Walking along the Thames Path there is always something new to see or discover.
It was while walking east, from Crossness, that I first saw this World War II-era pillbox. It is typical of the time and was used as an observation post, with a wide 'window' which offered a wide field of vision.
There were many versions of pillbox design, with different areas and counties having their own specific design. This one was adapted, at some point, to be fitted with an anti-aircraft gun. This, obviously, has been removed.
This pillbox has a wide field of vision.
Brief History.
Pillboxes were small, hardened concrete bunkers with loopholes for firing weapons, designed as fixed firing positions. They were part of a network of defensive structures, built in the late 1930s and early 1940s, to defend against a potential enemy invasion and to protect key sites.
If you walk along the Victoria Embankment you, like many others, will quite possibly have missed the large bronze lion heads that adorn the embankment walls, as they face the River Thames.
They were commissioned by Joseph Bazalgette to line the Albert and Victoria Embankments as part of the Victorian sewage system he had engineered. They were sculpted by Timothy Butler, between 1868–1870, who added mooring rings to each lion's mouth.
Although this was more of a nod to the river, barges and boats would use them when mooring along the river. As the water levels changed and mooring points moved on, the lions eventually lost this role and were no more than redundant features on the river wall.
Having taken a few days off work, Emma and I took Keilyn to London, while Erin was staying with friends.
We set off, via taxi, to Watford Metropolitan station to board a train to Finchley Road and from there a Jubilee line train to Waterloo.
On leaving Waterloo station we crossed Waterloo Road and headed for the Bus Cafe, for a spot of lunch. Full English breakfasts were ordered and devoured, washed down with coffee and tea.
With our bellies full we left the bus garage and headed along The Cut and onto Union Street. We passed the Embassy Tea House and the London Fire Brigade Headquarters, before crossing Southwark Bridge Road. We then passed the old Tram shelter, which is now a gourmet burger restaurant, and the Mint & Gospel Lighthouse Mission building, before turning up Redcross Way beside Crossbones Graveyard.
Redcross Way brought us to Dirty Lane and the arches beneath the mainline railway of Cannon Street station. This eventually brought us to Clink Street. Keilyn's face lit up when she discovered that we were going into the Clink Prison Museum, a place she had wanted to visit for ages.
"The Clink": the prison that gave its name to all others.
We descended the stairs, paying our dues at the booth, before entering the site of the original Clink Prison. The prison that gave its name to all others.
Information boards told the history of the prison from its earliest inception, in 1144, to its closure in 1780. Manacles, locks, swords, torture implements, chastity belts and much more were on display, many of which could be handled, allowing you to feel the weight of the chains, giving a sense of how it would feel to be manacled for days on end.
There was also information on Crossbones Graveyard and the Winchester Geese, the Liberty of the Clink, the Bishop of Winchester and a brief mention of the other five prisons that were in Southwark.
"Off with his head!"
As we walked through the Clink Keilyn was keeping an eye out for the 'ghosts' that had been hidden around the museum. These 'ghosts' were small puppets and, should you find all ten, you received a sweet on leaving the gift shop. Of course, Keilyn spotted all ten and received her lollipop as we left the prison.
We continued along Clink Street and joined the throng of tourists, passing the Golden Hinde and turned onto Cathedral Street and then Montague Close, where we sat in Minerva Square to rest our legs and have a drink. We then continued along Montague Close and joined Tooley Street, before turning along St Olaf Stairs and joining The Queen's Walk along the River Thames. Countless wooden sheds were in various stages of being built and painted, ready for the Christmas season, while the old City Hall is in the middle of a major refurbishment, with much of its glass having been removed.
A Victorian era postbox.
We looked at the Royal Mail Penfold Postbox, a relic of the Victorian era, before we turned south along Duchess Walk to Queen Elizabeth Street. After buying an ice cream, for Keilyn, and some more refreshments and snacks, we walked along Tower Bridge Road and headed for our hotel... Premier Inn London Tower Bridge Hotel.
The view from our hotel room.
After checking in, Keilyn grabbed the room key and took the lift to the top floor, all the while we were hoping for a room with a view. And we were not disappointed. We could just make out the top of the London Eye and half of the dome of St Paul's Cathedral, but we had a clear view of The Shard, which was perfect.
'Thames Made Modern' is an artwork and poem project, at Globe View, on the north bank of the River Thames.
It is a multi-generational project, by ARTBASH, alongside the architects Rivington Street Studio and in collaboration with the lighting designers FPOV.
The artwork was developed following a series of workshops with several different communities.
The artwork is a layered montage. The backgrounds were painted by the children of Aldgate Primary School, who were inspired by mudlarking activities that they had participated in.
The buildings were then added by students from Haggerston Community School, inspired by the views at Globe View.
