Canary Wharf By Dave Mundy & Ed Doughty

Went walking around Canary Wharf in July with the handsome Mr Ed Doughty, to see if we could take a few snaps of the area. Luckily we were blessed with good weather, although it was a bit too hot at times, but we did have a few fluffy white clouds which was a photographic blessing. I had been to Canary Wharf once before and found the area absolutely fascinating so decided a second visit was in order. We travelled up by car and parked in the underground car park there, after being questioned at length by the security guard at the entrance, which was a little off putting.

The first thing to say is that security is incredibly tight, there is no need to worry about your safety at all. That is the good side, the down side to this is that the security guards can be a bit overzealous and sometimes stop you taking photos of certain buildings, and they are everywhere. Also tripods are strictly forbidden in the area, which caused a few problems for the night time shots. I'm still not sure how Ed escaped arrest, surely wearing those shorts of his in a public place is a criminal offence!

Talking of Ed, (how he puts up with me I shall never know) I tried his Canon 20D while we were there.I have often wondered how this would compare with my poor relation 350D. You only have to pick up the 20D to realise where the extra money has been spent, the 20D immediately feels classy, compared with the plasticky light feel of my 350D. Even when you take a picture, the 20D's shutter makes a reassuringly loud metallic clunk, compared to the tinny ping on mine! It really is a serious bit of kit.

The architecture in Canary Wharf is breathtaking to say the least, probably unlike any other place in this country. It really is a most surreal experience, with public access allowed through a lot of private looking modern office buildings. Everywhere is very modern, crisp and clean, and just oozes quality. There is big money made in this area, and there has been big money spent on the public areas as well. Everywhere you look, the fittings have that little bit of design flair, not simply off the shelf items. It really is how you would imagine a 21st century business centre to be. Even in the shopping malls (these are hidden underground) there are stands giving away the Canary Wharf equivalent of the Maidenhead Advertiser, it is free and is a hundred page full colour glossy magazine!

The outskirts of Canary Wharf are well worth a look round as well, with a lot of the old historic area to look at. The West India Dock area is one such place, combining renovated old dockside buildings flanked by modern offices, with a strange semi floating pedestrian bridge thrown in for good measure!

It is when you start looking round these outlying areas that you suddenly realise you are back in the tired, grubby London that we know and love. Some would say that this is what London is all about and that Canary Wharf is a bit clinical and lacking in character. Go and have a look and decide for yourself, all I can say is that I'm sure you will find the Canary Wharf area quite unlike anywhere else you have been to.

-- DaveMundy - 28 Nov 2006

Dave is right Canary Wharf is a really surreal place and quite and unlike anywhere else I have seen. The day we visited there were not one but two strange men in very dodgy shorts!

-- EdDoughty - 29 Dec 2006

Glad to see you photographed my best side! Dave.