The National Gallery's Grand Tour

The National Gallery recently launched an extraordinary new summer-long exhibition in and around the West End. Dozens of the Gallery's most famous paintings were scanned by Hewlett-Packard to generate a one-gigabyte high-defintion image file, then printed using an equally high-definition process, framed, and affixed to the wall of various West End roads, streets, and alleys. They're even replicating the notes that appear alongside the work.

According to the Gallery, the intention is to provoke thought about the works by moving them out of the "gallery" context. The second initiative is to raise public awareness of the National Gallery's treasures, as many people, it seems, are completely unaware just how many world-famous paintings are on view for free in the Gallery's permanent collection.

I love this exhibition. It's really bold, and invigorating. Like Banksy's work, it takes you by surprise to turn into a seedy lane and come across a beautiful work of art that looks like it was waylaid by a a thoughtful thief.

Demolition of 122 Leadenhall Street

How do you demolish a skyscraper without disturbing the ground and buildings around? Slowly... and floor-by-floor!

I was giving my cousin Luke a brief tour around the City on Saturday, showing him the Gherkin at street level, when we noticed this building opposite Lloyds of London (peeking into view at the left edge). I love this photo because it demonstrates how a building's core is what keeps it upright, even though it's much smaller in area than the building's footprint.

This 14-story office block, built in 1969, survived the largest of the IRA bombs in the 1990s, that levelled the nearby Baltic Exchange (where the Gherkins stands today). Now the building will make way for a 48-story Richard Rogers (of Lloyds of London fame) design that has been nicknamed the Cheese Grater because of its triangular shape. The new building's odd shape is to preserve a sightline of St Paul's Cathedral. You can see architectural photos of the new building, and read more, here.

St Bride's Church Steeple, Fleet Street

The steeple of the Christopher Wren designed St Bride's Church, in Fleet Street, is said to have inspired the shape of traditional wedding cakes.

The church interior was all but destroyed by a Luftwaffe firebombs on 29 December 1940. Subsequently rebuilt, the destruction is credited with the discovery of the original church in the crypt, along with ruins of a Roman street.

The TARDIS and I

A few weekends back I met Kurt and Max at Balans at Earl's Court for brunch. On our return trip to the tube station, I noticed - for the first time ever, in all my trips there - that there is a huge blue police box right in front of the station entrance.

A necessity in pre-walkie talkie days, the Metropolitan Police introduced police boxes in the 20s and 30s so that policemen on their beat could communicate with the local station. The blue beacon would flash when a policeman was in attendance.

This replica of a 1929 design by Gilbert Mackenzie Trench is now more famous as Doctor's TARDIS, which got stuck in that "form" after the time machine's chameleon circuit was destroyed. The replica was constructed as a prototype for a plan to reintroduce police boxes so the general public could contact local police officers when in distress. The plan didn't take off, but the now inoperable police box still stands. Interestingly, in the 1990s the BBC registered for a trademark based on Trench's 1929 design. The Met filed an objection, but ultimately lost.

Later that day, I told Duncan, my new flatmate how I must have passed that spot outside Earls Court tube station a dozen times, and yet, to my amazement, never noticed the police box. Without missing a beat, Duncan replied, "that's because it sometimes appears in other places". :-)

Hyde Park in the Summertime

Hyde Park is so beautiful anytime of year. But in the summertime it also becomes a huge playground for thousands of people who flock there each weekend to picnic, sunbathe, swim, and play sports.

Technically, the parkland is comprised of two distinct parks - Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens. With the exception of a road separating the two, the parkland continues uninterrupted. My new flat is a minute's walk from Kensington Gardens, so I hope to see more of the park this summer.