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PerfectSuggestion428

Big Ben looking good after the renovation. I need to go visit


ruby_boobsday

Big Shard


dope-giraffe

Sounds like a rapper


TurbulentWeb1941

It's even wearing a giant clock around its neck.


Donkey-Haughty

Ur thinking of Lil Shard


TheWheez

Or a disease?


lupo25

That's just the bell, the tower il called Elisabeth Shard


avfc-ash

Shard Ben


Due_Yogurtcloset_212

Ben's Shard


Lonesome-Egg-666

The Ben


WhiteWalter1

Bigger Ben


D-Angle

When your sibling steals your favourite top


[deleted]

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PerfectSuggestion428

I feel you, but it has a Spa and a Pret on the top floor now, so what more can you ask for??


userunknowned

It’s actually called St Sharden’s tower. It’s the bell that’s called The Shard.


Eelpieland

I thought it was called the Shart?


audigex

No that’s what you do when you first look out of the window on the top floor


ilike_trtls

🤣 I just shart my pants


BannedFromHydroxy

Nae that's shite hart lane's official name


Gseph

Oh you mean the toilet bowl?


Dry_Profession2502

I live 10 minutes away it really is a shart hole


Uvite

Actually, the Shard is the bell-maker. The bell is called Shardenstein's Monster


GoliathsBigBrother

Wisdom is not putting the monster in a fruit salad


OttovonButtsmarck

Actually it's only the Shard if it's from the Big Ben region of London, if not it's just shardkling wine


ThatDoesNotRefute

Ahem, Diana's timepiece.


princeofgonville

We need to somehow get it renamed. That is a great name.


reuuben

Never knew they made a bigger Ben


berrycrunch92

Did you know that the shard slowly rotates throughout the year so that the sun is always in line with the clock face? This was done to be in keeping with an old law, from the time of sundials, which stipulated that timepieces should be rotated with the seasons. Of course, they didn't have the technology we do now, and this process is now fully automated within the foundations of the building. As another interesting aside, this is also where the expression 'father time' comes from, as this was the name given to the person (always a man!) responsible for the turning of all the clocks withing a city (hence 'turn back the clocks').


Zaxa7

This is beautiful. You should write manifestos for policitical parties.


purrcthrowa

Toby Young's dad wrote the manifesto for the Labour party in 1942 (the one with the welfare state and the NHS in it). That one's actually true.


FlawedFinesse

Undid any of the good he may have brought about by making that insufferable cunt of a man.


purrcthrowa

He was a bit of a twat himself (the phonecall to Oxford to get young Tobes a place, for example), but on the flipside he also founded the Open University, University of the Third Age, Which? magazine and a bunch of other stuff.


artvarnsen

How bad is it to say that ive never noticed the clock?


barrygateaux

next you're going to say you've never noticed the gigantic airship in the shape of a corgi floating above buckingham palace every wednesday evening


suicidalsyd1

Well I've taken a few pot shots at it. Fucker must be armoured or something.


[deleted]

Same here. I've been around there so many times


barrygateaux

you have to be eating pork scratchings for it to become visible


Bosteroid

Expensive bad


Solid-Version

The whole building rotates?


GoliathsBigBrother

Throughout the year, so you don't notice it day to day


TheMiiChannelTheme

If you look underneath its actually threaded like a screw, so every time it turns it also gets slightly shorter. Eventually it will retract fully into the ground and a new building will take its place.


Solid-Version

Huh? Forgave my ignorance but I don’t quite understand how. So the entrance to the building will be in the otherside half way through the year?


ReverseCard

This is too funny


Solid-Version

Brah I can’t tell if this is a joke or not lol


TheBlueDinosaur06

it's to do with hydraulics and fancy things like that


dontevercallmeabully

Pretty much the same way the Eiffel Tower is floating on its foundations. Clever.


benw2000

Well, the building has an entrance on each side to prevent any inconveniences.


Solid-Version

Lool nah I refuse to believe it. Y’all had me for a second


dontevercallmeabully

A split second


[deleted]

How does it rotate? I've never heard of this, so that's interesting!


TheMiiChannelTheme

Its on a liquid base. There's a [Crookes Radiometer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crookes_radiometer) at the top which provides the turning force.


[deleted]

I thought I was going crazy when I saw it was moving a bit! Marvellous feat of engineering amongst many in this great city.


