Contrasting Architectural Styles

So often in London you can find the old and new side by side; like a Wren church with a Richard Rogers office building. Churches seem particularly noticeable against a skyline of modern architecture, and of course they tend to be preserved rather than being demolished; so they get their chance to stand out against the crowd and shout “I’m different” – but it’s not always churches. And there are plenty of examples beyond London. Here are a few to whet your appetite:

1. One of the Portland stone domed towers of the old Royal Naval College in Greenwich against the backdrop of the Canary Wharf Estate.
2. Georgian houses on Coldharbour Road on the Isle of Dogs, also against the backdrop of the Canary Wharf Estate, viewed from the North Greenwich peninsular.
3. Southwark Cathedral and the Shard
4. The spire and tower of St Margaret Pattens Eastcheap built by Christopher Wrenn with the Lloyds of London building behind (Richard Rogers)
5. The tower of St Dunstan in the East Church, all that remains of the original church destroyed in the blitz, against the rather bland 30 Fenchurch Street office complex, and behind that the Leadenhall Building (aka Cheese Grater).
6. The Peoples Gas Light and Coke Building, a 20-story Beaux-Arts skyscraper designed by Daniel Burnham & Company against the rather boring Mid Continental Plaza, in Chicago, USA.
7. Ventilation outlets for the underground areas of the Pompidou Centre in Paris set against the traditional Paris buildings alongside.
8. The central tower of the old State House in Boston USA against the Devonshire – a large mixed use skyscraper of the very boring variety!