The Shell Centre, located about
a three minute walk from the London-Waterloo train
station, has an excellent variety of skate-able
features.
To get there, first take a train
to Waterloo station. Upon arrival, walk past the
entrance to the Eurostar on the upstairs level
and walk onto the bridge. You will see a large
building saying "Shell Centre" on it.
With a chance to turn left down about 30 stairs
or to go straight, make a left hand turn. Walk
straight ahead and you will see a six set with
a rounded marble ledge on the side. Walk up the
stairs and you will see a manual pad connected
to a long three stair. If you keep walking straight
ahead, there is another six set. If you walk up
the three set and continue walking almost all
the way to the road, you should see some shin
to knee high ledges and a small stair set leading
onto the road.
The
Sign
The Bridge
Down the stairs
The
Manual Pad
The 3 Stair
The Other Side
To get to the heart of the Shell
Centre, go down the stairs and make a right turn.
Continue walking down the sidewalk until you come
to the reddish coloured driveway leading down
the big hill. Turn left and walk straight ahead
under the bridge. On the left are some ledges
that you can ollie down be be careful of the large
drop on the other side. Keep walking and you will
see some worn down knee high ledges. Ahead of
that is a 5 stair set but the run up isn't any
good unless you happen to have some plywood.
The
Driveway
Under
the Bridge
The
Drops
The
Ledges
Overall, the Shell Centre is a great
place to skate if you like drops and stairs, but
if your into grinds and slides, this can be a problem
because of how worn down and chipped the ledges
have become over time. It's definatly a spot worth
checking out if you happen to be in downtown London.
An added bonus, if it gets too crowded, South Bank
is only 5 minutes away and there's a McDonalds back
at Waterloo station.
