Hooray I didn't have to return to Canary Wharf Pier today, boo I did have to return to Greenland Pier, and return is the operative word as the Clipper from Masthouse to Greenland took me back on myself and added a good 30 minutes to my trip.
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| View from Masthead Terrace Pier towards Deptford Creek |
I could have done Greenland to Masthouse but that would have involved crossing the Thames three times, Tower Bridge to get to the south, back to the north from Greenland and then back to the south via the Greenwich foot tunnel.
As it is was I was late leaving work, at 17:30 as I was preparing for the Close Brothers World Cup Table Football Competiton, this involved making up the laws and preparing the fixtures. We only have 20 people taking part so 12 countries have been left out. When we made the draw Mo pulled out Hondouras and wanted to know if they were a good country to have, well Mo that depends on how good you are at Table Football!
Anyway I digress, let's get back to the walk, I went my normal way via Hanbury Street which bisects Brick Lane. Hanbury Street where it joins Princelet Street used to house the Alma Public House, my favourite boozer, unfortunately it's now a block of flats. I remember celebrating Wimbledon winning the FA Cup in 1988 and getting totally rat arsed on Hoxton Heavy, and struggling home. I phoned home from a red pay phone, this was pre mobiles, and asked Beverley to pick me up, when she asked where I was I said I don't know and hung up. Somehow she managed to find me at Bellingham bus garage, I'm still not quite sure were that it is somewhere near Catford I believe.
Oh god I'm still digressing, back to the walk, the reference to Hanbury Street was because it boasts street art and is also the home of Atlantis, the art supplier not the mystical underwater empire which featured in Stingray. I noticed the other week that some of the street art has been changed, however the big bird is still there. I've quite often seen tours down here no doubt street art tours. I did think of training for a Blue Badge tourist qualification, but at £5,000 it seemed quite expensive and I what would I have done with it if I had passed? I also passed Alvin Lee's business premises.
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| Street Art - Hanbury Street |
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| Alvin Lee ex Ten Years After |
On route to The Highway I crossed Whitechapel Road, I was here yesterday taking photo of the day, I walked past the East London Mosque with its three minarets and dome. It is one of the largest mosques in the Europe, accommodating more than 7,000 worshippers for congregational prayers. It holds the United Kingdom’s largest Friday congregational prayerservice and hosts weekly attendance exceeding 35,000 worshippers, eat your heart out CofE.
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| East London Mosque |
Shortly thereafter I passed St George in the East, a Church in Shadwell and I looked up and there it was with its three towers not dissimilar to the Mosque. This was one of 50 baroque churches planned during the reign of Queen Anne to improve the social well being of the local population as they spent all their time on the booze. These churches are all grand and dominate their localities even today, and would have especially done so back in the early 18th Century, this can be especially experienced at Limehouse where the entrance of St Anne's is still lined by the original buildings. Of the 50 churches planned I believe only 12 were built, quite a few were designed by Hawksmoor. I should know as I did the 1711 walk four years which celebrated the building of these churches.
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| St George in the East |
To get to Moathouse Terrace Pier I walked along the side the River Thames which has all been developed with luxury flats, actually I don't know if they are luxury flats but they have interesting designs and are quite attractive, would I wish to live here, I don't think so. One thing I did notice was that quite a lot of people where using their balconies and verandas. I've walked along here a number of times and have never seen so many people out on their balconies and verandas, and the evening was not even as nice as last week.
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| SS Great Eastern Slipway |
Just before the Pier is the site of the SS Great Eastern slipway where the ship was built. The Great Eastern was designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel and built by John Scott Russell at his dock here in Millwall on e Isle of Docks. One thing I do regret is that I never took a trip down the Thames before the dock were closed and knocked down, but I did pick up a book at a second hand bookshop that has photos of the entire length of the Thames from the Pool of London of what the Thames looked like in the hey day of the docks.
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| Masthead Terrace Pier |
Masthead Terrace Pier was deserted, it was rather eyrie. I paid my £2.70 for the single to Greenland and awaited the four minutes for the Clipper. Here it comes, it started to slowdown and then speedied up as if it was playing with me and was going to 'steam' right past. I shouted out and it docked. One other person hurried down the slipway to catch the Clipper. The trip back to Greenland took all of three minutes and I was the only person to disembark. On my way through Deptford I waled through Sayes Court Park the site of Sayes Court where Captian Benbow had lodgings. I finally got home at 21:30 later than usual and I felt particularly tied the upshot of a tiring week at both home and the office.
Postscript - I read on the Pootling around blog that the Thames Tunnel between Rotherhithe and Wapping was open for tours over the weekend, one end to the other, but all tickets sold out - damn!
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