# The Shard, London



## EastOfDesolation (Apr 8, 2012)

Picture it. December 2010. Christmas Eve. A meal with the family, then slipping away on a 120-mile round trip, to stand, shivering, on the top of a crane. Suffice to say, my family thought I was mad.






Arriving at London Bridge Station and parking my car, the night becomes a blur. I can't even remember exactly who I was supposed to be meeting. Either way, I was early. A lap of the site couldn't be a bad thing though, so I set off on foot, looking for obvious changes from our previous reccys.

It occurred to me at one point that there were rather a lot of people loitering around the base, and it took me a minute to realise exactly what was going on. Half of London's exploring scene was doing laps of the hoarding, leaning on lamp posts, waiting for that clear moment...






It was obvious that nothing was going to happen without co-operation. I think there were about 12 of us, and any slip-ups would probably mean disaster for all. We rounded each other up and set about entering the site in pairs and threes. Somewhere in the middle, I went in. 75 flights of stairs later... And we were at the top! That easy... hmmm...

The wind was bitter, icy even. None-the-less, I wanted my "money shot". Not the most impressive photograph, by most standards, but the counterweight on the crane was to be mine.






Tensing myself to stop the shivering, partly to get a sharp photo, partly to stop me falling off, I hit the shutter release and held. Legs dangling the 330m down, the 12 seconds felt like minutes, hours even. I sat for a few shots, just to be certain, and then climbed back down to the slip-form.






Reflecting back on that night, in some ways The Shard was a photographic let down, just too high, too much to see, most of my photographs just too vague. As an experience, slogging up 70-something flights of stairs and ladders, not knowing if you would be caught around the next corner, not knowing if the top would be locked, alarmed, guarded... Amazing. The feeling of elation when at 20-to-midnight on Christmas Eve, I burst out of the hatch on to the slipform, knowing that not only had I done it, but I was about to share the experience with a group of others, all feeling the same elation, adrenaline and desire to explore that I had...

Amazing.


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## oldscrote (Apr 9, 2012)

Just spotted this on the news

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/trio-dodge-security-reach-top-shard-094519502.html


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## krela (Apr 9, 2012)

It's been all over the news.


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## jonney (Apr 9, 2012)

your family isn't the only one who thinks your mad lol just the thought of being up that high makes me queasy. Hats off to you though


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## UE-OMJ (Apr 9, 2012)

jonney said:


> your family isn't the only one who thinks your mad lol just the thought of being up that high makes me queasy. Hats off to you though



Couldnt have said it better 

Put me in a light aircraft/helicopter and I'm fine. Stand me on top of a building like that and I go


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## UE-OMJ (Apr 9, 2012)

Imagine if you could have done it on New Years Eve...


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## EastOfDesolation (Apr 9, 2012)

Probably could have done. had other plans myself...


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## nelly (Apr 9, 2012)

Respect!!!


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## st33ly (Apr 9, 2012)

Yea just seen this on channel 4 news. Amazing work!


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## TiJayLFS (Apr 9, 2012)

Heard about this on the news before I saw it here, massive props to you sir!


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## UEP-Wales (Apr 9, 2012)

Hats, gloves and everything else off to you! Bloody Fantastic!


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## neoncity (Apr 10, 2012)

bloody brilliant!!!


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## onthebusescrazy (Apr 10, 2012)

Fantastic pics well done


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## night crawler (Apr 10, 2012)

Saw it on the web news this morning. Fair play to you mate not something I would want to have a go at doing but amazeing photo's.


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## kevsy21 (Apr 10, 2012)

Good pics,well done for scaling it.


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## Ace5150 (Apr 10, 2012)

Kudos and much respect!


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## Malcog (Apr 10, 2012)

Chapeau to you Sir.


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## Landsker (Apr 10, 2012)

Superb pics, nice one for getting up there!


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## Ninja Kitten (Apr 10, 2012)

oooowww....fair play! brilliant shots too.


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## Pincheck (Apr 10, 2012)

not impressed with this group at all, attention seekers never do impress me haven seen all the news crap !


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## SeffyboyUK (Apr 11, 2012)

Nice shots, interesting to see another Shard report. Made for a good read too!


