251Ventilating the Underground

  Embankment  

At first, when the London Underground was built, trains were hauled by steam locomotives. But the smoke from the locomotive chimneys would soon have suffocated the passengers. That's why vents were made in the tunnels to let the sneaker out. Later, when electricity started to move the trains, these openings were no longer needed for the new lines, and the tunnels were also built deeper. But the air vents of the old tunnels are still there. But you hardly ever notice these while walking in London. Many such vents are located in courtyards between buildings. But when they are in public, they are very well disguised. You can see such places in the following two photos. In the first case, the hole is surrounded by a dense hedge, in the second, it is located behind the statue. When exiting the metro station by the park, you have to walk in the northeast direction.

252Lower Robert Street

  Embankment  

A very peculiar street. It would be like some kind of basement tunnel, but actually in street rights. All the houses around it have been built new, the street is the only thing that remains from the time when completely different houses stood here. Recommended for a walk in the evening, then it must have been haunted here.

253Venus Fountain

  Sloane Square  

Sloane Square - The 'Venus Fountain'. It has been standing here on the square since 1953. Sculptor Gilbert Ledward. The upper part shows Venus, while the lower vase-shaped part has scenes of King Charles II with his mistress Nell Gwynn by the Thames. Unfortunately, these images cannot be seen well in flowing water, much less can be photographed.

254All Hallows by the Tower

  Tower Hill  

All Hallows by the Tower is a very old church. There are many interesting things to see there. But it's also worth going down to the basement. In one place, the floor is the stone pavement of the road built by the ancient Romans, which later remained in the basement of the building under construction. But in one of the showcases you can see a church book in which the marriage of John Quincy Adams, the 6th president of the United States, to Louise Catherina Johnson on July 26, 1797 in this church is recorded (the paper with an arrow indicates this place).

255St George The Martyr

  Borough  

Church of St. George The Martyr. The four clocks of the tower face different directions. At night, three dials are illuminated, the fourth is not. Why, I don't know exactly, but people know how to say that the people there did not want to pay the church tax.

256The Fan Bridge

  Paddington  

A very quaint pedestrian drawbridge quite close to Paddington station. There is also another bridge on the same canal, which turns into a roll. They are usually raised on Fridays at noon.

257Clock tower

  Charing Crosss  

A building with a gate leading to a square called Horse Guard Parade. But there is a clock at the top of the building. Well, so what? But if you take a closer look at the clock, you will notice that there is a dark spot on the face of the otherwise nice clock at two o'clock. Why? If we mentally step twenty meters to the left of the place where the second picture was taken, we are at the place where King Charles I was executed. And it happened exactly at two o'clock in the afternoon. Some doubt it, but no one has offered a better explanation.

258Hotel Millennium

  Marble Arch  

Former Russian spy Alexander Litvinenko was poisoned with polonium isotope 210 in the Millennium Hotel restaurant. The amount of the substance added to the teacup costs over a million dollars on the open market. Undoubtedly the most expensive cup of tea ever. The owners of the hotel must have been scared, now this hotel is called The Biltmore.

259Transport Museum

  Charing Cross  

Currently, all public transport in London is united under the name TfL (Transport for London). It is very convenient, with your transport card you can use all trains, buses, trams. Of course, this has not always been the case, at one time there were a large number of companies that kept appearing, disappearing, merging and, of course, competing.

But the colorful history of London transport is gathered in the relevant museum right on the edge of Covent Garden market. A place that is really worth visiting, interesting for both adults and children. There are also interactive exhibits that children can touch with their hands.

One man seems to hold a mobile phone.

260London Stone

  Cannon Street  

A stone that is considered a symbol of something important. What exactly, is not very clear.

261Elizabeth Line

  Igal pool   

Elizabeth Line is a recently completed rail transport line. It does not count as an Underground, nor does it count as a railway. Something of your own. Enormous long trains, moving quickly and quietly, connect the various fringes of London through the city center. Completion took longer than expected; it cost more than prognosed - but it is really magnificent!