London Landscape TV (HD 720p)

St. James's Park (Buckingham Palace)

Fri, 16 May 2008 18:25:00 GMT

St. James's Park is a beautiful landscaped mix of lake, woodland and grassy areas between Buckingham Palace and Whitehall (home of UK Government). In this episode, filmed Thursday 15th May 2008, we take a stroll through the park observing the peaceful scenery and watching the people make their way from work, as well as ducks and squirrels (who are already home). A peaceful park in the middle of London's urban bustle.

Woolwich Ferry

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 21:11:00 GMT

The Woolwich Ferry is a boat service across the River Thames which is operated by the London Borough of Greenwich, and licensed and financed by London River Services, the maritime arm of Transport for London. The boats carry foot passengers and any sized vehicles from bicycles to the largest lorries. The service links Woolwich in the London Borough of Greenwich with North Woolwich in the London Borough of Newham. It also links two ends of the inner London orbital road routes - the North and South Circular Roads. A ferry service had operated across the river at Woolwich since at least the 14th century. The free ferry service was instigated by Sir Joseph Bazalgette using powers granted in the Metropolitan Board of Works (Various Powers) Act 1885, and was officially opened on 23 March 1889. This episode will take you on the crossing over the Thames, observing the Thames barrier from the seaward (unprotected) side. The two ferry boats in operation 'synchronise' with each other, passing each other as one heads south and one heads north, swapping shores every few minutes.

The Thames Barrier

Sun, 20 Apr 2008 18:19:00 GMT

The Thames Barrier, built over ten years from 1974, protects London from the occasional tidal storm surges that could cause massive flooding by an overflowing Thames. It's a beautiful 'building' on the river, seen in this video from both land and the river itself. Filmed Friday 18th April 2008.

Trafalgar Square

Sun, 6 Apr 2008 20:34:00 GMT

Spring in Trafalgar Square - a great meeting place for Londoners and visitors alike. As warmth takes hold in London, we join people meandering through the square, watching the fountains, checking their maps, climbing over the lions at the base of Nelson's Column, and sightseeing the 'fourth plinth' which is currently holding Thomas SchÃtteâs sculpture Model for a Hotel 2007, unveiled in November 2007. It is built of specially engineered glass in yellow, red and blue which collects the light, reflecting it through the edges. Filmed in early April 2008, just before the weekend turned cold and snowy again!

The South Bank Show

Sun, 30 Mar 2008 20:00:00 GMT

As Sunday 30th March 2008 dawned in London it brought mild, warm winds and beautiful sunshine.- as if to make up for the fact that this particular day was only 23 hours long as the clocks have just moved forward! Jumping on the bike I pedalled into the centre of London and crossed over to the South Bank using Jubilee Bridge, which is where this episode starts. The South Bank is a term used to describe 'Queens Walk' which starts at the GLC building and the London Eye (millennium wheel) and heads East along the Thames. At every step are street entertainers, restaurants, theatres and more. As you'll see, the sunshine brought out many Londoners to enjoy this first sense of Spring. (I use the title 'South Bank Show' as it was a popular arts programme on British TV in the 80s and 90s).

Fleet Street

Tue, 25 Mar 2008 07:09:00 GMT

If there is a slightly 'hurried' feel to this week's episode, it's because I endured the falling sleet and snow of a Bank Holiday Monday (24 March 2008) to bring you these pictures, fearing all the time for the health of the video camera seeing as how electronics and water rarely mix! So, you may not find this episode relaxing but you should find my visit to Fleet Street full of the most interesting buildings - of churches nestled in amongst the public houses, of offices ancient and modern, and of ex-printing works of well known British newspapers such as The Times and the Express. The film starts at the Temple end of Fleet Street (close to where last summer's episode 'Temple: It's The Law!' also starts which heads south through Temple Bar). We then walk towards the east end where St. Paul's Cathedral stands.

Listen to London radio riding bus 328 (updated)