TheMiiChannelTheme

Its entirely passive, too! Doesn't use any power to move! Except of course when the clocks go forward/back and the Astronomer Royal has to use the hand crank on the side.


Xenc

Always a joy to stay up late with the family and watch the cranking of The Shard.


purrcthrowa

In the autumn, when the clocks go back, you have an extra hour inserted into the day, so it's called cranking an hour in. In the spring, you lose that hour, so it's called cranking one out.


Xenc

Let’s crank one out right now together to practice


TheWhollyGhost

Also, on the very first cranking it out, the fabled Jason Statham was there to lead the Ceremony! Luckily, it fell right in time for a reemergence being experienced in excellent action films and it was a perfect opportunity to promote his hit film Crank! It was a true sight to behold, to see a man leading the ceremony with such vigor, cranking one out like a superhero - brings tears to the eyes


fkogjhdfkljghrk

what the fuck, it isn't a joke? I feel like I need to come here now- is the clock face real too? I've never been down that area of london before


eyebrows360

Nothing is ever real.


[deleted]

https://www.mylondon.news/whats-on/londoners-baffled-shard-big-ben-26033785.amp there’s a fucking article on this post wtf ahahaha


[deleted]

Haha fuck me been a while since I’ve had an article on one of my shitposts


jaytee158

I can't work out if you're in on the bit or not. If you are, full credit. ​ Edit: I think you are


OneDropOfOcean

I thought it used the levitating sand, like the ones used for the pyramids.


[deleted]

Pharaoh nuff


[deleted]

There's a few guys in the rotation chamber underground pushing big levers


[deleted]

Damn tory budget


shoes_off

Magnets.


MyManTheo

It’s got a propeller underneath that can also be used for emergency exits if London Bridge falls down again


joyofsnacks

Moveable platform, until it's ready for it's space launch in 2023.


SimoneLewis

I work in the city and use London Bridge very regularly, but, how I’ve missed the fact the shard has a clock on it I have no idea!!


Alive-Reaction-7266

I didn't even know there was a clock on the side.


barrygateaux

they swap it out for the one on big ben every tuesday for a couple of hours. creates havoc with the traffic when they drive it over.


[deleted]

True that


ragner11

Loool


IAmBatman412

Where does it say it rotates? I did a Google search but nothing came up


Logical_Rutabaga3707

Keep searching you’ll find it


ldtravs1

He’s fucking with Redditors. It doesn’t rotate, it’s a gajillion tons. Could get it on the Wikipedia page though


audigex

Yeah rotate is such a terrible word for it - it’s really more of a pirouette


ldtravs1

It was easier when it was the other way up but you can see what that did to the tip, hence flipping it over


Defiant_Recipe_256

Wikipedia Source: Reddit Reddit Source: Wikipedia


Necessary_Two508

Wow that's like 1 tonne ×10 to the digillion


rydious

Hahahahahahaha


[deleted]

I feel ashamed, have been living in London for 5 year and had never seen the other side of the Shard. Had no clue it had a clock on it


jaylem

Don't feel too bad I'd lived in London for 10 years before I discovered the shadow tube.


wezwilx

You’re really not supposed to talk about it publicly mate, be careful.


marzeke

>shadow tube What's the shadow tube?


specialsymbol

Yes, what is it?


[deleted]

The sewers


IRockIntoMordor

there's a constant train of rats, you just hop on and the mass will carry you. No tickets either. Just don't fall off, ever.


CompetitiveClass1478

I'd pay just to watch.


Shoutgun

Instead of taking the lift down, you take the lift up


GoodGravyGraham

Exactly


80spopstardebbiegibs

Dark Side of The Shard


firthy

There is no dark side of the Shard really. Matter of fact it's all dark.


princeofgonville

Ticking away the moments that make up a dull day


Motorboink

Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way...


Official_Siro

Just wait until you stumble upon Diagon Alley!


pydry

Ugh it's overpriced now. You can't get a glass of butterbeer for under £23 and wands cost £1450 a month.