It was a collaborative effort, by artists, residents and the congregation of St James Garlickhythe, that added the wildlife to the artwork. The congregation also helped with the poem.
The poem uses The Doves Type typeface. This typeface was believed lost, in 1916, when a disgruntled printer, TJ Cobden-Sanderson, threw his famous typeface into the River Thames, to spite his business partner. However, in 2014, the original metal type was salvaged from the River Thames by divers and mudlarks. With the type now in hand, Robert Green, a graphic designer, set about digitally reconstructing it and so was able to use it here.
In all there are six paintings, each with its own piece of poetry, which can be found below.
Mighty heart, mighty London Spanning. Timeless Ethelred's Hythe to Queenhithe Welcoming Charles II's landing Southwark Bridge in steel stealing Dicken's heart Riverside House looking buoyant Glorious views from Globe View Blues, greens, aquamarines & a glimpse of grey
European Eels swarming and waving With shoals of Bream chasing & biting The ebb, the flow, the perpetual flux Thames made modern
In a bustling metropolis like London, it's easy to overlook the small, yet significant, historical markers scattered throughout the city. Among these are the numerous drinking fountains and animal water troughs, silent sentinels that tell a story of Victorian philanthropy, public health, and a bygone era before bottled water became ubiquitous.
Imagine London in the mid-19th century. The River Thames, while a vital artery for trade, was also a significant source of drinking water for many, often contaminated and leading to devastating outbreaks of cholera and other diseases. Access to clean, safe drinking water was a luxury, not a right, and for the working classes, it was a daily struggle. This pressing public health crisis spurred a wave of social reform, and a key initiative was the provision of free, clean drinking water for all.
The Metropolitan Drinking Fountain and Cattle Trough Association, founded in 1859, became the driving force behind this movement. Their mission was simple: "to promote the erection of drinking fountains in the streets of London, and also of cattle troughs for the use of animals."
These fountains and troughs were more than just practical necessities; they were symbols of Victorian compassion and a commitment to public welfare. Funded by generous donations from individuals, charitable organizations, and even royalty, they sprung up in parks, market squares, and busy thoroughfares across the city.
Keilyn and I had worked out that we hadn't visited London, together, in quite a few weeks, which was a shock.
So, as soon as I had finished work and Keilyn had arrived home from school, we both got changed, grabbed some snacks and took a taxi to Watford Metropolitan underground station. An Aldgate-bound train was waiting at platform 2, which we hurriedly boarded, grabbing seats near the centre of the train. Within minutes we were on our way.
Pulling into Harrow-on-the-Hill station we were informed, by our driver, that the train pulling in beside us would be leaving first. So, a mass exodus of travellers, including us, crossed the platform and boarded the other train. A ridiculous thing to do, really, as this would only shave a few minutes from our journey time. Sure enough, though, we were soon moving again.
We exited Aldgate station and headed west, turning down Fenchurch Street until we reached Fen Court, where we stopped to look at the 'Gilt of Cain', which is a sculpture that commemorates the abolition of the slave trade.
It is a remarkable piece. Composed of a granite podium, with steps, and columns that are shaped like sugar cane acting as a congregation. Each column is etched with lines from the poem 'Gilt of Cain', by Lemn Sissay.
We then made our way towards Fenchurch Street station, where we purchased some hot food, which we ate on the benches on Fenchurch Place.
Suitably filled with energy we made our way back to Fenchurch Street and turned down St Katherine's Row and through French Ordinary Court. This eventually brought us out onto Crutched Friars and, then, Savage Gardens which brought us to Trinity Square. I do love the City of London's street names.
Crossing Tower Hill we stopped to take some photos of His Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, spotting some of the poppy installation flowing down the wall of the Medieval castle.
From here we headed down to the River Thames and onto Three Quays Walk. The light was fading as we reached the river, making Tower Bridge really stand out, with its lights illuminating its profile. Sugar Quay Jetty offered the perfect place to grab some photos of the bridge, HMS Belfast and The Shard.
Approaching Grant's Quay Wharf we noticed that the top of The Shard had lights running up its uppermost levels, signalling the time was now 19:00.
London Bridge, like the rest of the bridges we would see, was illuminated with coloured lights, reflecting off the turbulent waters of the outgoing tide.
Walking around Rotherhithe it is hard to imagine that, just 40 years ago, this was a completely different area. Almost every part of it would have been docks, basins and cuts, rather than what now greets people. Housing estates, schools, shops, business centres, a farm, green spaces, ecology parks and, at its centre, Stave Hill Viewpoint have now replaced the docks that once covered this entire area.
Of course, some small areas of water can be found, like Globe Pond Nature Reserve, Lavender Pond Nature Reserve and Surrey Water. Then you have some of the original docks, such as Canada Dock, Greenland Dock, Norway Dock and South Dock.
