I could hardly believe it. It almost seemed unrecognisable and I had to stand still for a moment, taking stock for a minute. Somebody had hidden the Royal London hospital in London's East End, Whitechapel and simply forgotten to tell me. Why? There had to be a reason and yet none was forthcoming. I agonised and pondered for a couple of minutes. Had I lost track of time, had there been a huge architectural upheaval in the East End or maybe I hadn't noticed? It was time to familiarise myself with the place where it had all started for me 54 years ago and find my bearings. There are times when you have to rub your eyes with amazement and just gasp in wonderment.
But this was the Royal London hospital in Whitechapel, the hospital where my wife, our children and I had been born. Nobody had given any us any thought. It was a complete oversight but not a disaster so I'll just have to get used to the reality of it all. Besides the hospital is still there and even if it has re-appeared at the back of the original building it still looks both hugely impressive and prepossessing, a modern building with a very high tech appearance about it.
The new Royal London hospital is now situated directly behind the old site of the old one and, to all outward appearances, is one of the most striking pieces of architecture. part, The old hospital is now completely covered in dark tarpaulin and scaffolding. Or what looks to be a grey boarding. Suffice it to say that the old Royal London hospital is just a distant memory and may never be seen again.
It does seem that the whole landscape of Whitechapel and the East End has changed quite remarkably since I last passed that way which must have been quite some time ago. In fact it's not only the hospital that has now completely re-invented itself. On the opposite side of the old Royal London hospital, Cross Rail has revolutionised the travelling habits of the whole of not only Whitechapel's commuters but the vast majority of passengers who regularly hop on and off the Tube trains.
Recently my wife and I came out of Whitechapel station and I, for one, was totally stunned and transfixed by not only the dramatic changes inside the exit and entrance of the station but amazed at the speed and rapidity with which the whole of the station had just grown in size. It was the kind of expansion that filled you with hope for the future and perhaps a reminder that the whole infrastructure of London as a city is beginning to take shape.
But the new Royal London hospital is our point of discussion here. Now the Royal London hospital looks like some futuristic five star hotel with all the facilities and amenities you'd come to expect from a hotel. It's a fabulous looking hospital, a soaring tower of glass and solid steel with quite the most comforting aura about it.
As you enter the main reception of the hospital the strong smell of coffee drifts through all of the main corridors and lift areas inside the buildings. It is the kind of smell that you'd normally expect to find in a big dotcom company or a multi-floored office block in the West End. But here caffeine and an almost businesslike atmosphere hovers inside one of the most important of all buildings.
Over the years the whole of the NHS may have come in for what seems like savage criticism but the Royal London hospital is one medical edifice that has now been given a sharp injection of pride. It's hard to imagine how this beautiful development just appeared almost unobtrusively with the minimum of fuss. But there was something else that took my eye almost instantly and gave immediate pause for thought. How did that happen? I had to take a second look but was then blown away.
As you approach the old site of the hospital, you are confronted by the most extraordinary sight. In the distance away to the Aldgate end of Whitechapel are three of the most iconic structures in the contemporary London skyline. Now I have to tell you my breath was almost completely taken away by the sheer magnificence and mind blowing immensity of what I could see.
There in front of me was the Gherkin accompanied by two other tall and elegant towers. Now the Gherkin has been with us for some time and- yes- it does look like a huge cucumber but not the conventional green cucumber we eat but a cucumber that looks after computers and people which sounds comical but is nonetheless true. These are the people who give the Gherkin its focus, purpose and soul. What a building and what a terrific sight.
The Gherkin is one of London's most distinctive of all new office blocks. It houses vital pieces of financial information and members of staff whose sole responsibility is to look after the nation's finances with some of the most influential figures working in the City. They are the cogs and wheels of the City, powerhouses of administration who work themselves industriously into the ground underpaid at times perhaps but crucially important to the whole operation that makes the City tick.
As I looked down the Whitechapel Road I could hardly believe my eyes. The Gherkin, that cucumber shaped office block, nestles comfortably next to one building that looks like a triangle had been sliced off the top. It was a London that when my mum carried me out of the hospital all those years ago none could possibly have imagined 54 years later. But come the 21st century and some architect must be pinching themselves because this is just out of this world. It could be the new Legoland but that would be grossly insulting so I think I'll refrain from any more comparisons.
Then my eyes moved back to Whitechapel itself, the heart of Whitechapel. After many decades, the Whitechapel market is still thriving and striving to better itself. All along the street market there is a vast Middle East presence. Here strung out along the whole of the pavement are noisy market traders with vegetables and fruits laid out on the ground, as passers by tip toe their way past bananas, dark yellow plantains, corn and dusty brown potatoes. It is one of the most culturally enriching sights and there is a rawness, an earthiness about the whole of Whitechapel.
Over all of the market stalls, there are thick white plastic sheets which hang languidly over the varied produce on offer. This is how Whitechapel chooses to identify itself and always will. If you look further afield your eyes fall upon what can only be described as the idiosyncratic Cheese Grater- which does look like a cheese grater but without the requisite slice of Cheddar. And then there's the Walkie Talkie which just beggars belief. It is indescribable and inexplicably surreal. And yet you have to say it's truly imaginative because I'm sure there can be no other building in the world that quite matches its design and shape.
Now perhaps I've missed something here but why a Walkie Talkie? I don't think anybody uses a Walkie Talkie anymore and if I'm not mistaken the Walkie Talkie was that 1970s must have fashion accessory used by CB radio truck drivers. And so you have it Ladies and Gentleman this is the latest news from the heart of the brand new Royal London hospital. It is surrounded by new and old, the ancient and the artistic but mostly a landscape rich in thriving wealth.
Recently I came across Brick Lane again with its glamorous graffiti that stretched across every wall for miles on end. Then there are the endless Pop Up shops, the rows of vintage shops, retro records outlets by the dozen and clothes that are spread out almost nostalgically. It is the East End at its most diverse and authentic, an East End that wraps the warmest embrace around both its tourists and more importantly the people who live there.
The Royal London hospital may have changed its position and it may look entirely different. But I won't have a word said against the Royal London hospital because this is the hospital in which my children, my wife and I all emerged into the world and this is all that counts. As my wife and I left the Royal London hospital I took one more tantalising glimpse of a world that hardly seemed credible but was indeed incredible. They might have given the City an extensive make over but the new Royal London hospital will always take your breath away.
No comments:
Post a Comment