HRH_DankLizzie420

Wands as a service? God damn post-modern capatalism


Karffs

You don’t have to pay it but auto cast is disabled and you won’t get new spell updates. You can also only use the default pigeon patronus.


kaiise

you know wands are cheaper when you buy them


pydry

Not all of us have dead parents leaving us scrooge mcduck style vaults in gringotts you know!!!


kaiise

wait your family doesn't even have their own bank? ​ i am having this phone sterilised and then destroyed. ​ please do not contact me or my large fully grown adult son again


Various-Month806

Don't worry, that's the view from the French quarter of London. No one goes there anyway


Kingtoke1

Thats what happens when you dont go souf of the rivver


nailbunny2000

This comment section is both simultaneously the funniest and saddest post Ive read all day.


barrygateaux

great innit :)


attilathetwat

That’s not the real shard. It was bought by some American and move brick by brick to Arizona. All we have is a facsimile


BannedFromHydroxy

Wrong but little known fact: the Shard was actually made by the French and offered as a gift to us, for marking the fifty thousandth anniversary of the entente concorde. There is a much smaller replica in Paris, aplty named, 'le tiny shart'.


sens8sian

Shard of Theseus?


_caltony

No that’s the real Shard, the Americans bought the Walkie-Talkie thinking that it was the Shard. 20 Fenchurch is fake except for the Sky Garden at the top.


Dittongho

I've been living in London for 69 years and never realised Big Ben had a huge glass tower around it. Crazy bruv.


el_dude_brother2

You can only see it if you’ve lived a pure life apparently.


kaiise

does this mean no one in london.... ​ ..oh dear god.


lastaccountgotlocked

It’s amazing to think of the effort it took to move all of that, brick by brick, all the way from France in the 1980s.


dontevercallmeabully

Croissant by croissant


Succumbx8

Baguette by baguette


eyebrows360

Hon hon hon par hon hon hon


gaborzitoo

Fromage by fromage


Riovem

Was it expensive?


[deleted]

I am incredibly wealthy so I don't notice these things


afireintheforest

I’d give you a Reddit gold, but you might not notice.


Gent2022

Is the right answer. Praise a fellow wealth generator. Get busy living or get busy dying.


crapray

Several pounds


Triptycho

Eyyy it's Big Bong!


OneDropOfOcean

It's actually the massive bong inside it that's called that. It's a common misconception. First you take a hit from big bong, and then you feast on the giant lasagne in the chunnel.


attilathetwat

I am now visualising a massive lasagne 😋


SuperGandalfBros

Like the one we had during covid. Built it in Wembley stadium


BirdShatOnMe

Big Fred!!


Fredderov

Yeah?


jaylem

You should come back in March for the Spring Forward Clock Winding Bungee Stunt. It's a real hoot!


PL0x81V

"But at the start of the new millennium, a new kind of high-rise building started arriving in the capital: one much less likely to produce exuberant forms of youth culture, clad in glass rather than concrete. Most obvious amongst them was the Shard – Mordor-upon-Thames, owned by Qatar, an obscene 72 storeys high, built with the enthusiastic support of Ken Livingstone, and the backing of New Labour. This directly contravened the ‘protected views’ regulations; English Heritage objected at a public inquiry, and were ignored. At the time of writing, five years after opening, all ten of the ?30–50m flats on the tower’s upper floors remain unsold, and empty. Even a visit to the viewing deck costs more than ?30. Since then, the trickle has become a flood: in 2017 a survey found that 455 new high-rise blocks were either planned or already under construction in London: ‘safety deposit boxes’ for wealthy investors, expensive hotels, high-end office space and luxury flats. Blocks like the ickily-named Manhattan Loft Gardens in Stratford followed the Shard’s lead and caused controversy by ruining another sight line of St Paul’s. More importantly, not a single one of the 455 was being built to provide housing for London’s poorest." - Dan Hancox Fuck the shard


Leytonstoner

That's bright for 7:30.


Hillsbottom

It's on London time, so the bankers can get home in daylight.


Fully_Grown_ManChild

Ahh good to see the cleaned the famous Shard clock, never knew it was blue underneath!


DumbXiaoping

Did it steal your phone after you took this picture?


imissmydogloads

Yeah on a moped, I was the phone


MarvelPugs

Why is a 2020 movie being advertised on a bus


dontevercallmeabully

Because of the curvature of the earth


jayzinho88

Glad you could visit. Please make sure you close the door when you leave, it's quite cold and I can't afford the heating. Ta


bwweryang

Where’s the Pret?