Sun, 16 Mar 2008 15:58:00 GMT

(This episode has been updated because the original video file was somehow corrupted whilst being uploaded to my podcast service provider. Please accept my apologies if you downloaded this episode twice - this 'updated' version is the one to watch). In this special edition episode I wanted to capture London from the point of view of millions of Londoners as they live and work all around London every day. The best place to to this? From an upstairs seat at the front of a typical red London bus. Youâll be taking a 23 minute near-realtime journey on London bus no. 328. The entire route of the 328 is from Golders Green to Chelsea but this episode picks up the journey from West Hampstead and ends as it arrives in Notting Hill. If you would like to follow the journey you can download appropriate maps from the www.londonlandscape.tv web site. The reason for ânearâ realtime is that the journey I filmed involved a lot of stopping, so I have edited out unnecessary stop time which has removed 7 minutes from the usual 30-minute journey and makes the episode flow better. What will you see? You will see no world-famous landmarks, no well-known buildings, just London suburbs wealthy and not so wealthy as the bus travels through them. Observe the people, the vehicles, the buildings, the shops. This episode is an exercise in ambiance taking in the âordinarinessâ of one day in March 2008. The ambiance is not just visual - for the soundtrack to this episode I have recorded that dayâs (14 March 2008) tune across the most popular radio stations in London. They feature, in soundtrack order: BBC London (news / talk / music) Capital Radio (chart music) Heart (middle-of-the-road + chart music) LBC (news / talk / phone-ins) Virgin Radio (rock / classic hits) Choice FM (hip-hop / r&b) Kiss 100 (dance music / youth) Magic (classic hits) Classic FM (classical music) Gaydar Radio (dance / clubbing music) Smooth FM (middle-of-the-road music) XFM (rock / indie music) BBC Radio 4 (news & entertainment). On the LLTV website, each of the above radio stations has a link to its own website where you can find out more. All the above stations give you the ability to listen online but some may be restricted to listeners in the UK only for licensing reasons. These radio stations are amongst the most popular in London by audience size but there are plenty of other stations (around 15 on FM and more than 50 on DAB digital radio) including specialist cultural community stations in various spoken languages from Greek and Polish to Punjabi and Arabic, just about any sort of music genre from pop to jazz, classical to hip-hop, as well as religious stations for christian, jewish, islamic, hindu and sikh faiths. There are radio stations just for kids, for the armed forces, and for the elderly. Thereâs even a station run by the UK Department for Transport called âTraffic Radioâ that just transmits non-stop traffic bulletins. Enjoy the trip! Technical info: In order to get the best picture quality for the smallest download size for such a long episode, the picture size in this episode is 960x540 and the bitrate averages 1485kbps.

The British Museum

Thu, 28 Feb 2008 12:19:00 GMT

The British Museum in Holborn, central London, is your complete guide to human history and culture. Its collections, which number more than 13 million different items from around the globe, are amongst the largest and most comprehensive in the world and originate from all continents, illustrating and documenting the story of human culture from its beginning to the present.

This episode explores the architecture of the museum, and visits just a few of the many galleries of objects on offer.

The Queen Elizabeth II Great Court is a covered square at the centre of the British Museum designed by the engineers Buro Happold and the architects Foster and Partners.

The Great Court opened in December 2000 and is the largest covered square in Europe. The roof is a glass and steel construction with 1,656 uniquely shaped panes of glass. At the centre of the Great Court is the Reading Room vacated by the British Library, its functions now moved to St Pancras. The Reading Room is open to any member of the public who wishes to read there.

Hammersmith Bridge

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 09:47:00 GMT

Filmed 19 February 2008

Hammersmith Bridge is a suspension bridge which is more than 100 years old, spanning the River Thames linking Hammersmith to Barnes. The main structure is built of wrought iron and is 700ft long and 43ft wide.

This episode takes you on a short journey from Hammersmith Bridge along the north shore of a bend in the River Thames, taking in boat communities, rowing teams, and life on the water.

The bridge has had a dramatic life from buckling under the weight of heavy traffic to being subject to terrorist bombing. The fact that it survives and remains open today is testament to the love of the local community who have rallied to support it.

The current suspension bridge was designed by noted civil engineer Sir Joseph Bazalgette and rests on the same pier foundations constructed for an older bridge designed by Tierney Clark. It was opened by the Prince of Wales on 11 June 1887.

Watching London Landscape TV on Apple TV

Thu, 21 Feb 2008 21:18:00 GMT

If you have an Apple TV it should have performed its software update by now (more info here), offering a great new interface and easy access to London Landscape TV episodes.

Follow this 2 minute tutorial to get London Landscape TV episodes directly to your Apple TV (without the need for a computer/iTunes to sync with) so you can enjoy high definition video of London on your HDTV screen.

Tower Bridge and St Katherines Docks

Sun, 10 Feb 2008 22:04:00 GMT

One of London's most famous landmarks and one of its most hidden are located next to each other!

Tower Bridge is an icon of London with its rising road-decks that hinge up to allow traffic through. The bridge was opened on 30th June 1894 but, thanks to its co-location with the Tower of London, the chosen design makes it look a lot older.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tower_bridge for more information.

Right next to Tower Bridge's north pier (so on the north side of the Thames, surrounded by wharves and more modern buildings), are St. Katherine's Docks.

From pre-Roman times, the area known as St Katharine Docks has been a centre of commerce and trading. But the real roots of today's complex of commercial and residential buildings can be traced back to the 10th century, when King Edgar (959-975) gave 13 acres of land on the site to 13 knights with the "right" to use the land for profit which provided the basis for trade in foreign goods which continued for a thousand years.

Today St. Katherine's Docks are a secret haven for old barges made into beautiful homes, yachts and the latest millionaire floating 'ships'.

Note: All the shots in this episode were filmed on 3 February 2008 with the exception of the first 'aerial' shot which was filmed in May 2007 from the top of the Fire Monument, currently closed for refurbishment. I make a point of only using fresh film but I couldn't resist setting the scene with the older shot, especially as I couldn't do it again on the later filming day.

To The Tower!

Sun, 3 Feb 2008 18:18:00 GMT

Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London (and historically simply as The Tower), is a historic monument in central London, on the north bank of the River Thames. It is located within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets and is separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space known as Tower Hill.

The Tower of London is often identified with the White Tower, the original stark square fortress built by William the Conqueror in 1078. However, the tower as a whole is a complex of several buildings set within two concentric rings of defensive walls and a moat.

