London Court: Perth, Australia

London Court is this strange little tourist trap in the middle of the Perth CBD. A long thin alleyway that is done up in a fake medieval style that jars strangely with the modern shops within. I used to live coming here when I was little, as it was a strange oasis of wonder in the otherwise modern city surroundings.

At each end of the court, there is a large tower façade. I used to remember that it was huge when I was a little kid. These days, the whole thing is dwarfed by the surrounding commercial buildings.

In the middle of the summer great, it is pretty uncomfortable in this alleyway, all the best does get trapped and there is very little in the way of shade. This wasn't even a particularly hot day, and it was enough to send us to the edges for any little bit of respite from the sun... But the reflected heat was impossible to hide from.

The shops are a strange mix of high end luxury places like jewellers and goldsmiths, alongside cheap tourist souvenir shops. Many of the really classy places are on the hive floors though. I also vaguely remember a board gaming place at one end, but that is no longer there...

The alert is only about 200 metres of so long at best... So a very short walk, and I think that most locals use it as a short cut between the the main street and the pedestrian shopping area.

But the real reason that I loved coming here as a kid... On the hour, the knights would ride around and joust each other!