Monday 19 October 2009

Blackfriars Bridge

"To the north there lies the Temple and the Tower. The drudgeries and sanctuaries of power. I looked along the river to the shores of Silvertown. Putting up castles. What are they tearing down?" Blackfriars Bridge by The Men They Couldn't Hang starts with the bard starting out one spring morning for Blackfriars Bridge to watch the tide come in. It seems like one of those fascination/repulsion moments. Awe at what has been achieved, perhaps. Horror at the cost of achieving it. It's a theme continued on Rain, Steam and Speed where some would praise Brunel but others would damn him to hell for the human price paid in making his dreams come to life.


2 comments:

  1. Interestingly(?), there's a Blackfriars Bridge connection to a Man They Could Hang... Roberto Calvi.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roberto_Calvi

    ReplyDelete
  2. Brilliant. How did I miss that one?

    ReplyDelete