Walking with friends: Borough Market to the Isle of Dogs... and beyond

With Covid-19 and the various lockdowns putting a pause on my walks with friends, around The Unfinished City, it is great to be able to start them up again.

Saturday April 2, 2022

After a breakfast of Pulled Pork Burger with apple sauce and sage & onion stuffing, from Hobbs in Borough Market, my friend Stephen and I began our first walk of 2022.

Borough Market is a food lovers paradise.

Heading towards the River Thames we made our way through the Contorted Tunnel, which Stephen had never seen, to the basement of Hay's Galleria. Climbing the stairs we headed out on to the embankment, by HMS Belfast, and followed the path to Tower Bridge. 

Tower Bridge and the Girl with a Dolphin.

Taking the eastern pedestrian path, across the bridge, we headed to St Katharine Docks Marina, where various yachts, barges, lifeboats and the Queen's Rowbarge 'Gloriana' were moored. As we rounded one of the buildings I pointed out Stanley Kubrick's original 'Monolith' from 2001: A Space Odyssey, which had been affixed to the wall of one of the buildings, back in 1977.

'Monolith' by Arthur Fleischmann.

From here we headed eastward towards Hermitage Basin and the Ornamental Canal, through Wapping Woods and on to Shadwell Basin. A small area of the basin was being used by Wapping Docklands Market, so we had a look around the different food stalls before heading in to the historic The Prospect of Whitby, for a well-deserved drink.

Our first drink in London together for a number of years.

'Silver Jubilee Crystal Crown' by Arthur Fleischmann

"Its origin and purpose still a total mystery."

Wednesday October 28, 2020.

I have long been an enthusiast of science fiction films and books, with Stanley Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey being among my favourites. 

I had heard that the original concept for the 'monolith' called for it to be transparent, which would allow for visual effects to be layered onto it. 

However, when Kubrick saw the finished piece he decided against using it, opting to go with the now famous black basalt 'monolith'. 

'Monolith' plaque.

After a little online searching I found that the original acrylic 'monolith' was on display, in London, so I set about discovering it. I found it, too, affixed to a wall in St Katharine Docks.