Millenium Dome

I visited the Dome on Friday 29th December 2000, 2 days before it closed. An extremely impressive development, on the corner of the Thames, the centre of the Dome is given over to a performance space where the Millenium Show takes place, 3 times a day. A highly visual display of dance and aeriel performance, with spectacular effects, structures rising and falling.

Around the circumference of the Dome are 14 'Themed' zones, some extremely good like

• 'Journey' showing the history of transportation with a strong operatic tune pumping through it.
• 'Work' taking a highly sceptical view of work, a clock ticks through the slow passage of 100,00 hours of an average working life, to a giant table football game with 50 people all round trying to show the value of teamwork.
• 'Learning' has a recreation of a school corridor, all oversized to give you the sense of a little kid at school, with an inspirational film next leading to a magical 'Infinite Orchard' - a large darkly lit space full of trees, springy turf and enclosed with mirrors.
• 'Self Portrait' - a rather indulgent view of the best of Britain - a giant circular wall with people's contributions to the question 'What one thing best represents Britain to you?'. Responses included 'The White Cliffs of Dover', 'Morecombe and Wise', 'Marmite', ' Blackpool Tower'
• 'Home Planet' - a more traditional 'Disney' kind of ride, as you board a capsule to experience a journey around what makes Earth so special

I visited on an especially cold December day, the ground still frozen.

Looking west from the Meridian Point, across the River Thames to Canary Wharf, and the two sister towers being built along side. It is this closeness to the wealth of the City that makes the redevelopment options of the Dome so attractive.

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