Swinging Sixties above the Thames
Swinging Sixties above the Thames
Standing 42 meters above the Thames I'm having the time of my life watching as the dusk falls over London. In front of me Sean Connery looks at his best; handsome and suave... To the right a wonderful display of a 'pyramid of champagne glasses' looks quite tempting as well.
I wish I could tell you that Sean Connery was here with me in person on the walkways of Tower Bridge! However, there are about 100 guests tonight and the occasion is a very special one. The launch of 'The Sixties', a new exhibition at Tower Bridge. Sean Connery's photo that I'm engrossed in is one of 60 iconic images on display here. They are a wonderful quality 26 large scale photos that show pop stars, Prime Ministers, fashion designers, formula drivers, architecture and even political activists.
The sign above us says "Welcome to Carnaby Street" and walking up and down the West Walkway feels like being transported back in time to the swinging sixties. I spot one of my favourite photos here that shows Mary Quant and naturally think of King's Road and Chelsea, one of my favourite places to guide in London. Someone is just playing Angie by Rolling Stones. I could easily spend here a night looking at the great photos of Rolling Stones, Michael Caine, Peter Sellers, Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton and many others.
There is also a rare image of comedy duo Peter Cook & Dudley Moore on display. It was taken by producer and director Bryan Forbes to promote his film "The Wrong Box". I'll learn later on that to honour his work Tower Bridge will make a donation to the Teenage Cancer Trust.
At the very end on the walkway there is a special photo. It shows a young man with an impressive haircut and the subtitle is quite short "The Time Was Wight". It is a lovely surprise for everyone including David Wight himself who works as Visitor Development and Services Director. Sadly, I miss the magic moment as he poses for photos in front of his 60s image. I'm glad to get a chance to have a small chat with him later on. I find out that the photo won't stay as part of the exhibition and that he is happy for me to mention it in my blog.
Time flies here in the imaginary 60s street above the Thames and I'm trying my best to multi task as I tweet, talk, eat, drink and look at the photos. I bump into some of my Twitter friends here like Cindy from @3days_in_london and Tina from @MissBTakesaWalk and finally meet lovely women from @AneelaRosePR, among them Francesca @FSCollin who made it possible for me to be here tonight. I'm enjoying my delicious prawn cocktail while having a great chat with @SeasonedEvents. It's time to leave The Sixties, but I'm sure I will be back... I'm also sure that Sean Connery would love it here.
'The Sixties' Exhibition is held at the West Walkway at Tower Bridge. Admission to the exhibition is included as part of the entry fee for Tower Bridge.
More information at http://www.towerbridge.org.uk/TBE/EN/
