Up Where We Belong: A Blog With A View

Elevation

London looks great from the air, but until we can all afford to live in private jets, our best bet for all round stunning views is to get elevated. The capital can in no way be described as mountainous, yet there are several vantage points from which you can enjoy great three-sixty vistas of this fair city.

Running Up That Hill

Nature provides its own viewing galleries in the form of three stunningly attractive hilltop parks in north London. Hampstead Heath, Primrose Hill and Alexandra Palace are all places of outstanding beauty in their own right with plenty of lush greenery and beautiful architecture on hand to catch the eye.

Victorian Londoners recognised the value of these hilltop sanctuaries in providing a healthy escape from the city’s less appealing emissions (remember that horses outnumbered people in those days!), but they probably wouldn’t have found the view that interesting and they therefore busied themselves with building summer pavilions and genteel palaces, in order to beautify their immediate surroundings. Today’s residents benefit greatly from this foresight with Hampstead, Highgate and Muswell Hill all being amongst the capital’s most desirable family friendly neighbourhoods to live in.

City Lights

Residents in the 21st Century, however, will find the views over London an entirely different proposition, as rapid development and clean air combine to stunning effect. From the heart of the West End to the Square Mile and on to Canary Wharf, London’s skyline is gloriously visible and undoubtedly inspiring. From right to left, the horizon is an A-Z of quirky, yet comforting landmarks. From the groovalicious BT Tower – built in the swinging sixties – to the blitz-proof glory of Wren’s masterpiece St Paul’s Cathedral, London delights and dazzles.

Modern triumphs like the London Eye, the Gherkin and the record-breaking Shard continue to add intrigue and value to an ever-changing structural adventure. Look out for coming skyscraper attractions as the “Cheese Grater” and the “Walkie-Talkie” are both almost set to rub glass-encased shoulders with the rest of the City. Docklands sits on the far right of our vision and is almost a skyscraper island in its own right, with Canary Wharf still taking pride of place amongst other equally arresting examples of corporate architecture.

Many of these buildings have viewing platforms of their own, the views from Canary Wharf’s Pan Peninsula property development are knock-out so if you fancy a city view from a man-made perspective, establish your crow’s nest at one of the restaurants that are situated atop these towers and toast London’s continued good health. It is no wonder that tenants looking for property to rent in Docklands are flocking to these shores.