Tripod height compared to famous buildings

[jeffwaynefan]

This is neat. . .

Gives you an idea to the Fighting Machines height compared to famous buildings and monuments around London.

[Leatherhead]

Wow, i really assumed it'd be bigger. Oh well.

[theredweed]

I thought it said that the tripod appear above big ben, this would make it taller.

Not fully confident as I dont have the book with me, but thought thats what it said

[Gnorn]

That's actually from the musical. But I'm sure Jeff Wayne has changed that for the upcoming Collectors Edition to "one of the fighting machines apeared below Big Ben"

-Gnorn

[EvilNerfherder]

They don't seem so big next to the big buildings in London which are pictured.. But it would have looked pretty impressie out in the Surrey countryside I daresay.
I think the quote from JW's musical was more for dramatic effect than accuracy.

[jeffwaynefan]

"one appeared above Big Ben" is from Jeff's album. If you look at it this way, the mchine being 100ft in height could not appear above a structure that is 280ft in height, but if Parliment buildings along with the clock tower have already been destroyed and left a smouldering ruin then the Fighting Machine would 'appear above Big Ben'

H_C

[RustiSwordz]

It does appear above Big Ben,
After the bell tower is blown off!

[BrutalDeluxe]

I always pictured them to be taller than that. Makes you wonder how they'd fare now with skyscrapers and all. Instead of the Thunderchild they could ram them with the QEII which would sort them out ;-) I guess nothing is too big once you cut it down to size with a heat ray.

[lanceradvanced]

I allways assumed the "above" or "below" reffered to upriver or downstream on the Thames..

Just as a Side note, they added the Jeff Wayne style tripod to Starship Dimensions at www.merzo.net

[krys666]

No need to see how small we are comared though! What about little people jumping out knowing it's either that or an ugly martian ars* in their face! <No disrespect intended you all!>

But I would like to see king kong there!

[Lensman]

Sure it's above Big Ben, albeit briefly. It's using a really big pogo stick! ;D

[krys666]

How do I upload a picture from my computer? I've, erm, added to the picture above! It's cool...

[krys666]

Ah wait, go to.
uk.photos.yahoo.com/[e-mail]

I hope the site has stopped playing silly beggars!

[Poyks]

Just look at an L2 design 400kV electricity pylon. They equate to the described height of a fighting Machine.

[Lensman]

But seriously: I presume the scale drawing at the beginning of this thread shows the very tallest buildings circa 1898 in London. I assure you, the Tripods striding along virtually any part of London would look very tall indeed! Even the multi-story apartment buildings of the era were typically only 4-5 stories.

[mctoddridesagain]

They'd still look tall even now, London isn't a very high-rise city for the most part. Most tall buildings are concentrated either in the City (for non-UK readers, the City with a capital 'C' denotes the banking district, concentrated more or less in the Square Mile, and constitutes the old heart of London) and Canary Wharf.

But yes, you're right there Lensman - if you see photographs of London before the war (second world war, that is) there are very few tall buildings. St Paul's utterly dominated the City until a cluster of tall office buildings went up in the 1960s, and Canary Wharf is very recent.

Of the buildings in that picture, the Palace of Westminster and Westminster Abbey are next door to each other, Nelson's Column is half a mile away, St Paul's is about two miles away from them, and the Tower of London is some way off down the river. They are well spaced out and stuck out like sore thumbs in the London of 1898. The only other tall buildings were churches.

Though there's no date, this appears to be late Victorian, and shows St Paul's and the surrounding city:



Although small, I love this picture:

[keltiksylk]

lanceradvanced said:

I allways assumed the "above" or "below" reffered to upriver or downstream on the Thames.. quote]

You're perfectly correct. In the pearson's version the phrase is "beyond Big Ben"

[Mr Death Ray]

I think the soldiers only assumed it was 100ft tall when fireing at them during the storm.

Still, look at the old photo of St Paul's. 100ft still towers over all the big houses.

[RickyB]

Maybe big ben was reference a famous fat street artist or someone who sold postcards in the region of westminster palace? His name was probably Benjamin Korn and he sold postcards and porn. Angry at this early venture capitalism, one of the fighting machines "Appeared above Big Ben"

[Spirit of Man]

I may be wrong, but I don’t believe that a specific height for the machines is mentioned in the JW version, they are simply referred to as being "Monstrous tripods, higher than the tallest steeple", this could allow one to appear above Big Ben.