New Tricks/Old Fossils

New Tricks is a TV show from England that I really enjoy.   Three retired policemen are paired up with a very beautiful 50-something Detecive Chief  Inspector.  They investigate unsolved crimes and open cases.  The wonderful thing for me is to observe the background behind them and see where they have been filmed.   Recently, we saw the episode, "Old Fossils" and I was very pleased  to discover that this episode was filmed at The Natural History Museum in London, England.  Now, you may think...oh, Georgia Girl, I'll bet you have been there so many times, you must know it like the back of your hand.  HA! That could not be further from the truth.... I have only gone PAST this building, only once, and that was many years ago, but it is such a beautiful building, that the memory of the facade has stayed with me all these years...

The Natural History Museum was completed in 1880, during the marvelous time of the Victorians.    Oh, the Victorian era!  Don't even get me started on how much I love the architecture of that time!  The  Houses of Parliament?  I think that those buildings should be on a par with the Eiffel Tower.  I really love them, the first time that I saw them, they just took my breath away.  I love them so much that I felt afraid that when they built the London Eye, that it would detract from the beauty of the Houses of Parliment which are just across the river Thames.  As it is, I don't mind The London Eye, it makes it easier to see the Houses of Parliament from up above!
Oh dear, where was I before I got distracted by the Houses of Parliament? (Oh, and Monet loved them too, he painted them in all kinds of weather, so I am in good company, you know.)  Yes, The Natural History Museum...anyway, in this episode, it is obviously a Victorian building that the characters are walking through, and suddenly they are walking through a very modern building, quite beautiful and it appears that there is a white cocoon in the background.  I guessed that this must be a new addition to this Museum and I was correct!  It is the Darwin Centre which was completed in 2006.  If you would like to read about this fascinating Musuem (it is FREE!)  the web site is  www.nhm.ac.uk

There are so many new buildings in London. The one that just opened up this month is the tallest building in all of Europe. (For now, anyway!)   It is called the Shard, because it looks very much like a  shard of glass balanced on its side.  (Much like the building that you can see from St. Paul's that is called "The Gherkin", the name alone tells you what it looks like!)  I am sure it has lovely views of London, but I wonder what people think of it?  Would it inspire a lovely memory forever?  I read the quote from the Italian architect and when he asked if he thought people would like it, he said that he hoped that they would because, " When you do something like this wrong, you are wrong for centuries".

The photo above is of an Anglican church in Eastbourne, built during the late Victorian Era.  It is All Saints Church and has a wonderful history behind it...my husband and I attended a Sunday Worship Service here and one of the ladies afterwards was kind enough to give us a leaflet telling the history and also allowed us to take photographs.  The building is beautiful but the church is actually the people, and they were very warm and welcoming to us.   You will see a post about this church soon! 

In the meantime, I hope that something will spark your curiosity while you are watching a TV show or movie filmed in England, because they have such beautiful buildings and scenery, you might just be able to visit that very spot that you are admiring.   (You might want to pay a LITTLE attention to the story, sometimes, I have to rewind because I get distracted by the lovely background!)