Dutch Church, City of London

I'd never heard of the Dutch Church in the City of London. It was whilst I was up the viewing platform on the 58th floor of Horizon 22 building and looking at my map to identify buildings, that I noticed the Dutch Church marked on the map. So I decided to have a look as it is nearby.

The church is located in Austin Friars, on the site of a 13th-century Augustinian friary of the same name.

The friary existed until it was destroyed during the London Blitz in 1940. The Augustinian order is part of the Roman Catholic church. In 1538 the friary was dissolved under the order of Thomas Cromwell. He was a supporter of the English Reformation, when the Church of England broke away from the Catholic Church. It then became the first official nonconformist chapel in England. Nonconformists were Protestant Christians who did not "conform" to the governance and usages of the state church in England. The minister was Polish-born Jan Łaski.

According to Wikipedia : "His congregation was based in Frisia, which is now divided between Germany and the Netherlands; this connection gave the church its modern name of the Dutch Church and the Dutch language is still used there for services. The rest of the church was turned into a storehouse for corn, coal and wine, with the monuments sold for £100 and the lead stripped from the roof. The choir, tower and transepts were demolished in 1600 and in 1862 a fire destroyed the rest of the church. The reconstructed building was destroyed in the Blitz during the Second World War and was rebuilt again between 1950 and 1956."

Today Austin Friars is a busy mostly pedestrian thoroughfare. The church, at No 7, is quite plain to look at from the outside, but got Grade-II listing in 1998. There is a food stall right outside the church with tables and chairs on the other side of the entrance.

Unfortunately the sun was shining on this board for the Nederlandse Kerk, which gives the times of the Sunday service - 11 am, the Minister's name and that it is open to visitors Mon - Fri. 

The main church is empty of pews, but a photo on Wikipedia shows the pews in place.

Small spiral staircase up to the organ -

This Wikipedia page says "With the founding of the church dating to 1550, it is the oldest Dutch-language Protestant church in the world, and as such is known in The Netherlands as the mother church of all Dutch reformed churches.".

Horizon 22 viewing platform, London

London's highest viewing platform! It is even higher than the viewing platform in The Shard. The Shard observation deck is located between the 68th and 72nd floors and the View from the Shard is at 224 m whereas the Horizon platform is at 254 m (info from Ian Visits). The total height of The Shard is 309 m.

The Horizon 22 viewing platform opened in Sept 2023 and is located at 22 Bishopsgate in the City of London, immediately next to The Lookout at No 8 Bishopsgate. I visited The Lookout immediately before going to Horizon 22. 

I didn't have a ticket but was able to get one on arrival - tickets are free. After a security check, an express lift whisks you up to the 58th floor. It takes 41 seconds and I didn't notice my ears pop, unlike in the slower lift in The Lookout.

The lift opens onto the upper level and you go down stairs to the main  viewing deck. This is large and there is even a small cafe and toilets. 

The Walkie-Talkie Sky Gardens -

As it was getting more hazy I didn't take many photos, as the views were essentially the same as from The Lookout. 

Whilst looking at my map to try and identify buildings, I noticed The Dutch Church was nearby, and as I had never heard of it before, I decided to go and have a look. So after using the unisex toilet

I took the fast lift back down to terra firma and headed off to the Dutch Church.

**

See my blog of The Lookout.

See 22 Bishopsgate website.

The Lookout - 50 floors up in London

The Lookout is one of two new viewing platforms in London, they are conveniently located in adjacent buildings. And they are both free. One is The Lookout, the other is Horizon 22.

The Lookout is located on floor 50 of No 8 Bishopsgate, in the City of London. It opened in August 2023. I booked a ticket online the evening before my visit.

View of the 2 skyscrapers -

Horizon 22 is on the left, The Lookout on the right -

The entrance is well marked -

After a security check you take the lift up to the 50th floor. The lift was quite slow, and my ears popped 2 or 3 times on the way up.

As the lift doors open you look straight over to the view. The floor to ceiling glass windows give an amazing panorama -

The tall tower here is Tower 42, aka The Natwest Tower, 183 m -

Tower of London & Tower Bridge

The Walkie-Talkie and the Shard. The walkie-talkie is actually the nickname for 20 Fenchurch Street, which is 38 storeys and 160 m. A three-floor "sky garden" was opened in January 2015 and was Central London's highest garden. The Shard is the tallest building in the UK at 309 m with 72 storeys -

Unfortunately it was a bit hazy in the distance. Looking south, with the Crystal Palace and Beulah Hill transmitter towers -

Horizon 22 building

The viewing platform is on two sides on the southwest corner of the building, so you can essentially see from Wembley Arch in the northwest right round to the southeast with the Thames disappearing into the distance. It is nice and simple with just a few seats.

Having admired the wonderful views, I wanted to go to Horizon 22 next door, to see what that was like............. see my blog.

The eyes of Sibiu, Romania

 Many buildings in the town of Sibiu have "eyes"! Sibiu is a historic city in Transylvania in central Romania. 

Sibiu is known for Germanic architecture in its old town, the legacy of 12th-century Saxon settlers. Hermannstadt is the German name of Sibiu. 

The eyes are actually eyebrow dormers on the roofs.

It is thought the eyes originate from as early as the 15th century, but most of them were built in the 19th century. They were probably invented by a local of Sibiu, because they are widespread in the city and its surroundings. They are an element of Baroque architecture which is highly decorative and theatrical.

The purpose of the eyes was ventilation for the attic. Although needless to say there are legends they 

were built to frighten the people, making them believe they are being watched. 

The main square -

This house has a more traditionaly style of dormer window -

This is Sighisoara, which is about 90 km NE of Sibiu. The house on the left has eyes -

Giant's Causeway, Northern Ireland

 In 2024 I saw some basalt columns at Reynisfjara Beach in southern Iceland. These reminded me of the Giant's Causeway in Northern Island, which I had visited in 1985. This prompted me to dig out my old photos.

The Giant's Causeway is an area of about 40,000 interlocking basalt columns, the result of an ancient volcanic fissure eruption. The causeway lies at the foot of the basalt cliffs along the sea coast on the edge of the Antrim plateau.

Giant's Causeway and Causeway Coast is a UNESCO World Heritage site.