My Slow Places
I’ve lived in London a long time – and have lived Central, South, West and North and found special places to go to slow down in all of them. I’m back in the North again now, and have many favourite green spaces for slowing down – Hampstead Heath, Highgate Woods, Primrose Hill and Waterlow Park.
Each has a particular spot that I return to when I‘ve been rushing around and feel the need to slow down. Either standing under a huge, old tree – where I look up through the branches, feel the bark and leaves and feel my breathing change pace and deepen. Or sitting on a bench at one of the many high points where I can see a long way across London and this change of perspective always make me feel calmer.
But I can also slow down in particular buildings that contain large spaces and have a sense of stillness and silence – the British Library, British Museum, St James Piccadilly and Serpentine Gallery are some of my central slow down haunts.
Today I made a new discovery that I loved – Kings Place near Kings Cross. A few years ago, if I’d been asked to name my least likely place to slow down, Kings Cross would have been top of my list with Oxford Circus and Victoria. Now I feel completely different about this area. It’s an airy, light space created to be a new concert venue for London – plus cafes, offices and galleries. I enjoyed the spaciousness , and mix of sculpture and art with views of canal boats and water outside.
After a few hours there, I left feeling revived and inspired and released of the pressure I had been feeling over the last few days as I struggled with competing deadlines at work and building work at home. That’s one of the many reasons I love living in London – there’s always somewhere new to discover and enjoy a slower pace for a while.
Amanda Stone – Director, Slow Down London
