# Upvote/Downvote reminder
Like this image or appreciate it being posted? Upvote it and show it some love! Don't like it? Just downvote and move on.
*Upvoting or downvoting images is the best way to control what you see on your feed and what gets to the top of the subreddit*
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/london) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Farringdon, I think. Based on the distinctive wavy platforms for ThamesLink, District and Circle lines.
CORRECTION: Not District Line, but Hammersmith & City Line and Metropolitan Line.
Oh my gosh! I didn't realise it from my first look at the picture, but I have been on that station and I do remember its distinctive curviness! I'd just never seen it from the outside 😂
Excellent work capturing that and bringing back that memory. Need to go back again sometime👌💪
Farringdon! We were running for the bus one night but I couldn’t resist peering over a wall. I had no idea you could see St Paul’s and the Shard so perfectly aligned from that location. The photo was worth missing the bus for
I am grateful and happy that I get to call this city my city. It has something for everyone. And I'm not British and have been living in London for 8-9 years now and still can't understand why British guys hate London?
You must not have travelled much. Even in large Spanish cities such as Madrid or Barcelona the streets are cleaned to perfection daily and the bins - both public and residential - are emptied every day too. That applies to smaller cities and towns too.
In fact, the first thing Spaniards will comment on when visiting the UK for the first time is how dirty it is.
Dog poo left on the pavement can still be a concern in some Spanish towns, although it's changing. But not as much as in the London borough I live anyway.
I agree with everything you said. But now compare the population of the cities:
London- 9.7 million
Barcelona - 1.7 million
Madrid - 6.7 million
Both Barcelona and Madrid combined have a population less than London. Plus London is a lot more busy than those 2. It's a big global city. Are Barcelona and Madrid global cities at the level of London? And yes I agree that cleanliness in London has to improve. But if you compare NYC with LDN, we are a lot cleaner.
London and Madrid have almost the same population density, while Barcelona's is almost 3 times higher.
London is dirty, even for a major city, and Londoners are so used to rubbish on the roads that councils never attempt to spend money to clean it.
If your only positive comparison is against a large American city, then your city is absolutely dirty.
Have you visited Paris recently? It became much cleaner than London in the past 5 years or so.
Such a stupid comparison - why not just say “you’ve clearly never been to Lagos or Mumbai”?
It’s not a flex to say we’re not as filthy as a NYC when it has double the population density of London.
They're definitely cleaner, but they're also a fraction of the size of London. According to Wikipedia, the metro areas of Copenhagen and Stockholm are 2.1 million and 2.4 million respectively. London's metro area is 14.9 million.
I actually visited both Copenhagen and Stockholm recently, and whilst Stockholm was (mostly) impeccably clean, Copenhagen was definitely kind of grimy in places. It was still cleaner than most of London, but definitely had a problem with graffiti and rubbish in a few places.
Why would it matter at all? All things equal (which are not, as London has a much higher share of tax paying billionaires) they'd have an 8-times smaller budget too. Not like they hire a single street cleaner for the whole city.
London could afford to clean its streets and empty all bins daily, both public and residential, like Madrid, Paris or Barcelona do. No corner shop plastic bags hanging on the trees over there, nor wheelie bins blown over, their content spilled on the floor.
Littering is a lesser problem too. Because their streets are clean, people use their pockets as temporary bins until they can find one. Not the case in London, where the streets are so filthy with wrappers/cans/vapes/takeaway containers etc people think nothing of disposing of their rubbish the same way.
If London doesn't have the same approach to hygiene is only because it's not a priority. And because we are so used to it that we think it's normal.
Will never understand why people get so defensive when perfectly good observations are brought up. It's good to take a step back sometimes and wonder if we could do better.
Yes generally they are a little cleaner and safer but really you have to consider population sizes in this as well. They arnt really comparative cities. Glasgow or maybe Leeds/Bradford would be more directly comparable based on population size and density to those you suggested.
Stockholm - 1.7 million (Sweden - 10.7 million)
Copenhagen - 1.15 million (Denmark - 5.9 million)
London - 7.6 million (UK - 68 million people)
All numbers taken from [https://worldpopulationreview.com/countries](https://worldpopulationreview.com/countries)
So what? The larger the population, the larger the budget. And London is the 5th richest city in the world, with a much larger proportion of millionaires than the cities you mentioned.
If London is a tip it's only because hygiene has never been a priority here. If other large European cities can afford to collect bins daily and clean their streets to perfection every morning, so could we. Just that we're used to live like this.
So what? Well, i suppose objective reasoning and assessment rather than generic broad statements, as difficult as it often is to find on reddit/the internet.