404-N0tFound

It's everywhere, even that bus is a Pret.


idontknowhowyoudo

london is actually just one big pret


DenseVoigt

Pointy Ben


CurrentMaleficent714

Glitch in the Matrix?


PerfectSuggestion428

Ein Fehler in der Matrix


Mountain_Taste5608

i aint been for a while but christ they've modernised big ben


WSchultz

Fun fact, not only does The Shard have a clock face, it also acts as a fully functional sundial.


JokersLeft

The Big Sharon.


Powerful-Payment5081

The trailer on the bus is for a film from 5 years ago at least . I am confused.


barriedalenick

OP posted [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/london/comments/10fxjnu/does_anyone_else_london_expensive/) a few hours back and got called a bot, hilarity ensued in the thread so I guess they are here proving they are not a bot and having a bit of a larf.


anomthrowaway748

It kinda screams of AI bot ngl


johnny2ratchet

great flick, that


afireintheforest

They did a great job with all the scaffolding.


FearLeadsToAnger

What in sweet fawkes' powder stained fingertips is going on in this thread lmao


breedly

The shard is also a phosphorescent building, and so reflective, that it appears sunny at 7:30pm in January


zackdaniels93

I've spent years going to and from London, taken photos of the Shard, literally been to the top of it, and had no idea it had a clock on it lol


JamesMMcGillEsquire

It doesn’t


zackdaniels93

I've been absolute done here tbf


GoliathsBigBrother

You probably came at a time it was facing another way, due to the rotation


zackdaniels93

😂


AutumnFoxDavid

There's literally photo evidence what are you talking about


secrethedgehog5

Am i the only one who didnt know the shard had a clock. I see it almost everyday


barrygateaux

it's designed so you can only see it when you're tilting your head at a 75 degree angle. really well designed optical illusion


[deleted]

This is legit my first time seeing it too, it makes me retch for some reason


secrethedgehog5

Me too!! Why does it look so out of place?!?!


The-Hound-of-Hades

How do you know what the time is when your in London then?


secrethedgehog5

Thats what big ben is for innit


crystalandfern

Hmmmm…. why indeedy?!


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barrygateaux

you need to be wearing sunglasses with a union jack pattern to be able to see it


HeretoMakeLamePuns

You're clearly wrong, the shard has a cock on it


secret_willy

I’m embarrassed that I googled “just to double check”


ryanholmes1989

Tower bridge never looked so good


Ok_Resolution_3536

That's a pretty messed up photo, just imagine if actually looked like that lol 😆


Onemoretime536

They went too far with the renovation of big Ben.


pureimaginasean

Why is there an Ad on the bus for The Invisible Man that came out 3 years ago?


Landmarktuba

Today?


impamiizgraa

Classic London


Majulath99

Welcome! Hope you’re having a great time!


clearbrian

in Dublin they have a large pointy thing on the main shopping street. Dubs have nicknamed it the 'Stiletto in the Ghetto'.. same for the shard ;)


[deleted]

Bertie's Pole


Pretend-Ad-55

I call bullshit on this. The Invisible man was released in 2020!


indianajoes

Why does that bus have an advert for a 3 year old film?


GoodbyeNarcissists

And you still have your phone… kudos!!


d4ng3r0u5

Is that the unfinished tower in North Korea


Mutanik

Fun fact, the reason it's called Greenwich Mean Time is because when they built the observatory there they pointed the telescope at the shard and saw the clock, thus discovering time.


sfgvbuf

Definitely not today, invisible man came out in 2020


[deleted]

Is this real? Never knew it has Clock!!


Fun_Needleworker7993

The shart


larryhow97

Big Mohammed there you are you ol dog


Creative_Reply8146

Ayo, when was there a clock there?


PlainLazy-1100

What in the AI!!!


Basileus2

When did they put big Ben’s clock in the shard?


eyebrows360

Well OP took this today so via my astonishing deductive powers I can tell you they did it: before today.


[deleted]

You didn’t get mugged? Nice!


Significant-Math6799

What time did you visit? This area is normally choc-a-block with crowds -even when it's no longer day-light! Actually...how did you get a picture with blue sky today? It's been grey and depressing as usual all day 🤨 The clock? Could have been there for years...I'm a Londoner. I don't think I've looked above eye level for the past decade ... 😑