The Undercroft

Met up with friends Trevor, Gill and Jane at The Fire Station in Waterloo for lunch before heading up to the Southbank for a spot of photography. It was our intention to photograph the tall ships on the Thames however, we were waylaid by the skateboarding park and decided to practice our panning techniques instead! Thanks Trevor for all your help :)   


My blip was taken here at the Undercroft which is situated under The Queen Elizabeth Hall on the Southbank - renowned as being the birthplace of skateboarding. It's been home to skateboarders, bmx riders and graffiti artists for the last 40 years. 


The Southbank Centre planned to redevelop the site for shops and restaurants.  However, there was much opposition and finally in 2014, after an eighteen month long battle, the Long Live South Bank campaign won and an agreement was drawn up to keep the Undercroft open as a free space for the public. 


I've added an extra of the Floating Dreams installation by Ik-Joong Kang,  an illuminated cube constructed from 500 miniature drawings. People who are now in their 80s and 90s and who fled from North and South Korea during the war, were asked to draw what they remembered from their home towns. The monument is dedicated to refugees throughout the world. The work was commissioned by the Totally Thames festival as part of their month of activities celebrating the river Thames.


Ended the day in a restaurant/bar with a nice couple of bottles of red.  A really great day with the usual fun and laughter! :-)