20 The London Bus
Park. The minaret and golden
dome of the London Central
Mosque gleam out from the
greenery.
The top of the road is
dominated by the pillared 1814
St John’s Wood Church, and in
the centre of the roundabout
in front of it is a bronze World
War 1 memorial depicting St
George slaying the dragon.
Curiously, this is a 1935
casting of a statue that was
designed by Charles Leonard
Hartwell in 1923. The original
stands in Eldon Square,
Newcastle upon Tyne.
Following the road round the
chicane into Wellington Place,
we pass Lord’s Cricket Ground,
whose sleek Media Centre pod
seems to hover over the site like
an errant spaceship. It was the
world’s first semi-monocoque
aluminium building, and won
architectural prizes when opened
in 1999, despite the dramatic
contrast it creates with the
traditional Victorian Pavilion
stand opposite.
A short way up the road,London by Bus
ABOVE: The
dramatically
redeveloped
business centre at
55 Baker Street,
site of the former
Marks & Spencer
headquarters.
ABOVE RIGHT:
The former Abbey
House in Baker
Street, built
over the fictional
home of Sherlock
Holmes.
MIDDLE RIGHT:
MV38231 passes
St John’s Wood
Church, built 204
years ago.
BOTTOM RIGHT:
The London
Central Mosque in
Regent’s Park.