The tower's primary function was a fortress, a royal palace, and a prison (particularly for high status and royal prisoners, such as the Princes in the Tower and the future Queen Elizabeth I). This last use has led to the phrase "sent to the Tower" (meaning "imprisoned").

The Tower of London has also served as a place of execution and torture, an armoury, a treasury, a zoo, the Royal Mint, a public records office, an observatory, and since 1303, the home of the Crown Jewels of the United Kingdom.

Filmed Sat 2 Feb 2008.

Life at the City of London Liverpool Street Station

Fri, 25 Jan 2008 08:50:00 GMT

The thing that many LLTV viewers tell me they enjoy most is just seeing the 'other-ordinariness' of life in London in general, and 'people-watching' in particular.

What better place see this than a busy railway station in the heart of London's Financial district, known as 'the City'?

Liverpool Street Station is best known for linking the City of London to London Stansted Airport, but it also serves passengers travelling to the East of England too.

By chance I happened to be on a train approaching Liverpool Street Station on 23 January 2008, and I had the HD camera with me....

HD footage of stricken Heathrow crash aircraft

Sun, 20 Jan 2008 20:37:00 GMT

It's good to kickstart the year with some drama, but the passengers of a British Airways Boeing 777 flight into London Heathrow got more than they bargained for when the engines failed to respond to a request for thrust on final approach.

As a result, the aircraft glided in on such a low trajectory that it barely passed the airport boundary fence and landed heavily on the grass verge, causing the landing gear to collapse and shear off.

The aircraft continued to bounce along the grass coming to a stop at the start of the runway.

I filmed these high-definition video pictures on Sunday 20 January 2008, three days after the crash, as the plane was lifted onto stills in readiness to be moved to a hangar, and the investigators were still at work to discover the cause of the accident.

LLTV - The Best Video From 2007

Sun, 30 Dec 2007 20:11:00 GMT

As London Landscape TV celebrates more than 90,000 downloads since it started at the end of April 2007, here are 30 minutes of the very best footage (including a few shots airing for the first time) of London throughout 2007.

Shown chronologically, watch London progress through the seasons as we re-visit all the great locations in the capital city that was captured for LLTV viewers since May.

This podcast goes back to basics: the only fx allowed (outside the opening titles) are fade transitions from scene to scene. The only sound is that captured by the camera as it filmed each location.

Please use this episode as your window on London. Put it up on your computer screen or LCD panel as a background. Just enjoy London from the many viewpoints the camera used. Enjoy its scenery, its architecture, and above all its people.

London Landscape TV continues its filming of the UK's capital city throughout 2008, so stay subscribed, tell all your friends, and write to me at nick@lansley.com with your feedback and places you would love to see filmed in London!

If you use iTunes please feedback your views on the LLTV podcast page (in iTunes highlight 'London Landscape TV (HD720p)' in your list of podcasts and click the right-arrow that appears next to the 'clean' tag).

Oh and have a Happy New Year!

Best regards
Nick Lansley
London Landscape TV.

A Christmas Carol from Trafalgar Square

Sun, 23 Dec 2007 23:33:00 GMT

Every night in December, Carol groups from London are each given an hour's slot at Trafalgar Square to sing their Christmas hearts out in front of a festive audience.

Here is a carol from one such group, filmed live in front of a free audience in front of the National Portrait Gallery.

Behind them is the tree given by Norway (as they do every year) for thanks in response to military help given by the UK in World War II.

So Merry Christmas to every London Landscape TV viewer - and watch out for some fantastic fresh film of London every week in the New Year!

A December Evening in London

Wed, 12 Dec 2007 23:52:00 GMT

12 December 2007 - I catch the sunlight fading by the River Thames as London's evening lights come to life - spectacular buildings lit up on the city's riverscape.

I then visit Leicester Square to catch some of the latest movies and enjoy the Christmas fun-fair.

Finally I join the many thousands shopping for Christmas gifts at Oxford Circus, where the great shopping districts of Oxford Street and Regent Stree meet. The Christmas lights on both streets are truly excellent tis year (I hope my HD camera did tthem justice!).

St. Pancras International Railway Station

Sat, 24 Nov 2007 08:45:00 GMT

This special edition episode takes a detailed look at the spectacularly restored St. Pancras station. The station is called St. Pancras International because it now serves as the gateway to Paris and Brussels via the Eurostar trains and the Channel Tunnel. This episode closes in on the details of the 150 year old architecture with its modern embellishments, especially the restored roof with more than 14,000 glass panels. We also get to see the art that has been added to the station for its November 2007 re-opening, Best of all we get to see the whole station in action as a hub for passengers - thousands of them - making their way around the station, to and from trains, and even shopping in the basement mall. St Pancras train station was designed by William Barlow in 1863 with construction commencing in 1866. The famous Barlow train shed arch spans 240 feet and is over 100 feet high at its apex. On its completion in 1868 it became the largest enclosed space in the world. This restored arch is awesome to view - especially when standing next to the statue of St. John Betjeman: The greatest threat to the station came in 1966 with plans to amalgamate King's Cross and St Pancras. However public opinion had been sharpened by the demolition of Euston in 1962. Sir John Betjeman took up the cause to protect the station and in 1967 the Government listed the station and hotel as Grade 1. Sir John died in 1984, but his statue is left gawping at the roof while holding onto his hat! For more information on St. Pancras International, go to http://www.stpancras.com