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## the|td4 (Apr 11, 2012)

Pincheck said:


> not impressed with this group at all, attention seekers never do impress me haven seen all the news crap !



Same here.


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## nelly (Apr 11, 2012)

Pincheck said:


> not impressed with this group at all, attention seekers never do impress me haven seen all the news crap !





the|td4 said:


> Same here.



Guys, not wishing to turn this into a debate but people who push boundaries will always attract attention and rightly so, I suppose its the essence of exploration of all kinds from the beginning of time, sometimes, it's what it takes to push people to try new and risky things.


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## Pincheck (Apr 11, 2012)

nelly said:


> Guys, not wishing to turn this into a debate but people who push boundaries will always attract attention and rightly so, I suppose its the essence of exploration of all kinds from the beginning of time, sometimes, it's what it takes to push people to try new and risky things.



I don't mind a debate this isn't derelict is it its just a live infiltration, fail to see what is impressive about going into a building site. All it is are attention seekers trying to make a name for themselves. 

The people i admire are the ones who do stuff but don't go about shouting "_*look at me ain't i the dogs bollocks*_"That gives me the dry Boke mate and always will. 

Its only people trying to see who can piss higher on a wall  as far as i can see and its sadly more common these days which is why i post very little these day


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## nelly (Apr 11, 2012)

Now I know Ben will reply to this that DP isn't an Urban Exploration site, but Urban Exploration and Dereliction go hand in had to a massive degree and part of Urban Exploration is High Places and Live Sites and infiltration of these places.

Everybody has their own tastes, personally I can't get my head around Pill Boxes, to me they are just 4 (or more) walls with a slab for a roof, but if others enjoy finding, photographing and identifying them then bloody good luck to them, similarly I love a hospital or a church but I dare say there are many out there that can't see why, and for this reason, I don't usually venture into the Pill Box posts and I really can't work out why you clicked on a link that reports the highest building in Europe just to leave a negative comment with intermingled rudeness?

The reason that I said that I don't wish to turn this into a debate is that I don't want to hijack a bloody good report with bickering so for this reason I'm going to leave it here


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## nelly (Apr 11, 2012)

P.S. I had to Google "Dry Boke", bloody foreigners!!!


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## ImmortalShadow (Apr 12, 2012)

Massive amounts of kudos to you, man! That's seriously awesome. Superb photos as usual, too


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## cogito (Apr 12, 2012)

nelly said:


> Guys, not wishing to turn this into a debate but people who push boundaries will always attract attention and rightly so.



Nail. Head.

The antics of people entering derelict buildings or exploring previously unseen spaces in an urban environment (or otherwise) has long attracted media attention and it will continue to do so. Hell, there's a certain forum that heavily criticises the antics of the LCC and Dr. Bradley Garrett yet at the same time has a whole section of their forum dedicated to features and mentions in the news including guides on how to invoice the parties that use their photos. Hypocrisy? Most certainly.

Since the media have always picked up on the kind of thing that people like us engage in, it's down to us as a community to 1) embrace the fact that's not going to change and 2) paint ourselves in the light that we wish to be represented to the public. There have been a lot of features in the media that feature a lot of loaded language, misguided comments from whatever councillor or member of the Police force that has been available for comment and topped off with a dash of sensationalism and choice comments from the internet with no context whatsoever. 

I for one can't think of a single person better suited to talking to the media/public about urban exploration and dereliction than Dr. Garrett, and the fact that the LCC have released images from the Shard simultaneously some 18 months down the line and the media have jumped on it has had no negative affect on the exploring and dereliction communities whatsoever, it's affected no individuals or groups detrimentally and the various businesses that it affects were already long aware and had a chance to make changes before it's gone public.

As far as I'm concerned, there's no problems here... Nothing to get your panties in a bunch over.

Just a lot of very, very enjoyable photos!


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## krela (Apr 12, 2012)

I'm not that bothered about stuff like this being here. I think the argument is about attention whoring, which isn't really fair. The only reason this story is all over the news is because it became an Associated Press story that got syndicated by the various news companies. If you look around it's the exact same story with the exact same wording on most websites, and all the 'quotes' are lifted straight from the place hacking website. So no-one ever actually spoke to the press. It's a story which was always likely to get sensationalised because of the Olympics and because it's the UKs tallest building. That doesn't make it attention whoring.

It's also worth noting that EofD isn't Bradley Garrett and it's not his report that got picked up on.

If getting to the top of the UKs tallest building doesn't interest you then like nelly said, just move along. There's space for lots of different things here and not everything is going to interest everyone.


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## nelly (Apr 12, 2012)

I take it that Bradley's double page interview in today's Sun won't be to everybody liking then


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## Cuban B. (Apr 13, 2012)

Well I find there's two types of explorers going about, those who blab to the press and those who keep their mouths shut. If I know anyone that's blabbed to the press I'll cut all contact with them and encourage my exploring partners to do the same. I think that's the best way


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## cogito (Apr 13, 2012)

The major point that a lot of people seem to have missed, is that Dr Garrett didn't go running to the press shouting PRINT THIS PRINT THIS. A couple of news outlets have been monitoring his Place Hacking blog which is to be expected after some of last years occurrences, and the press being the press will publish whatever they hell they want.

Upon this happening, things can get very dangerous very quickly. In the past if left alone, these reports quickly descend into sensationalist reports littered with loaded language, out of context quotes and a smattering of rhetoric aimed at the readers and viewers generally designed to make them ever more fearful of the unknown. What Dr Garrett did though was to work flat out for several days to ensure that every media outlet that got hold of it and contacted him was guided in a more accurate and appropriate direction as a means of damage control. As a result almost all the media coverage of the Shard escapades has been a lot more positive than many other media reports that we see popping up from time to time (normally on a more local scale) and a damn sight more positive than it could have been if he left them to run what the hell they wanted.

Of course, if you'd rather let the press run wild with a report that you produced and not utter a corrective word to them then be my guest. Although you'd be doing a lot more harm to the community than good that way.


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## Cuban B. (Apr 13, 2012)

Assuming that is what happened (and I don't believe it is), by helping the press he's turned a story that would've probably featured in a couple of tabloids into one that went national across the newspapers and news networks. With the much higher coverage for a less negative and wider ranging urbex story, I think it will result in places in the area getting tighter, more of the wrong eyes looking at those sites, and more people cashing in on urbex related stories. All of which seem like a bad outcome.


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## krela (Apr 13, 2012)

Okay I think we get your point Cuban B, this isn't Dr Garretts thread, it has nothing to do with him, now can we drop it please?


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## Ninja Kitten (Apr 13, 2012)

well said Krela...lets enjoy the view... brilliant..wish i had the guts to do it ..ide be up there in a flash..


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## King Al (Apr 14, 2012)

Superb pics EoD, great write up as always!!


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## Pincheck (Apr 14, 2012)

Yes buts its still a live explore isn't it krela which you said was not what DP was about ? if i remember correctly. Which is why you closed the sub forum,on live explores as it then cut out the obsessive look at me crowed sorry but what Cuban said is relevant regardless of this thread.


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## wolfism (Apr 14, 2012)

cogito said:


> The major point that a lot of people seem to have missed, is that Dr Garrett didn't go running to the press shouting PRINT THIS PRINT THIS.


That's simply not true, what the Sun printed here was "Here he writes for The Sun to explain what it is like to scale Europe’s tallest building and why he risks his life to explore the hidden gems of the world’s cities."



cogito said:


> Of course, if you'd rather let the press run wild with a report that you produced and not utter a corrective word to them then be my guest. Although you'd be doing a lot more harm to the community than good that way.


Arguably there are no positive outcomes for the "community", but set against that there is the kudos gained and any money which Bradley Garrett made from the images being published. I'm sure I'm not the only one who recalls his rhetoric when he first appeared on various forums as _goblinmerchant_ – strangely he didn't mention being a Murdoch stooge as his objective?

Also it's naive of you to imagine that you can influence any story in the tabloids: particularly if as Krela says, it was syndicated. Or are you _really_ suggesting that Bradley Garrett had copy approval on the story?

*Anyhow, not to distract from EofD's thread: the photos are terrific, well done. *


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## Sectionate (Apr 14, 2012)

Any attention in the media is bad attention.


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## nelly (Apr 14, 2012)

But as Krela just said, this is not Bradleys report


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