London is indeed a beautiful city. It is well known for its heritage and culture. London, a city deep in its history, has developed into a metropolis. Her famous shopping district, spanning famous locations like Oxford Street and Covent Garden, contain modern retail brands housed in the architecture of old London, showing how London has managed to conserve the old and advance the new. In Singapore, on the other hand, our old and new are kept separate as they develop separately rather than together. As such, Singapore can learn from London, by incorporating new developments into old buildings by redeveloping them to pristine conditions. Through this, tourists and even our own local people can get a glimpse of Old Singaporean architecture. It would serve as a good reminder for Singaporeans of our tumultuous past, and how we have risen from it.
With just a glance around London, we can see how proud the English are of the history. They have maintained that powerful historical feel through the old architecture that lingers even when other cities have moved forward in time. The statues of the numerous key figures in British history stand proudly, showing how England remembers those who have made her who she is today. Singapore’s array of searing skyscrapers and high-rise HDB blocks are orderly and well played, whereas the cramped London streets are dripping with reverance for the past. A departure from Singapore, where practicality is emphasized and the character of the city does not show as much. Through all of that we’ve seen in our weekend trip, we’ve been able to see how despite London and Singapore (both cities) differ greatly not just in term of architecture but also in historical value.
Yet another differing point would be the level of freedom of speech people are given in the UK. As the bus drove past near Trafalgar square, we could see people pitching tents in the middle of a busy area in order to protest various things such as the war in afghanistan.
As we stepped into the British Museum we cannot help but feel awestruck. We were greeted by treasures from all over the world ranging from Chinese pottery, Maori relics to Eyptian Mummies.
Taking a glance through the map tells one just how vast this museum really is, artifacts from every corner of the world, pieces of stones that are millions of years old, the evolution of human technology throughout the ages. An entire room was dedicated to the history of the mechanical clock, one could literally walk around this museum for days absorbing all kinds of knowledge with no specific subject area. Everything was there from one of the earliest prints of shakespeare’s works, to the first kind of currency used and of course the famed rosetta stone that allowed academics to finally decipher the hierogylphs from ancient egyptian times.
One thing that appears saliently remarkable, is that the English are
able to keep up with the changing times (Bustling Oxford Street and beautiful Covent
Garden), yet they fall back on tradition to preserve their culture (Old Spitelfield Market,
Trafalgar Square, and countless statues of Legends like Winston Churchill and Admiral
Lord Nelson). By the mere comparative analysis between Singapore and London, it is
obvious that we Singaporeans are too pragmatic to preserve our cultures and traditions
(in fact they are on the brink of eradication). However, we’re glad to know that Singapore
is taking steps to preserve our culture (but we’re a little slow). Personally, we feel that
more funds should be channelled towards culture preservation, education, and of course,
tourism and hospitality. London is truly inspiring, and it has opened our eyes to many
historical developments that we have, till now, overlooked.
Sunday : Cruise down River Thames
Today, the group took a short cruise river cruise down river Thames. We started off first at Westminster pier, where we could see the famous battle ship Belfast, which survived both World Wars. Shortly after the departure, we passed the still constructing Shard, which will be region’s tallest building after construction is completed. Also, there were many old buildings like the parliament building could be seen on the boat.
As we continue to go down stream, we could see that the urban landscape was well planned. Many new and old buildings stood next to each other, without looking out of place. The buildings complement each other as they still reflect the busy London skyline. We also marveled at how London’s urban planners have managed to embrace both the new and old architecture. Singapore has clearly adopted this approach as seen in its plans to merry the old and new architecture of Singapore in the civic district.
Being geography students, we paid attention to the river processes while enjoying the views. While passing under the bridges, the captain commented on the rapid flow of water which was up to 6km/hr. It was later that we found out that locks, weirs and various other river management strategies were used to manage the flow of the river. Hence, the cruise was clearly both and educational and recreational experience we will never forget.