View from Parliament Hill

Fri, 23 Nov 2007 09:19:00 GMT

Parliament Hill is a must-visit if you want to get a sense of the size of central London. In this episode I take the camera to the south side of Hampstead Heath in North London. From its most southerly point - a gentle sloping rise called Parliament Hill - the view towards central London is breathtaking. Parliament Hill was so named because onlookers could spot the Houses of Parliament, and even read the time from Big Ben, from the top of the hill! The episode starts with a map of London zooming into Parliament Hill followed by an aerial photograph of the hill where I stood with the camera. After a quick teasing look at the view towards the city of London, I focus the camera on a neat section of the nearby park to catch the Autumn leaves and watch people enjoying the space, whether playing football or walking along the leaf-strewn paths. I then return to the view with some spectacular close-ups of well known landmarks for a couple of minutes. I then show a 'staggered panorama' where I let the camera take a series of still HD photographs across the entire panorama and join them together. This way you get clear rather than motion-blurring pan across the entire horizontal view. Finally I end the episode by letting the camera take in the entire panorama.

From Arch To Fountain

Fri, 9 Nov 2007 22:39:00 GMT

We start at the Wellington Arch at Hyde Park Corner. The Arch is a landmark for Londoners and visitors alike. George IV originally commissioned this massive monument as a grand outer entrance to Buckingham Palace and was completed in 1830 by Decimus Burton, its architect. In 1882 the arch was moved brick by brick to its present location adjacent to Wellington House (and is now in the centre of a giant roundabout filled with war memorials). After taking in some views from the top of the Arch, we head into Hyde Park and reach the Serpentine, a recreational Lake in the heart of the Park. It's a beautiful oasis away from the 'madding crowd' of central London. Finally we gather our thoughts at the new Princess Diane Memorial Fountain, which encourages visitors to paddle, to touch the water, and to gather thoughts. It's a surprisingly tranquil place that lifts the spirits and well worth a visit.

Autumn Park Life

Sat, 27 Oct 2007 08:32:00 GMT

Both humans and other wildlife enjoy the leaf-fall in Hyde Park and Green Park.

Autumn Park

Fri, 12 Oct 2007 13:10:00 GMT

As London heads into the Autumn season ('Fall' for USA viewers!), here's another film of the changing parkscape from green to golden leaves.

There is a particularly beautiful park in London's NW4 district (north west of the centre) at Hendon. Sunny Hill Park offers a rich mix of trees and grassland to bring a rural sense to the urban area - and a perfect place to film the beauty of Autumn on 11th October 2007.

Look out for the squirrel!

LLTV ONE SHOT - Autumn Thames

Sat, 6 Oct 2007 20:15:00 GMT

As part of the launch of LLTV TWO next week, LLTV ONE viewers can enjoy a sample of the sort of innovative and experimental content which will be available from London Landscape TV's new channel.

LLTV One Shot provides a single static view of a picturesque or picture-worthy part of London in high-definition and very high bitrate to give a highly detailed video and satisfy the true concept of a static window on the UK's capital city.

This episode is the full extended shot (of which 30 seconds was used in 'Autumn City') of a static view looking East along the River Thames from the Jubilee/Charing Cross Bridge.

The video has been set up to give HD 720-line 24fps progressive playback at 4.128 Mbps (close to the limit for Apple TV playback).

Enjoy!

Autumn City

Fri, 5 Oct 2007 22:11:00 GMT

The heat of Summer is fading and London's millions of trees are just beginning to turn from green to gold.

This month my aim is to catch this city changing into Autumn gold using the best of high definition video.

On October 4th I had a meeting in Central London but stepped out with the HD camera to the River Thames to catch the Autumn sunshine and watch the many boats and craft plying along the waterway.

This is a very gentle episode - enjoy!

Welcome to Soho

Fri, 28 Sep 2007 06:41:00 GMT

* PG Rating * - this episode contains distant shots of \'adult shop\' signs in its final minute (but no nudity or eroticism, thus the iTunes \'clean\' tag).

No filming around the west end of London would be complete without stepping into Soho.

Soho is the district bordered by Oxford Street to the north and Shaftesbury Avenue to the south. It is home to some of the best restaurants, bars and clubs in London. If you want a night of fun and hedonism, Soho will satisfy your every need!

Soho is also the home of many media companies (both print and video production).

Historically, Soho was a rather \'seedy\' area, full of strip joints and prostitution. In the 1980s the local government cleared out many such establishments and the gay community moved in to bring a more upmarket (if still hedonistic) sense of style to the area.

This episode starts in Soho Square, a beautiful public space just south of the Tottenham court Road end of Oxford Street. We then head south towards Old Compton Street taking in the sights of the Price Edward Theatre and some beautiful old public houses.

This episode also features a bar called the Admiral Duncan. In 1999, 2 people were killed and more than 30 were injured when a nail bomb - planted by a man intent on killing as many gay people as possible - exploded. Londoners of all walks of life were shocked and many rallied round to get the bar open again - Londoners refuse to be intimated by terrorism in whatever form in takes.

