Dark London

Night crawls in to London.

The black seeps relentlessly along the streets, through the towns and across the Boroughs uniting them in their gloom.

But London is the city that never sleeps and it shrugs nightfall off as it would a breeze, a frisky shower or the unexpected arrival of a confused whale.

The sole concession made is to switch a few lights on and even this casual act goes beyond the mere functional provision of illumination and London grabs the opportunity to show another side of its character, to change it shape and to slow things down just a little.

Taking the familiar walk along the South Bank reveals the truth of this. Even with the assistance of turbulent clouds and a tar-black river it is the lights of London that win the futile contest.

The lights on the far bank bounce across the water from grand buildings while on the south side the lights are more frivolous playing among the trees and resting on the footpath as they guide you safely towards Waterloo and home.