The Strand and The Embankment, Westminster, London, UK (photo)

The Strand and The Embankment, Westminster, London. In the centre of this aerial photograph is Shell-Mex House, part of which was once the Cecil Hotel, the largest hotel in Europe when it opened on 1886. Today the Strand has three theatres: The Savoy, The Adelphi and the Vaudeville: in the 1890s it contained more theatres than other street in London. The street has housed many public houses and coffee shops since the 17th century and has attracted a wide range of people over the years from writers and actors, to pickpockets and prostitutes. Photographed in August 2002.