A ride to the BT Tower

This week I went on an impromptu ride of sorts. I simply had to get from north London to a shop on the King’s Road, but taking a photograph of the BT Tower made me think about cycling in the general direction of Fitzrovia so that I could get some closer shots. So, that’s exactly what I did.

Despite it being fairly early, the roads were busy, and I needed to keep my wits about me to avoid those on hire bikes and the electrically powered delivery bicycles. I stopped off at a rather lovely bakery and bought a few choice morsels to enjoy later, when I returned home to the Orange household.

When you have a building in sight, it has always been my experience that, despite thinking it is just over there and should be easy to get to, it invariably turns out to be nothing of the sort. Copious amounts of roadworks, and even a film crew that had closed off an entire street, all conspired to make the journey rather more of a twist-and-turn affair than it really needed to be.

Eventually, I got closer and closer, my progress halted now and again by the temptation to stop and take yet more photographs.

When I finally got very close, a lone security guard eyed me with suspicion. I could almost hear him speaking into his two-way radio, reporting that he had spotted a chap in a tweed blazer on a bright orange Brompton! Thankfully, the blue lights never arrived, and I was able to take as many photographs as I dared.

The BT Tower is a Grade II listed, post-war Modernist structure that can be seen from many different parts of London. Designed by architects Eric Bedford and G R Yeats, it stands at a tad over 177 metres tall. From 1965 until 1980, it was the tallest structure in the UK, let alone London.

Completed in 1964 and officially opened in 1965, it featured a revolving restaurant on the 34th floor. The restaurant took just 22 minutes to complete a full 360-degree rotation. Sadly, it has not been open to the public since 1980.

There have long been rumours that the tower might once again open its doors to the public, with the possibility of the restaurant making a return. Alas, that is all they have amounted to over the years: rumours. One can only hope that, one day, we might once again be able to enjoy those rather splendid views across London while enjoying a meal several hundred feet above the streets below.

I arrived at the King's Road and got to the shop I wanted and the orange door is still orange. Things were already getting that Christmas vibe and I will have to plan out a Christmas lights and scenery ride that starts and ends in Clerkenwell - as good a place as any to do this. 

Until next time, stay safe out there.