Our episode ends with a view (from a distance) of a small backwater of Soho that still attracts the \'mature straight gentleman\'!

(Piano music from the Apple application Garageband, part of iLife \'08).

Temple: It's The Law!

Fri, 21 Sep 2007 22:35:00 GMT

Londonâs legal system follows ancient traditions involving the âInns of Courtâ. Barristers and Judges, who are lawyers appointed âto the barâ are members of one of the four Inns - a sort of gentlemanâs club (with women these days of course!).

We start outside the Royal Courts of Justice (also known as the Old Bailey) and take a look at the Temple Bar - an ornamental column with a a dragon on top (from the City of Londonâs coat of arms).

We then make our way to Ede and Ravenscroft, an ancient wig and robe maker for court officials since 1689. As we look in the window we canât help feeling we could be Harry Potter choosing his Hogwarts robes in Diagon Alley!

Next we enter the Inns of Courts public grounds at Temple, which is named after Templar Church, a home of the Knights Templar. The church (currently being refurbished so I couldnât enter at this time) âstarredâ in The DaVinci Code. Weâll head back here another when refurbishment is completed.

The Inns are beautiful buildings in an oasis of peace so close to the Strand, Kingsway, and Fleet Street. Note the names of the people who work in the offices - judges, barristers and lawyers - on name placards listed outside the entrance doors.

The sights and scents of Chinatown

Fri, 14 Sep 2007 17:17:00 GMT

This week we make a short visit to 'Chinatown' - a concentration of oriental shops and services between Leicester Square and Shaftesbury Avenue.

The centre of Chinatown is marked by three tall ornate oriental gates sealing off the roads to become a pedestrian area.

Here the delicious smell of Chinese cuisine permeates the air - it's difficult not to feel hungry absorbing those scents even if you've just eaten.

This episode heralds the start of a small re-branding exercise for London Landscape TV. This channel is to be called 'LLTV ONE' on-screen. The primary nature of LLTV ONE is to provide that great high quality series of static scenes that have proved so popular to date.

Not surprisingly, there is now a second channel - LLTV TWO - showing complementary, experimental and innovative content ideal for those who just can't get enough of London! For more details search London Landscape TV 2 on iTunes and go to the LLTV website:

http://www.londonlandscape.tv

Summer: 7 - Journey's End

Fri, 7 Sep 2007 09:45:00 GMT

We reach the concluding episode of the Summer In The City 2007 journey, where we visit the BBC World Service's HQ at Bush House, also Australia House, go to church and end up at the pub!

The episode starts by looking back at Covent Garden and then walks past a couple of theatres holding major productions such as Lord Of The Rings.

The walk then takes us to Aldwych where we find the magnificent Bush House, home of the BBC World Service.

We then take a look at Australia House before entering St. Clements Church, spiritual home of the military Royal Air Force. At midday we hear the bells playing the nursery rhyme 'Oranges and Lemons' - see the website http://www.rhymes.org.uk/oranges_and_lemons.htm which shows the lyrics that mentions this church.

After this church visit it's time to go over the road to that age old British institution for some very different spirits, the public house (or 'pub'). The George has been around for hundreds of years and is a great place to finally rest our legs after that long journey.

I hope you enjoyed Summer In The City 2007 - normal content programming from London Landscape TV resumes from next week.

This is London Landscape TV

Sat, 1 Sep 2007 14:49:00 GMT

This is London Landscape TV's short welcome video to introduce new viewers to this video podcast. It's also called 'The people of London in the city they love' as it shows Londoners and city guests enjoying themselves in the capital.

So if you are new to London Landscape TV, start here by taking 40 seconds out to get yourself introduced to your HD video window on one of the world's greatest capital cities.

Summer: 6 - Covent Garden

Fri, 31 Aug 2007 07:50:00 GMT

Our journey takes from Leicester Square (whose underground station we see in the distance in the opening shot) and make our way to Covent Garden's piazza, passing a couple of interesting inns on the way.

The piazza itself was originally used as London's wholesale food and flowers market (now moved further down the river to Vauxhall) but all the buildings still stand to create a fantastic mix of restaurants, food shops, and public bars.

Covent Garden piazza is also famous for its street entertainers who must go through a 'battle of talent' in order to be awarded a coveted 'street entertainer's licence'. Only the best make it, so you are promised a great street show when you go and watch.

The Summer In The City journey is coming to an end. Look out for next Friday's concluding episode, after which LLTV returns to showing you every part of London!

Archive for a Rainy Day

Sat, 25 Aug 2007 13:49:00 GMT

London continues to suffer from a jet-stream of rain that is watering the whole of the UK, so I ran out of time to bring you fresh pictures of the UK's capital. Instead I offer you some of the best from my archive of footage over the last four months.

Yes I was dressed in my cycling gear in the hope of bringing you some new footage but the rain prevailed, alas. This explains my on-screen excuses at the start of this episode.

Fresh film of London next week, I promise!

Summer: 5 - Leicester Square

Fri, 17 Aug 2007 09:52:00 GMT

As the Summer In The City 2007 journey continues, we step 100 metres east from Piccadilly Circus to one of the world's most famous squares.

Leicester Square is at the heart of London's West End - a district dedicated to the best food, drink, entertainment, theatre, cinema, and night-club experiences.

In this visit we "people-watch", checking out what the visitors to the square are doing. We also see what's on at the massive cinema billboards around the square, the home of the Odeon Leicester Square and Empire Leicester Square theatres used for most movie premieres.

If you're looking for a feast of entertainment in London, this square is the place to start!

Technical note:
Would you look at that picture quality! The wide-angle lens uses in previous episodes of the Summer.. journey has been... well... "archived".

Summer: 4 - Oxford Circus to Piccadilly Circus

Fri, 10 Aug 2007 13:55:00 GMT

As our Summer In The City journey continues, we take one last look at the busy Oxford Circus before heading south down Regent Street.

We pass several well-known stores (including the fabulous new Apple store - a must-visit for all Apple computer / iPod / Apple TV / iPhone fans!).

Its great seeing all the people in Regent Street milling around, window-shopping; some laden with bags, some noticing the camera and trying to seek attention!

All too soon we are at Piccadilly Circus, famous for its Statue of Eros and also the great advert hoardings, most now digital movie screens which the camera lingers to watch for a while.

Just as we turn back for one last look at Eros, I suffer sudden battery failure! The camera tries a couple of time to capture more footage but in vain as video of Piccadilly Circus is replaced dramatically with a TV test card! Ok... a bit of artistic licence to advertise the launch of the forthcoming HD 1080 service but I did actually suffer sudden battery failure which explains the very short episode this week and the drop in pictures at the end of this episode.

Yes HD video picture lovers, message received: its back to the original Sony lens and that tripod-based 'locked-off and look' from next week...!

Summer: 3 - Portland Place and the BBC

Fri, 3 Aug 2007 06:59:00 GMT

As our Summer In The City journey continues, we start where we left off last time, at the north entrance to Portland Place.

This road is well-known for its large old town houses, now mostly embassies and office headquarters.

Particular buildings are highlighted, including RIBA (Royal Institute of British Architects), the Chinese embassy with its huge shortwave antenna, the British Telecom tower in the distance, the luxurious Langham Hotel, and All Souls Church.

Portland Place is most well-known as the home of the BBC's Broadcasting House. LondonArchitecture.co.uk describes this building as "reflecting the height of Art Deco architecture, it is something of a parody of itself with its transmission towers and wires. The broad sweep of Portland stone running along Portland Place gives an impression of strength and permanence." (for more click here )

Filming notes:
Several of you have contacted me about seeing colour aberrations in some shots of the Summer In The City journey episodes so far. Hands up, I bought an, ahem, inexpensive wide-angle lens ... and it sometimes shows up as slight red or blue colour fringing at the edges of the picture.

From episode 5 of Summer In The City (publishing in two weeks time) I will be filming with just the normal Sony lens - and with the tripod to get back the highly-detailed and rich pictures of my normal 'locked off and look' filming technique. Apologies to videophiles out there, I promise to get LLTV back as your source for the finest pictures of London ASAP.

Summer: 2 - Canal Walk to Regents Park

Fri, 27 Jul 2007 08:59:00 GMT

The Summer In The City journey continues where we left off at the end of the previous episode, Camden Lock.

We now take the canal path from the lock (where narrowboats ascend or descend between two different sections of the canal) walking towards Regents Park. The canal is a peaceful, idyllic, 'hidden' London that few tourists know about.

Half way through the episode we arrive at the north entrance to Regents Park and walk south through some beautiful floral gardens and fountains.

Finally we end up exiting Regents Park at its southern perimeter and cross Marylebone Road into Park Cresent. As this episode concludes there is a sense that this peaceful part of the journey is about to end...

Summer: 1 -Tube Ride To Camden

Fri, 20 Jul 2007 22:20:00 GMT

LLTVâs Summer In The City 2007 episodes kick off with a tube ride on an underground train to Camden Town that starts over-ground, passing Golders Green station before entering the tunnel underground to central London.

Once we arrive at Camden Town, we take a look through this bustling suburb with its shops of âway-out man/groovy/hip-chick/gothâ clothing!

We pass the MTV television studios (formerly the TV-AM building) and arrive at Camden Lock looking over Regentâs Canal ....where next weekâs episode will continue the journey!

For more on the Summer In The City journey taking place throughout the summer, read the article in LLTV News at www.londonlandscapetv.info

Drive Through - July 2007

Sat, 14 Jul 2007 16:37:00 GMT

Imagine you've just arrived in London for the first time from an airport or railway station, and you're taking a taxi ride. What would you see? You would be absorbing the sights of the buildings, people, shops, other vehicles, signs, advert hoardings, driving on the left, and more. When you see a city for the first time like this, it's an intense sensory experience which I hope I have been able to recreate in this episode.

This episode takes you through two districts close to the centre of London: Brixton and Victoria. The camera is set up on the dashboard and sees everything I see in front of me as I drive the car through the heart of these places.

Technical note:
You will notice that this episode has two black bands at the top and bottom of the picture. I positioned the video as a narrower strip than the standard widescreen format because at the bottom of the original video footage is a close-up of the windscreen wiper! Since this does not contribute to the scene it would only take up the attention of the video compressor and soften the more useful parts of the picture. Lowering the picture and taking out the windscreen wiper using black bands means that much less data is absorbed here and the moving images are sharper. Even so, the moving pictures are softer than a true still landscape, so I'll present you HD landscape-o-philes (like me) with a nice still landscape next week, I promise!

Alexandra Palace and Park - July 2007

Thu, 5 Jul 2007 16:00:00 GMT

On a stormy Sunday (1st July 2007) and with central London experiencing a heightened security alert, I decided to head out to Alexandra Park - home of Alexandra Palace - with its views towards the distant towers in the city of London which is 6.5 miles (10 km) south of the park.

In this episode, I take in a couple of shots of the palace building (these days not much to look at except for its circular rose window) and TV tower, then I turn the camera around to point south to central London.

Alexandra Palace itself is no longer much to look at. A fire in the 1980s destroyed much of the building and it has only been partially rebuilt. However the historic BBC TV studios and (still operational) TV transmitter still exist. The tower was the first in the world to transmit TV pictures, from 1936 (for more information see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexandra_Palace ).

People Spaces - June 2007

Sat, 30 Jun 2007 07:43:00 GMT

A selection of well known - and secret - places in London where people go to walk, relax, and see the city. Starting in the ornately covered Leadenhall Market we then head to St. Christopher's Place, a peaceful shopping and cafe 'square' with its access from Oxford Street only indicated by a tall clock! Next we head to Canada Square, Canary Wharf - the heart of the newly developed Docklands. This shot was filmed when... actually I'll leave the clues for you to find on the large Reuters news screen dominating the square! From Canada Square we move Thames-side with a set of static shots that observe the people-only spaces riverside or across pedestrian bridges.

From Grosvenor to Berkeley Square

Fri, 22 Jun 2007 22:53:00 GMT

A journey in London's upmarket Mayfair district from Grosvenor Square to Berkeley Square, taking in the magnificent buildings and gardens in both squares. (US viewers may be interested to learn that Grosvenor Square is host to the American Embassy)

Changing the Guard at Buckingham Palace

Fri, 15 Jun 2007 07:35:00 GMT

This episode opens with a close-up view of the Victoria Monument which is built in front of Buckingham Palace. As we observe the many tourists in front of the palace we notice that there is increasing movement of the military personnel within its compound. The next thing we know, the gates have opened and a military band is playing, followed by todayâs duty guards who are leaving the palace (this time the turn of the Royal Air Force - the Navy and Army also take turns). We watch the military parade march off down the Mall, a great long parade road leading from Buckingham Palace all the way to Trafalgar Square in the distance. The Mall is festooned with Union Flags its entire length. Finally the military band has disappeared, returning the Mall to the thousands of sightseers enjoying the sunshine.

"Look: No Driver!" A ride on the Docklands Light Railway

nick@lansley.com — Fri, 8 Jun 2007 16:00:00 GMT

It's time to take a journey on the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) from Bank to Canary Wharf.

The DLR is run entirely by computer systems which drive and brake the trains and switch the track points. There is no driver to guide the train. However there is almost always a 'passenger assistant' who is there to ensure everyone's security (and check for valid tickets!).

Technical point:
There is much picture movement taking place in this episode. Given my self-imposed 3 Mbps video bitrate limit (safely within the playback bitrate limit of most video devices), the high definition picture may look a little soft and lacking in detail in some places. Abandoning my 'locked-off and look' design inevitably brings consequences since the video compressor will always be challenged if every part of the picture is changing from frame to frame.

For experimentation, I had to allow the compressor to run at 8 Mbps for the footage to be indistinguishable from the original - but I am unable to publish that version because devices such as Apple TV are unable to playback video at that high a bitrate.

I always run the compressor at its very highest possible quality settings (constrained only by the 3 Mbps bitrate setting), which means that it performs 'multi-pass' reads of the original footage in order to have the very best go at keeping the image detail and quality in the compressed version.

View from the Fire Monument

Fri, 1 Jun 2007 16:00:00 GMT

The Fire Monument is a 61-metre (202ft) stone column commemorating the Great Fire of London - a fire in a bakery which started at a location exactly the distance away from the column as is represented by its height: 61m.

The Great Fire started in a the bakery in Pudding Lane (a street which still exists) shortly after midnight on 2nd September 1666 and spread rapidly through the closely-built wooden houses. The fire raged for three days, destroying more than 13,000 homes as well as the original St. Paul's Cathedral.

You can climb the 311 steps to the top of the column and enjoy the skyline of London from the viewing platform.... or simply enjoy watching the views in your high-definition window now by playing this episode!

Having reached the top, the views showin in this episode are (in order):
1) Looking down on traffic and people in nearby streets (three views),
2) North to the City of London (financial district),
3) South-East towards Tower Bridge and HMS Belfast,
4) South across the Thames (two views),
5) South to the South London skyline,
6) West towards the Millennium Wheel and West End,
7) South-West close-up of Blackfriars Bridge,
8) North-West London skyline (spot the BT Tower),
9) South-East and a closer view towards at Tower Bridge.

For more information on the Great Fire of London and the Fire Monument, this Wikipedia entry is a good starting point:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Monument

To link directly to a Google satellite map centered on the Fire Monument, follow this link: Fire Monument - and I'll leave it to you to 'drive' Google map from there to get a sense of the location.

LLTV Special: Cutty Sark

Wed, 23 May 2007 23:05:00 GMT

A short HD video showing the aftermath of the fire to the Cutty Sark, a 19th century tea clipper sailing ship built in the 19th century and now a major tourist attraction at Greenwich in South London. Fortunately the ship was being renovated at the time and much of her equipment had been removed. Nevertheless her core timbers and metal frame were badly scorched. Please note that this video was hastily put together without a decent vantage point to view the ship, with "immediacy" being key over video-photographic quality. The video is provided for the benefit of LLTV subscribers and is available for download on a temporary basis.

The River Thames - May 2007

Wed, 23 May 2007 16:58:00 GMT

The River Thames flows through the heart of London, a great water artery that provides a wide foreground to the many landmark bridges and buildings that it flows past on its way to the English Channel. We start our visual journey looking at Waterloo Bridge with St. Pauls Cathedral and the CIty of London beyond. Next, we step down to the river's sandy south shore and look up at the Hungerford Bridge with its recent Golden Jubilee Pedestrian Suspension Bridge extensions. We then stay on the beach as we look once again at Waterloo Bridge. Our next view consists of three shots looking further along the south shore towards Blackfriars Bridge with the buildings of the City of London dominating the background. This sandy / stoney south shore is open to the public at low tide. Our next bridge is the Millennium Bridge, a 330m steel structure erected in time to celebrate the coming of the year 2000, linking the City of London at St. Paul's Cathedral with the Tate Modern Gallery at Bankside. We return to view the ve craft ploughing up and down the Thames, this time passing the "Traitors Gate" - a historical river entrance to the Tower of London. Next to Tower of London is Tower Bridge, where we take a southerly view of this impressive structure before we close-in to the roadway capable of being raised to let tall ships through. Our next view is of the World War II battle cruiser HMS Belfast, now occupying a more peaceful role as a floating tourist attraction. Fountains line many parts of the South Bank of the river, this shot being of one by the London Bridge City Pier. Close to Tower Bridge is the curved modern structure of London's City Hall, home of London's Government, the London Assembly. Finally we take a moment to join in the celebrations that form part of the opening of Potters Fields, a new Thames-side park between Tower Bridge and City Hall. Musician Pete Joyce shows off his saxophonist skills - you can hire Pete by contacting him at the email address shown briefly on-screen at this point.

Park Life - April 2007

Sun, 29 Apr 2007 18:43:00 GMT

Park Life - April 2007 London's parks offer a haven of tree-lined countryside in the heart of the capital. Indeed, there are parks spread throughout the suburbs so however urban a Londoner's home environment, they are only a short walk from their nearby little bit of rural haven. This high-definition video podcast will transport you to two major parks, Regents Park and Hyde Park. We start at the Regents Canal, a historic man-made river that passes along the northern perimeter of the park. The canal was built between 1816 and 1820 as part of Britain's water-based national canal transport system (still very much in use today for leisure craft). We then move to human-powered ground transport: walking, cycling, boarding and skating along the main pedestrian route in Hyde Park looking north from the Wellington House southern gate up towards Speakers Corner. Further up the same path we look through the trees to people in the distance enjoying the sunshine, before taking a closer general view of Londoners relaxing and playing in the warm spring weather. We then head back to Regents Park to watch two young giraffes at London Zoo, before returning to the canal this time sitting by the edge of the water watching people go by. Filmed Sunday 15th April 2007.

First Sights of London - April 2007

Sat, 21 Apr 2007 20:25:00 GMT

In this first episode, recorded Saturday 14th April 2007, the window opens in Trafalgar Square looking down from the outside foyer of the National Portrait Gallery across the square to the fountains and foot of Nelson's Column.

After a close-up of one of the fountains, the camera moves to the far side of Trafalgar Square looking back towards the National Portrait Gallery building.

The next scene is that of Horse Guards on ceremonial duty in Whitehall. The first Guard is on horseback, and the next shot shows a standing Guard in front of the entrance to Horseguards Parade. Behind him is another Guard on hoseback, mirroring the first on either side of the entrance.

The camera now arrives in Parliament Square just in time to catch Big Ben chiming. Notice, in the bottom right corner of the picture, a row of tents marking the location of the current anti-war protest across the road from the Palace of Westminster (Houses of Parliament).

Next, the camera is located in New Palace Yard, in the far corner from the Palace of Westminster. On the left side of the picture is Westminster Abbey. The next shot has a close-up of the statue of Richard I (Richard the Lionheart, King of England from 1189 to 1199.

Our final scenes in this episode are of the The British Airways London Eye, also known as the Millennium Wheel, which opened in 1999. This obsrvation wheel carries 40 "pod" each containing up to 25 passengers on a 30-minute journey full-circle. It stands 135 metres (443 feet) high on the western end of Jubilee Gardens, on the South Bank of the River Thames. The scenes also take in County Hall, the former Greater London Council (GLC) building now home to the London Aquariam, galleries, and two hotels.

Running time: 7m 12 secs; Format: Video: MPEG4/H.264 1280x720 progressive scan (HD 720p standard) 3 Mbps; Audio: Stereo AAC-LC 128Kbps; File size: 165.1 Mbytes.