One Undershaft

  • Thread starter Thread starter Nix
  • Start date Start date
terrible name aside, the street level part looks quite interesting but the idea of the other 72 floors hovering above me would give me the creeps.
 
One Undershaft?

What does it mean? Under... shaft. Testicles?

It's like a riddle that I can't figure out.

/googles

“Undershaft is so-named because it stood in the shadow of a great maypole in medieval times, until the shaft was seized by an angry mob in 1547 and destroyed as a pagan idol. Little can they have imagined that an even mightier shaft would one day return on the same spot”
Click to expand...

OK, so I'm half right then. The whole thing /is/ a penis joke. Quite a deliberate one.
 
' seized by angry mob in 1547 and destroyed as a pagan idol'

as the old days when Christians used to behave like the Taliban....
 
its got sosme cool feature each of the white horizontale bits stick out just a little bit, so that if you look up at it from close by at street level the whole tower apears to be made of solid white stone
 
Designed by the architect who complained about relaxed planning laws when the Shard/Walkie Talkie(?) went up and has said numerous times that London's historic skyline is being swept away by all these new fangled glass skyscrapers. So what does he build?

And its bloody ugly.
 
platypus said:
Designed by the architect who complained about relaxed planning laws when the Shard/Walkie Talkie(?) went up and has said numerous times that London's historic skyline is being swept away by all these new fangled glass skyscrapers. So what does he build?

And its bloody ugly.
Click to expand...

one that looks like its made of Portland stone from the street.
 
dowie said:
I worked in the Gherkin for a few years, the novelty wore off within the first week, there is an overpriced bar and restaurant at the top you can bring your mates or a date to... If you're near a window then for about an hour or so each day you get the sun shining directly on your monitor and you can't see anything.

A bunch of hipster food wagons turn up every Thursday though which adds some variety to lunch - muscles and chips, soft shell crab burgers etc.. They also seem to get random bits of 'art' installed outside.
Click to expand...

Nice! Who did you work for there, out of curiosity? I'm just being nosy - not expecting you to tell me and probably wouldn't answer the question myself :D
 
Trifid said:
It's The City, pop outside and get some lunch out. The change of scenery will make you more focused in the afternoon and the food around is excellent. Ladenhall market is a 5 minute walk.
Click to expand...

Yeah, this. Never thought I'd hear someone who worked in the Gherkin complain about the lunchtime options. Devonshire square is about 3 minutes away.
 
Nitefly said:
Nice! Who did you work for there, out of curiosity? I'm just being nosy - not expecting you to tell me and probably wouldn't answer the question myself :D
Click to expand...

one of the FinTech firms located there but I'd rather not be too specific on here
 
I'm not against skyscrapers in London (I work in one!) but I just don't think that's attractive or iconic enough to be considered.
 
dowie said:
' seized by angry mob in 1547 and destroyed as a pagan idol'

as the old days when Christians used to behave like the Taliban....
Click to expand...

Blame it on:

The Long Parliament's ordinance of 1644 described maypoles as "a Heathenish vanity, generally abused to superstition and wickedness."[
Click to expand...

The angry mob were Puritans... but before then

The church of St Andrew Undershaft in the City of London is named after the maypole that was kept under its eaves and set up each spring until 1517 when student riots put an end to the custom.
Click to expand...

So students have always been revolting. ;)

More on 'Undershaft':

'St Andrew, Undershaft, then church of, is situated at the southeast corner of the street called St Mary Axe and Leaden Hall Street. There was a church on this site dedicated to the same site as early as the year 1362, which was pulled down in 1532, and the present church erected in its room, at the expense of William Fitz Williams, who was sheriff in 1507. It derives its name of Undershaft from a very lofty Maypole, anciently called a shaft, which was annually raised in the street near to it on Mayday, and was higher than the steeple. The church is a plain Gothic structure with a well lighted body, and the square tower, with pinnacles at the angles, and a campanile with six bells within them. It is a rectory, in the gift of the Bishop of London, and is celebrated as containing the monument raised in memory of the faithful and able historiographer of the city, John Stowe...'[1]

In 1562, St Mary Axe united with St Andrew Undershaft.
Click to expand...

London has some great history!
 
Caged said:
Your post was hardly extolling the virtues of the place. I'm not going to get into another exchange where you argue semantics endlessly though, so whatever.
Click to expand...

nothing to do with semantics really - I'm not sure how commenting that hipster food wagons add some variety can be interpreted as a complaint :confused:
 
What is it with London and awkward architecture lately?

The shard is fine IMO, but some of the city proper buildings are just aggravating to witness.
 
I walk past that site every day.

Useless fact, the reason for the slant on the cheese grater and the other nearby scrappers is so that when looking at St. Paul's from Fleet St. there's nothing in background to spoil the view. Apparently, there are 3 positions where this is the case. Another is from the south bank looking over from millennium bridge.

Walkie talkie building is a an eye sore but you can visit the roof garden for free.

edit - blimey it's not he one i thought.. That's going right next to the Pinnacle (which will be the tallest building in the city) and the Cheese grater!!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom