From this year’s ‘Love Letters to London’ writing competition, sponsored by Almacantar, Footwork and Stiff+Trevillion.
Full details of the winners and runners up are here.
You can buy our printed booklet of all of the winning and placed entries here (£6.50 for members, £7.50 non members. P+P included). Or you can get the PDF version to download here.
If you’d like information on the next ‘Love Letters’ competition, enter your details here, and we’ll be in touch later in the year.
Henry Armstrong
My London
I was born in October in Twenty Fourteen,
These are the places in London that I have seen.
The Tower of London with the Crown Jewels,
The Houses of Parliament where they make the rules.
Big Ben (which is not the clock but the bell)
The Cenotaph, to remember the soldiers who fell.
The Shard, like a knife, piercing the sky,
The 32 pods of the London Eye.
St Paul’s Cathedral, a really old church,
Nelson’s Column, on his head pigeons perch.
Buckingham Palace, the house of the King,
The Royal Albert Hall, where famous people sing.
I’ve seen England play football matches at Wembley,
At Twickenham Stadium I have watched some rugby,
The London Dungeon was a place that scared me,
I’ve seen shows at Theatres that have thoroughly thrilled me!
I’ve been on Red London Buses and Black Taxis too,
I’ve been on Underground Trains, and to London Zoo.
I’ve seen Street-Entertainers at Leicester Square,
At Hampton Court Palace, I saw knights jousting there.
I’ve spent many hours at the Gardens in Kew,
I’ve been on boats on the Thames (in fact I’ve been on a few!)
I’ve been to Richmond Park and I’ve seen the deer,
I’ve been to pubs with my dad, but I haven’t drunk beer!
These are some of the places that make London great,
I’m so lucky to have seen them because I’m only eight.
I’m blessed to be have been born in this wonderful city,
To never get to see it would be such a pity.
