University of Sussex / Arts A

(from the archives of 2013)

Lecture theatre building designed by Sir Basil Spence (1907-1976), completed 1966. Red brick and shuttered concrete, with entrance pylon given a spectacular modern interpretation. Grade II* listed. University of Sussex campus, Falmer, Sussex.

(Both photos are All Rights Reserved)

St Paul's / from One New Change

St Paul's Cathedral, architect Christopher Wren, 1708. In the English Baroque style with a 365ft (111m) dome. Grade I listed. City of London. 

(CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 - credit: Images George Rex.)

St Vedast steeple / Lauderdale Tower

St Vedast Foster Lane designed by the office of Christopher Wren, 1701; steeple, 1712, poss. by Nicholas Hawksmoor. Post-WW2 restoration by Stephen Dykes Bower. Grade I listed. 

Lauderdale Tower designed by Chamberlin, Powell and Bon, 1974. Grade II listed. City of London.

(CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 - credit: Images George Rex.)

St Augustine Watling Street / spire

Spire designed by Nicholas Hawksmoor for Wren's Church of St Augustine Watling Street, built after the Great Fire of London. The church was destroyed in 1941 by enemy bombing. A post-war restoration of the tower included the spire, made by Paul Paget of Seely & Paget using Hawksmoor's own drawings of c.1695. Grade I listed. City of London.

(CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 - credit: Images George Rex.)

St Anne & St Agnes / general view & south door

Church of St Anne and St Agnes designed by the office of Christopher Wren, constructed 1676-87 and restored by Braddock and Martin-Smith, 1963-8, after WW2 bombing. On a Greek cross plan with a mainly red brick exterior and incorporating remains of a C14th tower.

Doorway on south elevation, rusticated stone surround with pilasters, cornice and mask keystone. Church is Grade I listed. Gresham Street, City of London. 

(Both images CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 - credit: Images George Rex.)

St Mary-le-Bow / steeple

Design architect: Christopher Wren in the English Baroque style, mason: Thomas Cartwright, built 1670-83. Restoration architect: Laurence King, 1956-62, after WW2 bombing. Crypt C12th. Grade I listed, regarded as one of Wren's finest designs. Cheapside, City of London. 

(CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 - credit: Images George Rex.)

Canary Wharf Station / Jan 2015 (2 images)

Architects: Foster & Partners. View of work-in-progress on the Canary Wharf Crossrail station, including the south entrance pedway. The roof garden and first phase of the retail and leisure space is scheduled to open in May 2015. London Borough of Tower Hamlets.

(Both pics CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 - credit: Photo by George Rex.)

65 Basinghall Street / east elevation

Architect: Richard Gilbert Scott (b.1923). Corporation of London premises built north of Guildhall, completed 1969. Showing most of the east elevation. City of London. 

(CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 - credit: Photo by George Rex.)

25 Churchill Place / SW corner

Detail of one of the corners which distinguishes this building from the other 'big fridges' at Canary Wharf. Architects: Kohn Pedersen Fox, 2014. London Borough of Tower Hamlets. 

(CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 - credit: Photo by George Rex.)

25 Churchill Place / from Millwall Dock

Architects: Kohn Pedersen Fox for Canary Wharf Group, 2014. The last building to be built as part of the original masterplan for Canary Wharf, London Borough of Tower Hamlets. 

(CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 - credit: Images George Rex.)

Marina Heights / Limehouse (x 2 pics)

Built 1998, architects unknown, developer Bellway Homes. The sloping yellow roofs provide double-height sitting rooms to the penthouses. (You can just see Hawksmoore's St Anne's to the right.) Limehouse Basin, London Borough of Tower Hamlets. 

(Both pics CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 - credit: Images George Rex.)

Canary Wharf / winter

Water vapour visible above Canary Wharf buildings during sub-zero temperatures. HSBC: Foster + Partners, 2002. One Canada Square: Cesar Pelli & Associates, 1988-91. London Borough of Tower Hamlets. 

(CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 - credit: Images George Rex.)

Millwall Inner Dock / Millennium Quarter

The Millwall Docks were built in the late 1860s. The inner dock, seen here, was used for bulk grain handling during the first half of the C20th. Situated immediately south of the Canary Wharf financial district, the Millennium Quarter adjacent to the dock is now mainly given over to apartments and hotels. 

(CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 - credit: Images George Rex.)

37 Millharbour / Ability Place

BUJ Architects for the Ability Group, completed c.2010. More than 500 flats (151 "affordable") over 22 storeys with some commercial space on the ground floor. Reinforced concrete frame, aluminium-and-glass curtain wall. Showing the elevation facing Millwall Dock. London Borough of Tower Hamlets. 

(CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 - credit: Images George Rex.)

Baltimore Tower / work-in-progress Jan 2015

Architects: SOM, completion due 2016. Residential tower of 45 storeys, with a twisting elliptical steel-and-glass envelope around a concrete cylindrical core. Many apartments already sold off-plan to overseas investors. Isle of Dogs, London Borough of Tower Hamlets. 

(CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 - credit: Images George Rex.)

10 Trinity Square / EC3

Architect: Sir Edwin Cooper, 1922, in the Beaux Arts neo-classical style using Portland stone and marble. Above the Corinthian portico, the tower's niche contains a large sculpture of Father Thames. Originally commissioned by the Port of London Authority, the building is now being redeveloped as luxury apartments and hotel. Grade II* listed in 1972. City of London.

(CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 - credit: Images George Rex.)

St Giles-without-Cripplegate / WW2 and present-day images

Scan of postcard in my collection recording the WW2 damage to St Giles church. London under Fire series, No. 12, published by Photochrom Co. Ltd., Royal Tunbridge Wells, "All British Production". The reverse includes a quote from the then Prime Minister, Winston Churchill: "This is a time for everyone to stand together, and hold firm!". St Giles was restored under the guidance of architect Godfrey Allen after the war. Barbican, City of London.

A medieval church that was destroyed by a WW2 firestorm except for the walls and tower. Architect Godfrey Allen saw to its restoration during the 1950s and '60s.  Image shows the aisled nave with Gothic arcades, and the small chancel. Grade I listed. City of London.

Hagia Sophia / from Sultanahmet Park

Designed in the Byzantine style by Isidore of Miletus and Anthemius of Tralles for Emperor Justinian I, completed AD537. Originally a Greek Christian basilica, then much later additions of an Islamic mosque, including minarets to the exterior. The building is currently a museum. Istanbul, Turkey. 

(CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 - credit: Images George Rex.)

New Mosque / Yeni Cami

Architects: Davut Ağa, Dalgıç Ahmed Çavuş, completion 1663. Ottoman Imperial Mosque constructed using Rhodes stone block, granite and marble. In the Eminönü district, Istanbul, Turkey. 

(CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 - credit: Images George Rex.)

Egyptian Bazaar / spice

The market was built in 1660 and has always been associated with the sale of spices. So-named because it was originally funded by revenues from Egypt. Eminönü district, Istanbul, Turkey.

(CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 - credit: Images George Rex.)

Topkapi Palace / rooflines

Istanbul, Turkey. 

(CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 - credit: Images George Rex.)

Iftar Pavilion / finial

Gilded finial of the Pavilion for Breaking Fast, in the 4th Courtyard of the Topkapi Palace, Istanbul, Turkey. 

(CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 - credit: Images George Rex.)

Istanbul / from Topkapi Palace

Vista from the 4th Courtyard of the Topkapi Palace (near the Baghdad Pavilion) looking west. Istanbul, Turkey. 

(CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 - credit: Images George Rex.)

Baghdad Pavilion / Iznik tiles

Detail of ceramic tile cladding on exterior of the Baghdad Pavilion in the 4th Courtyard of the Topkapi Palace. The tiles, which are C17th, are from nearby İznik which has a celebrated history in the field of ceramic arts. Istanbul, Turkey. 

(CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 - credit: Images George Rex.)

Mecidiye Kiosk / Elevation and vista

Architect: Serkis Balyan, c.1859, in the French neo-classical Empire style, the architect having studied at the École des Beaux Arts and other Parisian schools. The Mecidiye Kiosk (or Pavilion) was the last structure to be added to the Topkapi Palace complex. 

Vista of the Sea of Marmara and the Bosphorus strait from the Mecidiye Kiosk of the Topkapi Palace. Part of the old city wall can be seen in the foreground. Istanbul, Turkey.

(CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 - credit: Images George Rex.)

The Gate of Felicity / Topkapi Palace

Originally built in the C15th but remodelled in the Turkish Rococo style in the C18th. This gate is the entrance to the 3rd Courtyard which was the Inner Court of the Sultan. Topkapi Palace is now a museum. Istanbul, Turkey. 

(CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 - credit: Images George Rex.)

Tower of Justice / Topkapi Palace

View of the Tower of Justice from the 2nd Courtyard of the Topkapi Palace. A conical tower was originally built in the C15th, but this neo-classical style cupola and spire was added in the early C19th, retaining the Ottoman base. Istanbul, Turkey. 

(CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 - credit: Images George Rex.)

Hagia Sophia / upper gallery

Architects: Isidore of Miletus and Anthemius of Tralles, AD537. Showing the south upper gallery which, according to experts, was once the domain of the Empress and the other women of the court. This image also records many of the Islamic additions to the interior including the large discs of calligraphy, chandeliers and aniconic mosaics. Istanbul, Turkey. 

(CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 - credit: Images George Rex.)

Hagia Sophia / ghost cross

Ghost of Christian cross showing through aniconic redecoration, on the vault of the south upper gallery. (Vestigial outline under circular device). Hagia Sophia, Istanbul, Turkey. 

(CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 - credit: Images George Rex.)

Hagia Sophia / apse semi-dome

Architects: Isidore of Miletus and Anthemius of Tralles, AD537. The mosaic of the Virgin and Child (Theotokos) was added in AD867. Hagia Sophia, Istanbul, Turkey. 

(CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 - credit: Images George Rex.)

Hagia Sophia / dome interior & seraph

Main dome of Hagia Sophia (Holy Wisdom), designed in the Byzantine style by Isidore of Miletus and Anthemius of Tralles for Emperor Justinian I, completed AD537. The dome's weight rests on pendentives — spherical triangles that connect to four massive piers. 

One of the seraphim decorating pendentives of the Hagia Sophia. The face has only recently been uncovered (c.2009) since being painted over in the late 1840s. These particular mosaics were probably applied c.1348 during restoration of a partial collapse due to an earthquake. Istanbul, Turkey. 

(CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 - credit: Images George Rex.)

Fountain of Ahmed III / III. Ahmet Çeşmesi

Designed by Mimar Ahmed Aga, 1729, in the Ottoman Rococo style. A timber roof with very wide eaves is clad with lead panels. Decorative-only domes are also of lead-clad timber, topped with gilded bronze finials. The tiles, arabesques, palmettes, floral bas-reliefs and calligraphy are said to be of exceptionally high quality. Istanbul, Turkey.

(CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 - credit: Images George Rex.)

Fountain of Ahmed III / facade detail

South-east façade detail of a drinking fountain built by Mimar Ahmed Aga, 1729, in the Ottoman Rococo style. This was commissioned by Sultan Ahmed III and is typical of the architecture of the Tulip Period. Near the entrance to the Topkapi Palace, Istanbul, Turkey. 

(CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 - credit: Images George Rex.)

Dolmabahçe / Clock Tower

Architect: Sarkis Balyan, 1895, in the Ottoman neo-Baroque style. Outside Dolmabahçe Palace, Istanbul, Turkey. 

(CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 - credit: Images George Rex.)

MV Istanbul 9 / Eminönü

Passenger ferry Istanbul 9 leaving Eminönü and heading towards the Bosphorous. The vessel was built by the Haliç shipyard in 1977. In the background is the Bosphorus Bridge. Istanbul, Turkey. 

(CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 - credit: Images George Rex.)

Bosphorus Bridge / 2 images

Architects: Sir Gilbert Roberts and William Brown, 1973. The suspension bridge's 1,560m length joins Europe and Asia. 

Each steel tower is 165m high. The deck support cables are in a zig-zag arrangement and are fitted with LEDs for night illumination. Istanbul, Turkey.

(Both images CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 - credit: Images George Rex.)

Galata Tower / Galata Kulesi

Romanesque-style tower built AD1348 in the Galata colony, opposite what was then Constantinople. At the time, this region on the northern side of the Golden Horn was Genoese, but now is a neighbourhood of Istanbul. 

(CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 - credit: Images George Rex.)

The German Fountain / Alman Çeşmesi

Byzantine-revival fountain by architects Spitta, Schoele, Carlitzik and Joseph Anthony, 1900, recently restored. Materials include marble columns, a green bronze dome and gold mosaic ceiling. A relative youngster in an area of ancient monuments, it was a present from the German Emperor Wilhelm II to Sultan Abdulhamid II and the city of Istanbul. 

(CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 - credit: Images George Rex.)

Obelisk of Theodosius / Pedestal bas-relief

Granite Eqyptian obelisk c.1450BC originally installed at the Temple of Karnak. Moved to Alexandria in AD357, and then to the Hippodrome of Constantinople in AD390 at the directive of Emperor Theodosius I. Istanbul, Turkey. 

Bas-relief carved on the south-west face of the marble pedestal, c.AD390. Showing Emperor Theodosius I and his family in the Imperial Box watching events in the Hippodrome.

(Both images CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 - credit: Images George Rex.)