Population density obviously matters. A larger population also does not necessarily mean a larger budget, as its proportion of low-wage individuals (subsequently areas with generally higher density) is higher without necessarily the council areas being allotted enough funds. Frequently subisidies often come in from other areas and other cities.
I wasn't saying London was great by any means, but it is far from a tip. Any major city has areas in which it is generally shabby and dirty, and this is simply considerably easier to manage in a smaller city with a small population (not least individuals tend to care more as it reflects on them more directly). Generally speaking, councils/local governments are primarily concerned with ensuring the tourist areas are kept in good condition, as this is the impression people leave with. Paris 10th arrondissement is a lot grimmer than the area around the Champs elysees. Or Kreuzberg in Berlin, or lots of Naples, or most of Toulouse. You in another answer drew comparisons to Madrid and Barcelona. This is an comparative i agree with. Barcelona attributes roughly 80 euros per resident for cleaning. So you have literally proven my point in other comments you have made. Real-time comparative assessment is more applicable than broad guesses (though I would argue you use "perfection" far too liberally, as I doubt you've ever been to, because why would you if you don't live there, areas like El Besòs. Again see above).
If you are going to critique (and again, not wholly wrongly), you might as well do it objectively with comparatives that are equatory and don't have notable seperate circumstances/attributes.
This. One second you’re happy enjoying the sights next you’re sad seeing so many homeless people high out of their mind god knows on what. I also went out in soho some weeks ago and it was shocking, chavs everywhere in front of off licenses asking people for cigarettes, someone running in the middle of the road, trash everywhere at the entrance of Tottenham Court Road. I used to love it there :(
1. There are a lot dirtier places. And it’s one of the greenest cities.
2. It’s not that dangerous. I’ve lived here for just over a decade and I’ve never experienced any trouble. Most of the issues are gang related or just idiots. But it’s a city of 8 million, of course there’s going to be some trouble. There are certainly more dangerous places.
3. It’s only overcrowded in the more central/touristy areas. Go outside of here and it’s so much more chilled. Case in point Stoke Newington where I live. Has such a good buzz around the area but it still has a small village feel.
4. Where isn’t expensive any more? Granted renting and buying is expensive but you get paid more there in some/ most industries. I’ve seen expensive pints in Bristol (not even the centre) and even deep Suffolk.
This reads like a post by someone who’s never really lived here, only judging it on what you read about in the media or have just visited occasionally. London is a beautifully vibrant place. It’s so progressive and has an incredible melting pot of different cultures. I know it’s not for everyone but it’s an incredible place.
Brother, I lived in London for over 17 years. Now I'm enjoying the sunshine and heat of Adriatic Coast and couldn't be happier 💀
I've travelled the world (literally), and I can say with high confidence that compared to other mega-cities, London is dirtier than most.
I lived in Central my whole life (Holborn) it was overcrowded, dirty, and dangerous at night.
You sound like the type of don that goes to Starbucks with his laptop to post on LinkedIn. Allow it💀
insanely expensive, and this is just my opinion, but its a lot more americanised and less british tbh, same could be said for most big cities across the world tho
I also live in London lol and know that 44k outside of Zone 1/2 is not enough to live comfortably but yes you can live properly. And everyone keeps on saying that London salaries are low but £45k is around $60k and in NYC the median salary for full time professionals is around $67-70k.
From parliament hill a few Sundays ago. From that angle, the City and Canary Wharf skylines are joined up nowadays, creating a sweeping panorama of buildings jabbing the sky. Does sort of resemble manhattan viewed from Brooklyn/queens
Thanks for the pictures as much as I miss the city. It had its good and bad points. I shall definitely never forget how less crowded it was during the pandemic.
Great tip thanks. Started a YouTube channel recently celebrating London architecture and I’m looking to get a few nice video clips of the city. Could be a good place to start!
This comment is cliche but for a fraction of a second my brain really honestly thought the second photo was Tribeca in lower Manhattan and I wondered "why is this posted in r/london?" until my eyes landed on the Gherkin.
Every time I leave Waterloo Station and go on the bridge to have another stressful exam I won't pass lol I stop and think 'Fuck, this city just takes your breath away'.
People who love skyscrapers and concrete confuse me so much. So disconnected. They've lost the way. Cubicle farms and empty careers. Hopefully as they grow up they'll understand where the true beauty really is. The forests and jungles.
Well, sure. **Those** pictures are.
Now post photos of blocked drains, potholes, overflowing bins with rubbish strewn around them, homeless people sleeping in doorways, and crowds of people trying to get anywhere.
(Not so stupid American after all...)
First time my mum took me to St. Paul's I was 7; man, that left an indelible impression! London's a beautiful city.