Brief History
Located in Rotherhithe, on the Surrey side of the River Thames, this area had been a hub of commercial activity since the 17th century.
The Howland Great Wet Dock was built between 1695 and 1699 and was the oldest of London's riverside wet docks. In 1763 the dock was sold and renamed Greenland Dock, due to the amount of whalers that used it. Greenland Dock became the central hub for the Surrey Commercial Docks.
During the 1800s expansions and improvements resulted in the formation of the Surrey Commercial Docks Company. These docks were part of the larger Port of London, which handled a significant amount of commercial shipping trade to and from the UK.
This is how the area once looked.
Many docks were named for what they imported or from where the products derived, while others had simpler names. There were docks named Albion, Canada, Greenland, Island, Lady, Lavender, Norway, Russia and Stave. Plus, the South and West Docks.
Thomas Peirson Frank. (Elliott & Fry, Public domain)
During World War II, especially during The Blitz, London was heavily bombed.
Bombers flew along the River Thames, dropping bombs on the dockyards and industrial sites, before moving towards the City itself, using Tower Bridge as a point of reference.
Because London is a low-lying city the River Thames embankments were targeted, too, in the hopes of flooding some of the area.
However, they didn't know about Thomas Peirson Frank.
Thomas Peirson Frank was born into a farming family in Yorkshire, in 1881. He was educated at Pickering Grammar School and Huddersfield Technical College, before gaining three years of practical experience training under Huddersfield borough engineer, K.P. Campbell.
Over the next few years he gained further experience in general construction, the laying of sewers and water mains, maintenance of roads and tramways and much more.
In 1908, he became the city engineer for Ripon. During the four years that he worked here he was responsible for extending the sewage disposal works and also the construction of two river dams.
He then spent between three or four years in various roles in Cardiff, Liverpool, Plymouth and Stockton-on-Tees. In Cardiff he acted as a surveyor and performed a similar role in Liverpool. While in Plymouth he was responsible for construction work, which included roads and sewers for a housing scheme. In Stockton-on-Tees he was the borough engineer. During his time in Liverpool he also lectured at Liverpool University.
It is hard to believe, now, but that this small building once stood on the north bank of the River Thames.
Originally an entranceway with stone steps that was used to reach the river, where boats moored along the river's edge could be boarded.
This building has not been moved. But the River Thames was narrowed, in 1862, when construction began on the new sewer system and Victoria Embankment was created, which has resulted in this building now resting some 133 metres (436 feet) from the banks of the river.
A large tablet close to the gateway reads:
THIS GATEWAY MARKS THE POSITION
OF THE NORTHERN BANK OF THE RIVER THAMES
BEFORE THE CONSTRUCTION
OF THE VICTORIA EMBANKMENT 1862.
It was built in 1626 by Nicholas Stone.
Master Mason for George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham, to serve
as the watergate to York House, which the Duke had acquired from
the Archbishop of York, in 1624. The arms on the river front and the motto
'Fidei Coticula Crux' (the Cross is the Touchstone of Faith) on the land side
are those of the Villiers family. York House was demolished in 1675 and
streets were laid out on the site. In 1893, the gate having fallen into
decay, the London County Council obtained parliamentary powers
to acquire and preserve it as an object of public interest.
However, although the tablet attributes its erection to Nicholas Stone, Indigo Jones and Balthasar Gerbier may also have had a part in it.
It is built of stone in three bays, with rusticated bands on the side facing the river. The two lions on the top hold shields with anchors to symbolise the Duke of Buckingham's service as Lord High Admiral.
Today, it lacks its balustrade, stone-paved landing stage and steps.
If you look down on the northeastern support of the Hungerford Bridge and Jubilee Bridges, across the River Thames, you will see the scattered remnants of broken skateboards.
This is not just some random littering spot, but rather a memorial to a fallen skateboarder.
Friday June 18, 1999.
Timothy Baxter and his friend, Gabriel Cornish, had spent the midsummer day skating over and around the concrete obstacles of the Undercroft, beneath Queen Elizabeth Hall.
In the evening they went for drinks, much like everybody else, and enjoyed the summer evening. As they headed home, a little after 04:00, via the Golden Jubilee Bridges, they were confronted by six strangers; three teenagers and three young adults; five male and one female.
The strangers took Timothy's rucksack and threw it into the cold water of the River Thames, before beating on Timothy and Gabriel. The last thing Gabriel heard, before passing out, was, "Let's throw them in the river. It will be fun."
The world's longest continually-used skate spot.
Gabriel survived, by using his rucksack to stay afloat, and was rescued two miles downstream with hypothermia. Timothy never regained consciousness and his body was recovered 36 hours later.
