Art Deco beauty
This is the front facade of Hays Wharf, also called the St Olaf building, which now houses the cardiology department of the London Bridge Hospital. As you would expect from it's Art Deco design the building was built in the 1920s when Art Deco was all the rage. If you look closely at the design enclosing the central windows (which btw are reflecting architecture across the river from this building, which is situated on the Thames at London Bridge) you will see stylised figures across the top. These figures represent the original workers that worked at this wharf location which historically was used to unload luxury goods coming into London on ships. Down the long sides you will see a string of objects that represent the goods that came into this wharf.
I've always loved the look of this facade but because of how it is situated, virtually overlooking the river, there is no real way to get close up to it unless you have a very long lens and shoot it from the opposite shore. The only option is to get on one of the passenger boats that ply their trade on the Thames and get a seat on the left hand side of the boat as you travel upriver towards Westminster, which is what I've done here.
Designed by H.S. Goodhart-Rendel, the river facade has panels by Frank Dobson called ‘Capital, Labour and Commerce’.
Some really interesting history on this building on the link here:
Art Deco beauty
This is the front facade of Hays Wharf, also called the St Olaf building, which now houses the cardiology department of the London Bridge Hospital. As you would expect from it's Art Deco design the building was built in the 1920s when Art Deco was all the rage. If you look closely at the design enclosing the central windows (which btw are reflecting architecture across the river from this building, which is situated on the Thames at London Bridge) you will see stylised figures across the top. These figures represent the original workers that worked at this wharf location which historically was used to unload luxury goods coming into London on ships. Down the long sides you will see a string of objects that represent the goods that came into this wharf.
I've always loved the look of this facade but because of how it is situated, virtually overlooking the river, there is no real way to get close up to it unless you have a very long lens and shoot it from the opposite shore. The only option is to get on one of the passenger boats that ply their trade on the Thames and get a seat on the left hand side of the boat as you travel upriver towards Westminster, which is what I've done here.
Designed by H.S. Goodhart-Rendel, the river facade has panels by Frank Dobson called ‘Capital, Labour and Commerce’.
Some really interesting history on this building on the link here: