My friend Tracey and I were lucky enough to be able to get some of the last tickets for an official tour of the Olympic Park in Stratford. As we look forward to the Games, I'm glad to be a Londoner. The development and regeneration done for these Games is impressive and there is a real feeling of optimism that not only embraces the forthcoming festival, but is also about renewal.
One great thing about London is the mix of old and new. For example, as I walk across the grounds of the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich, I have a view of Canary Wharf and the Docklands developments that are a relatively 'new' part of London's prosperity. I am overlooking the (sometimes rather smelly) River Thames, the centre of so much of London's past, present and future. Downriver, I see the Dome, erected to celebrate the Millenium in 2000. I'm standing within a World Heritage site acknowledged by UNESCO as 'the finest and most dramatically sited architectural and landscape ensemble in the British Isles', amongst buildings constructed by one of Britain's foremost architects, Christopher Wren, between 1696 and 1712. I am a living part (well, sometimes) of the main campus of the University of Greenwich. Turning round, I look across to the National Maritime Museum and, beyond that, Greenwich Park (where the Olympic equestrian events will take place) and the Royal Observatory, the home of Greenwich Meantime. There is even hidden Roman archaeology. You can take in more than a thousand years of history in one visual bite.
The amazing thing about the Olympic Park is that almost all the man-made buildings and landscaping you can see were created in the last few years. I tried to find something 'old' to photograph, but couldn't. This Olympics is about more than the sport, it is an attempt to deliver new communities and life to a previously run down area. I do hope that we manage to deliver on the long term legacy promised, and do not succumb to the short-term temptation to sell off too many of the facilities to private investors who will exploit them for their own commercial gain. Londoners have paid for the Olympics, and will continue to pay for them over the next twenty years. This cultural and financial investment should surely be controlled and maintained by the public for the common good. There is a feeling of optimism on the ground about the amazing work that has been done. The only right reward for all the expense and hard work would be a thriving new area for Londoners to live in and enjoy over the next centuries.
The Olympic Games themselves will not just take place in the Olympic Park. As I've mentioned, the equestrian events will happen in historic Greenwich Park. Just ten minutes drive away from me they are building a facility for the shooting events, up at the old Woolwich Arsenal. I'm told it looks like a Teletubbies village. I will try to get a photograph or two to share with you! And, of course, another ten minutes away from me (if you drive and don't take the bus ;0)) is the 02 Arena, tactfully renamed the North Greenwich Arena for the purposes of avoiding offending the many commercial sponsors who have interests in the Olympic events. That is where the Gymnastics will take place. Like so many gymnastics fans, I haven't managed to secure tickets to see any of the competitions, but whatever happens I will be following them with my eyes and my heart and feeling every movement with my bones.
I'm not a great photographer but my pictures record how the Olympic Park was looking on the 21st January 2012. If you want to take a step back in time to begin with, you can view a
video of how the Park was looking in 2009.
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| The Olympic Stadium |
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| The Stadium from ground level |
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| The Orbit, which is between the Stadium and the Aquatics Centre and is reported to be one of London's highest structures. There is a viewing platform at the top that gives a view across London. It is set to be a leading visitor attraction after the Games. (I wish they would paint it pink or something - it's such an ugly building). |
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| The Aquatics Centre |
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| The only faintly 'old' looking buildings I could find to photograph. I do not think these are within the Park's boundaries but I guess they are Victorian era factories. Much of the history in this area would have been destroyed by bombing during World War 2. |
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| View across the Park towards the Energy Centre. Power for the Games will be generated there, contributing to an environmentally sound Games. In the Stadium, the toilets will flush using rainwater collected from the roof. (As my friend Tracey commented, this almost guarantees us a hot, dry summer!) |
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| The Basketball Arena. This is one of the temporary structures that will be taken down after the Games, with some of the materials being used elsewhere. |
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| The Velodrome. This building will serve the local community after the Games |
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| Although most of the main construction is now complete, the Park still resembles a building site |
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| View to the side of the Aquatics Centre. This triangular section is additional seating for the Olympic Games, that will be removed after the events are over as the Centre is refurbished for regular use by the local community. |
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| Tracey is famous for having kissed 1980 Olympic all around gymnastics champion, Alexander Detiatin. Here, she mimics another hero, Usain Bolt. |
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| Me, as usual with my own personal gust of wind. |
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The Park is huge, the size of a large town centre. There are parks, waterways, markets and other shopping and health facilities in addition to the Olympic Village where the athletes will stay, and the vast International Broadcast Centre/Main Press Centre. The fly-through video below gives you a good feeling of the scale and layout.
Or you can view it on
Youtube.
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