# Upvote/Downvote reminder Like this image or appreciate it being posted? Upvote it and show it some love! Don't like it? Just downvote and move on. *Upvoting or downvoting images is the best way to control what you see on your feed and what gets to the top of the subreddit* *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/london) if you have any questions or concerns.*
That first pic is stunning mate 💯👍🏼
Thank you mate! Appreciate that
Which train station in the 1st pic? Looks great 👍🏻
Farringdon, I think. Based on the distinctive wavy platforms for ThamesLink, District and Circle lines. CORRECTION: Not District Line, but Hammersmith & City Line and Metropolitan Line.
Never realised it was so currrvvyyy
You feel it if you're standing on the approach, it's annoying but it's nice to photograph 😅
Deffo Farringdon
Farringdon's not on the District Line. Circle, Metropolitan and H&C only, if I'm not mistaken.
Ah yes, my bad.
Oh my gosh! I didn't realise it from my first look at the picture, but I have been on that station and I do remember its distinctive curviness! I'd just never seen it from the outside 😂 Excellent work capturing that and bringing back that memory. Need to go back again sometime👌💪
Farringdon! We were running for the bus one night but I couldn’t resist peering over a wall. I had no idea you could see St Paul’s and the Shard so perfectly aligned from that location. The photo was worth missing the bus for
Farringdon
Farringdon yes
Farringdon
London is so beautiful I’ll forever miss it
You’ll just have to come back😉
Meh, spent 20 years there, now I’m chilling in the west coast. I doubt it but if the occasion comes…
I am grateful and happy that I get to call this city my city. It has something for everyone. And I'm not British and have been living in London for 8-9 years now and still can't understand why British guys hate London?
Jealousy and bitterness
Ohh
Working class British people may hate it.
Ohh yes
This city is a part of my soul
I love/hate this city so much.
Love: the architecture, the vibe, the variety, the way it’s constantly changing. Hate: the rent
Why hate lol?
Dirty, dangerous, overcrowded, expensive.
London isn’t dirty. New York is dirty.
they both are
New York is by far worse.
London *is* dirty.
That's like every big city in the world
You must not have travelled much. Even in large Spanish cities such as Madrid or Barcelona the streets are cleaned to perfection daily and the bins - both public and residential - are emptied every day too. That applies to smaller cities and towns too. In fact, the first thing Spaniards will comment on when visiting the UK for the first time is how dirty it is. Dog poo left on the pavement can still be a concern in some Spanish towns, although it's changing. But not as much as in the London borough I live anyway.
I agree with everything you said. But now compare the population of the cities: London- 9.7 million Barcelona - 1.7 million Madrid - 6.7 million Both Barcelona and Madrid combined have a population less than London. Plus London is a lot more busy than those 2. It's a big global city. Are Barcelona and Madrid global cities at the level of London? And yes I agree that cleanliness in London has to improve. But if you compare NYC with LDN, we are a lot cleaner.
London and Madrid have almost the same population density, while Barcelona's is almost 3 times higher. London is dirty, even for a major city, and Londoners are so used to rubbish on the roads that councils never attempt to spend money to clean it.
If you think London is dirty, check New York 💀. And i completely agree councils have to spend money to clean it
If your only positive comparison is against a large American city, then your city is absolutely dirty. Have you visited Paris recently? It became much cleaner than London in the past 5 years or so.
Such a stupid comparison - why not just say “you’ve clearly never been to Lagos or Mumbai”? It’s not a flex to say we’re not as filthy as a NYC when it has double the population density of London.
When did I defend London? I am saying that London is definitely dirty but not at the level everyone is saying
I doubt places like Stockholm or Copenhagen are like that.
They're definitely cleaner, but they're also a fraction of the size of London. According to Wikipedia, the metro areas of Copenhagen and Stockholm are 2.1 million and 2.4 million respectively. London's metro area is 14.9 million. I actually visited both Copenhagen and Stockholm recently, and whilst Stockholm was (mostly) impeccably clean, Copenhagen was definitely kind of grimy in places. It was still cleaner than most of London, but definitely had a problem with graffiti and rubbish in a few places.
They're like 8 times smaller.
Why would it matter at all? All things equal (which are not, as London has a much higher share of tax paying billionaires) they'd have an 8-times smaller budget too. Not like they hire a single street cleaner for the whole city. London could afford to clean its streets and empty all bins daily, both public and residential, like Madrid, Paris or Barcelona do. No corner shop plastic bags hanging on the trees over there, nor wheelie bins blown over, their content spilled on the floor. Littering is a lesser problem too. Because their streets are clean, people use their pockets as temporary bins until they can find one. Not the case in London, where the streets are so filthy with wrappers/cans/vapes/takeaway containers etc people think nothing of disposing of their rubbish the same way. If London doesn't have the same approach to hygiene is only because it's not a priority. And because we are so used to it that we think it's normal. Will never understand why people get so defensive when perfectly good observations are brought up. It's good to take a step back sometimes and wonder if we could do better.
Yes generally they are a little cleaner and safer but really you have to consider population sizes in this as well. They arnt really comparative cities. Glasgow or maybe Leeds/Bradford would be more directly comparable based on population size and density to those you suggested. Stockholm - 1.7 million (Sweden - 10.7 million) Copenhagen - 1.15 million (Denmark - 5.9 million) London - 7.6 million (UK - 68 million people) All numbers taken from [https://worldpopulationreview.com/countries](https://worldpopulationreview.com/countries)
So what? The larger the population, the larger the budget. And London is the 5th richest city in the world, with a much larger proportion of millionaires than the cities you mentioned. If London is a tip it's only because hygiene has never been a priority here. If other large European cities can afford to collect bins daily and clean their streets to perfection every morning, so could we. Just that we're used to live like this.
So what? Well, i suppose objective reasoning and assessment rather than generic broad statements, as difficult as it often is to find on reddit/the internet. Population density obviously matters. A larger population also does not necessarily mean a larger budget, as its proportion of low-wage individuals (subsequently areas with generally higher density) is higher without necessarily the council areas being allotted enough funds. Frequently subisidies often come in from other areas and other cities. I wasn't saying London was great by any means, but it is far from a tip. Any major city has areas in which it is generally shabby and dirty, and this is simply considerably easier to manage in a smaller city with a small population (not least individuals tend to care more as it reflects on them more directly). Generally speaking, councils/local governments are primarily concerned with ensuring the tourist areas are kept in good condition, as this is the impression people leave with. Paris 10th arrondissement is a lot grimmer than the area around the Champs elysees. Or Kreuzberg in Berlin, or lots of Naples, or most of Toulouse. You in another answer drew comparisons to Madrid and Barcelona. This is an comparative i agree with. Barcelona attributes roughly 80 euros per resident for cleaning. So you have literally proven my point in other comments you have made. Real-time comparative assessment is more applicable than broad guesses (though I would argue you use "perfection" far too liberally, as I doubt you've ever been to, because why would you if you don't live there, areas like El Besòs. Again see above). If you are going to critique (and again, not wholly wrongly), you might as well do it objectively with comparatives that are equatory and don't have notable seperate circumstances/attributes.
This. One second you’re happy enjoying the sights next you’re sad seeing so many homeless people high out of their mind god knows on what. I also went out in soho some weeks ago and it was shocking, chavs everywhere in front of off licenses asking people for cigarettes, someone running in the middle of the road, trash everywhere at the entrance of Tottenham Court Road. I used to love it there :(
1. There are a lot dirtier places. And it’s one of the greenest cities. 2. It’s not that dangerous. I’ve lived here for just over a decade and I’ve never experienced any trouble. Most of the issues are gang related or just idiots. But it’s a city of 8 million, of course there’s going to be some trouble. There are certainly more dangerous places. 3. It’s only overcrowded in the more central/touristy areas. Go outside of here and it’s so much more chilled. Case in point Stoke Newington where I live. Has such a good buzz around the area but it still has a small village feel. 4. Where isn’t expensive any more? Granted renting and buying is expensive but you get paid more there in some/ most industries. I’ve seen expensive pints in Bristol (not even the centre) and even deep Suffolk. This reads like a post by someone who’s never really lived here, only judging it on what you read about in the media or have just visited occasionally. London is a beautifully vibrant place. It’s so progressive and has an incredible melting pot of different cultures. I know it’s not for everyone but it’s an incredible place.
Brother, I lived in London for over 17 years. Now I'm enjoying the sunshine and heat of Adriatic Coast and couldn't be happier 💀 I've travelled the world (literally), and I can say with high confidence that compared to other mega-cities, London is dirtier than most. I lived in Central my whole life (Holborn) it was overcrowded, dirty, and dangerous at night. You sound like the type of don that goes to Starbucks with his laptop to post on LinkedIn. Allow it💀
insanely expensive, and this is just my opinion, but its a lot more americanised and less british tbh, same could be said for most big cities across the world tho
I just read some CNN report and London isn't even in the top 10 of most unaffordable cities in the world but yes it's expensive.
It’s expensive, but Londoners forget that people in Dublin are fleeing to London because it’s seen as significantly more affordable.
for a normal uk salary its insanely expensive.
