seen The Barbican although I do not know when it was built - maybe before I left? The London Eye and Canary Wharf are definitely after my time, as is the Millennium Dome - and what is that thing called The Shard supposed to be?

I am not even sure where all these new "landmarks" are!

It is not only London but things like The Angel of The North - and I am sure I must have visited the area where it is, but then again I am a dinosaur and remember the awe when the MI was opened and how it felt like being on a motorway!

Perhaps I really am getting old after all.

Malka bless you, it doesn't mean you are getting old

New landmarks seem to be appearing all the time. I was on a boat trip last April along the Thames through London and as we approached Tower Bridge (up river) I couldn't believe seeing the Shard for the first time. There was really low cloud due to vile weather and we couldn't see the top of it.

I personally think some of the new architecture in London is wonderful, but there are an awful lot of hideous buildings I'm sure London will have changed since you were last here but the biggest difference I'm sure will be the amount of traffic on the roads which are just so congested. Every street in London and in the suburbs now have so many coffee shops and charity shops. Petrol is sold by the litre here (I'd much rather still deal with gallons) and when I filled my car this morning it was £1.32 per litre.

Malka, London has changed and I don't think you would like the city as it is now, I worked in Canary Wharf and it was horrible, all the history associated with the docks is hidden away and hard to find. Traveling up in the lift at Canary Tower and listening to the sickening conversations from employees of one of the tabloids (Who had an office on one of the floors) was terrible, not to mention all the 'yuppies' wandering around with phones glued to their ears. The buildings are hardly inspiring either

I could see the Millenium Dome from my office window but I never went in it, just an outsize tent and looking down it was......well just ugly

I was offered a free ride on the London Eye and was appauled at the commentary, the guy didn't know any of the history of places, in fact he didn't even know some of the landmarks at all

The Barbican is all concrete modernist type buildings, I think I've been in there, it was so underwhelming I can't remember the occassion

The Shard is very new, they claim that every piece of glass is a different shape which (if true) is a clever bit of architecture but that's about the only interesting thing, it's South of the river I believe and in an area that has a bad reputation, I went to look at a B&B there once but having had to walk a few streets from the tube there was no way I would stay there

Some parts haven't changed Westminster, Knightsbridge, Kensington and there are still some nice suburbs, but sadly, overall, my impression of inner London was a city full of people who had no roots there, some incredibly rich and many destitute, the weirdos, beggars, and alcholholics made me glad I will never have to go there again in my lifetime.

Malka, it is the same everywhere. "Even" in little old Ireland!

Worry not, please. The world goes its way and we go ours

The things that are eternal are what matter

Most of the modern stuff is downright UGLY. Reminds me of tha Hans Anderson story of the King's New Clothes.People "admire" them because they think they should.. or say they do

I don't even have TV or magaxines etc so delight in being way out of touch..No way would I go back to anywhere in my childhood or to England at all.

The modern stuff here is horrible too so I retreat to my immutable mountains with delight and utter relief

Malka - I was born and raised in London. But when I left the latest innovation was the Thames Barrier.

I returned this year to see all the innovatory stuff that has gone up since then.

As an East Ender I cannot say I didn't like it. I did the Cable Car to the O2 centre in the Dome - returned by boat on the river back to St Pancras.

And I loved the changed Skyline.

I haven't seen many of the newer buildings in London, I have seen the eye but only when coming in to the station.

I have seen the Angel of the North (I like it) but again only from the road on the way to a dog show, we did go past quite slowly as traffic was horrendous!

We had the Spinnaker Tower for the millenium in Portsmouth, haven't been up it yet but had lovely views of it when we had lunch at the sea life centre on Thursday, I can see the top of it from the top of our track when I walk the dogs.

Malka I only live about 60 miles from london and havn't seen any of those landmarks you mention either.
I havn't been to London in years as I hate the place and i have no intention of going again in a hurry either. Give me the open countryside anyday, although a lot of that is changing and disappearing rapidly as they build thousands of new houses everywhere.

It is not so much not seeing them Bev - it is more that I just cannot visualise where they are and yet I know that I once knew central London and all its surrounding areas.