To celebrate my birthday this week, I spent a day in London, the city of my birth. The statues and buildings of London – some iconic, some overlooked – are absolutely fascinating. They have a sense of timeless forms, far removed from the tourists bustling all around them. London is a place in which one can sense both history and power, secrets and spectacle. There is certain ruthlessness to it and an undeniable beauty.

Damian Mark Whittle