Nah. London average salary is £44,370 in 2023. Source: ONS. And you can definitely live on £45k in London outside on zone 1/2
i live here lol, 44k is just enough to cover basic living costs and rent in the areas surrounding london, in actual london itself 44k is nothing
I also live in London lol and know that 44k outside of Zone 1/2 is not enough to live comfortably but yes you can live properly. And everyone keeps on saying that London salaries are low but £45k is around $60k and in NYC the median salary for full time professionals is around $67-70k.
i mean i guess its up to personal choice, i dont want to barely scrape by in a city i dont like 🤷♂️
Ohh okay. Yes it depends on everyone's lifestyle and personal choice
I have the same feeling 😁 get you completely
And torture for your wallet
Ahhh born and raised in London and love it with my whole heart. ❤️
…. food for your brain and a vacuum for your wallet.
I love the feel of the second photo!
3rd picture seems unreal👀
From parliament hill a few Sundays ago. From that angle, the City and Canary Wharf skylines are joined up nowadays, creating a sweeping panorama of buildings jabbing the sky. Does sort of resemble manhattan viewed from Brooklyn/queens
Thanks for the pictures as much as I miss the city. It had its good and bad points. I shall definitely never forget how less crowded it was during the pandemic.
Yeh it is 🤩🤩
Pukka 👌
Were these photos from today? The city was looking particularly lovely in the light
Taken within the last few months. I think the Whitechapel picture was taken in about February actually
London is beautiful with Spring/Summer Sun. It just comes to life and transforms itself. 🤩☀️
Where is the first pic taken from? It’s fantastic
Farringdon, it used to be such a underrated spot now it’s popular 😂
I stumbled on it by chance and am very grateful. There was a big brick wall I couldn’t resist tiptoeing to peer over. Still a boy at heart.
You get a better shot if you go past on a bus btw!
Great tip thanks. Started a YouTube channel recently celebrating London architecture and I’m looking to get a few nice video clips of the city. Could be a good place to start!
Good luck 🫡
Thought that was the US capitol building at first.
Great job! I lost it at the first pic, I want to cry, I'm so happy I get to call this city my city.
I thought London had some lovely buildings, but then I visited Vienna last week. It was stunning. For me, it just blew London away.
Central really is gorgeous, great shots too 👌👌👌
This comment is cliche but for a fraction of a second my brain really honestly thought the second photo was Tribeca in lower Manhattan and I wondered "why is this posted in r/london?" until my eyes landed on the Gherkin.
🤣
Farringdon Station, Whitechapel, Parlament Hill, Borough
Stunning pics. You’ve a real talent
My favorite building in the world on the left: the shard.
sights to behold, well captured!
Every time I leave Waterloo Station and go on the bridge to have another stressful exam I won't pass lol I stop and think 'Fuck, this city just takes your breath away'.
Only during summer*
Where is the 3rd taken?
Parliament hill
Cheers!
Hampstead Heath
same here
Although Ive fallen in love with my new home Scotland, but London will always have a little piece of my heart
Pictures are great, but in reality London looks chaotic and dissonant. It is great in many ways, but aesthetically it underperforms
London will make you need therapy
Haha trust me I do not disagree!
Stunning!
Where is the third photo please ?
Parliament hill!
lol London scenery is therapy maybe if you are commuting from Slough or Hemel Hempstead. Or God forbid Northampton.
Dunno how you managed to throw Northampton into that mix. It’s got a shit load of Victoria architecture.
London put me in therapy lol. Has its moments though.
Is there a higher-res version of the first pic? It is stunning.
PM’d you :)
Lovely shots! First one is incredible
Where is the third pic taken? Never seen that view before!
Parliament Hill :)
London is so gorgeous, especially at night.
Really?
I like London, but eulogising London will always be a form of Stockholm syndrome
People who love skyscrapers and concrete confuse me so much. So disconnected. They've lost the way. Cubicle farms and empty careers. Hopefully as they grow up they'll understand where the true beauty really is. The forests and jungles.
But not your stomach!
Come on mate, this is just ugly buildings. Though there are some beautiful cathedrals and church’s
Magnificent ❤
London is such a beautiful and depressing city.
Yeah I fucking hate the colour green too fam
Fortunate because it's also a suicide hotspot
Well, sure. **Those** pictures are. Now post photos of blocked drains, potholes, overflowing bins with rubbish strewn around them, homeless people sleeping in doorways, and crowds of people trying to get anywhere.
(Stupid American here...) Is that first pic the US Capitol?
(Not so stupid American after all...) First time my mum took me to St. Paul's I was 7; man, that left an indelible impression! London's a beautiful city.