Travel - London, South Bank

For concrete lovers, there is an abundance of Brutalist architecture in London - I merely scratched the surface walking along the Thames! I’ll have to return for more!

Royal National Theatre Architect: Denys Lasdun, 1976

We strolled around the National Theatre (NT) twice, first on a beautiful and busy Friday afternoon and again early on a Saturday morning.

The NT, officially the Royal National Theatre, is a performing arts venue and associated theatre company located in London, England adjacent to (but not part of) the Southbank Centre The theatre was founded by Laurence Olivier in 1963 and many well-known actors have since performed with it.

When we explored on Friday, many people were enjoying the space inside and out. There is much to appreciate, from the waffle ceilings above (inside and outside), to the curves, angles, columns and stairways formed of concrete.

A Saturday morning stroll along the Thames is very different than a Friday afternoon (images at top of this post). It was just us and the joggers. If I lived here on the South Bank I would be jogging along too!

Hayward Gallery, 1968

The Hayward Gallery is an art gallery within the Southbank Centre in central London, England and part of an area of major arts venues on the South Bank of the River Thames. It is sited adjacent to the other Southbank Centre buildings (the Royal Festival Hall and the Queen Elizabeth Hall/Purcell Room) and also the National Theatre and BFI Southbank repertory cinema.

Completed in 1968, it was designed by a team including Norman Engleback, Ron Herron, Warren Chalk and John Attenborough.

The photos shown above were taken on the eastern edge of the gallery by Waterloo Road. There were pops of color and design adorning concrete. The curved concrete staircase is painted an eye-catching yellow!

I was mesmerized by the skylights for some reason, partly because of the signs warning people to not step on the skylights as they are not meant to support the weight of people walking on top.