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WRITING|CREATIVE WRITING

Urban Diary

Atlas House: still standing in the heart of The City

Mario López-Goicoechea
The Howling Owl
Published in
2 min readJan 8, 2025

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Would you be so kind so as to take my burden for me, please? I just need a break (All photos by author)

If the Italianate architectural features don’t grab you at first, the distinctive clock and sculpture of Atlas will. This is one of the last Georgian-era buildings in The City of London.

It is the sculpture, though, that gets my creative juices flowing. I imagine the world-holding Titan Atlas looking down and trying to figure out which gullible passer-by will take his burden whilst he takes a much-needed respite, or even better, legs it for good.

With so much to see and enjoy in the vicinity, who could blame this astronomy wizard? The Guildhall is right at the end of King Street, scarcely a hundred yards away. Free exhibitions and a big courtyard where the mighty giant could stretch his centuries-cramped muscles is not something to scoff at.

On Cheapside he could visit St Mary-Le-Bow and explore the connections between this church and cockney culture and history. And on Bow Lane, he could pop in St Mary Aldermary, and enjoy this Elizabethan-era, gothic-style church with a beautifully decorated ceiling.

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The Howling Owl
The Howling Owl

Published in The Howling Owl

The Howling Owl is a juried publication featuring poetry, fiction, essays, and reviews. The publication is committed to quality creative work from a diverse group of writers.

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