Again, I know senior developers that were pulling down £65k and generous bonuses. I know software architects with 15 years experience who are earning about the same too.

But to me, they are the outliers, of what is a market that is generally not paying much of a premium above outside London salaries (I knew some architects on £70k, waaaay outside of London, and many seniors on £50k + bonus).

And I didn't want to make the comparison, but yeah, these numbers are terrible compared to what you will find in the major USA cities.