The six individuals were caught and charged with murder and attempted murder. In April 2000, following a ten-week trial, they were all found guilty and were sentenced to life imprisonment, in May 2000.
The East India Docks were constructed between 1803-1806 and were the third set of wet docks built on the River Thames, in the early 19th century. By the end of the 18th century East Indiamen ships had been sailing from Blackwall for almost 200 years.
The East India Company, founded in 1600, shipped valuable goods from the East to the River Thames. It was a rich, powerful and well organised body using the largest two ships that frequented the Port of London. The valuable cargoes were moved by barge to the city, then carried to the company's spacious warehouses on Billiter Street and Cutler Street.
In January 1804 the lock was widened to 48 ft across to allow the largest East Indiamen, of up to 1,500 tonnes, to enter the docks.
The Export Dock
In September 1804 Hugh McIntosh used a horse operated bucket dredger to excavate 8,000 tonnes of mud from the former ship repair yard, Brunswick Dock, to give a uniform depth of 22 ft. The south wall was built in brick, but the original timber walls of the Brunswick Dock were retained on the other three sides.
The Export Dock was also home to the emigrant's ships. In the 19th century companies including Green's, Wigram's and Dunbar's all used the docks as their embarkation point. By 1905 the Export Dock was principally used by sailing ships and steamers.
After suffering from bomb damage, during World War II, the Export Dock was sold in 1946 and filled in to make way for Brunswick Wharf Power Station. The power station was closed down in the 1980s and demolished. Now the site is home to Virginia Quay.
The Import Dock
The most important element of the East India Docks was the Import Dock. Covering almost 60 acres it provided room to unload the precious goods from the East Indiamen returning from their voyages.
Excavations began in 1803 using pumps, buckets, rods, pipes, and valves impounding 18 acres of water.
The work included a labour force of up to 400 men and 100 horses. Dredging 625,000 cubic yards of earth. Making nine million bricks from the excavated topsoil to form the dock walls and using 50 tonnes of old iron hoops to strengthen the walls.
The walls of the Import Dock were constructed with a curved profile which was ideally suited to the shape of the hulls of the East Indiamen.
During World War II the Import Dock played an important role in the construction of the Mulberry floating harbours for the D-Day landings in Normandy, in 1944. After World War II the Import Dock was filled in and a number of new developments, including the Financial Times Print Works (1987-88) and Telehouse Europe (1988-90), were built.
The Lock
The Entrance Lock, with a width of 48 ft, was the largest lock in the Port of London. It had a curved or rounded bottom, unlike the shallow inverts of the locks constructed at West India Docks.
The sundial is one of man's oldest astronomical instruments.
In this particular form, known as an Equinoctial Sundial, the dial is in the same plane as the Earth's equator and the gnomon, or rod, is parallel to the axis of the Earth pointing true north.
The shadow of the gnomon moving across the dial indicates the time. In summer the shadow falls on the face of the dial, in winter on the inner edge.
St Katharine Docks, which was the only major project of Thomas Telford in London, opened in 1828. His idea was to use as much of the land as possible for warehouses and to limit quayside space, ensuring cargo was lifted directly into the warehouses.
Because of the way he designed the docks, narrow footpaths allowed workers to walk around the site. However, to get from one side of the dock to the other could take some time, so Thomas Rhodes, the resident engineer of Telford, designed this retractable bridge, between the Central Basin and the East Dock.
Constructed with iron castings and wrought iron forgings, by John Lloyd, the bridge was linked to rail-mounted cast iron counterweight boxes that allowed it to stretch across the dock. Using a rack and pinion system the bridge could be retracted into the masonry of the dock walls.
Since 1560 this was the site of a public house, named The Bell Inn, with an address of 11 Church Street. St Mary-at-Lambeth church, which stood at the road's western end, was how Church Street got its name.
Following the street renaming process, which took place between 1857-1929, its address became 111 Lambeth Road.
Alterations were made, in 1930, when the building incorporated the refreshments room, previously a tobacconists, next door.
This new building, built in the neo-Tudor style, opened in 1931, but ultimately closed as a public house in 1958.
It was redeveloped with residential flats, above, and offices on the ground floor.
It is believed that the Inn got its name from the bell that was rung to summon ferrymen to the nearby River Thames.
In the grounds of the Ministry of Defence, on the Victoria Embankment side, there are a set of steps with a buttress and wall.
They are not an old entrance to the basement of the building, which now stands behind, but rather a rebuilt part of a terrace, originally built by Sir Christopher Wren, and were part of Whitehall Palace.
With a week off from work, and my girls being in school, I decided on a trip to London, inviting my mum and my uncle Martin along. Unfortunately my um couldn't make it, so it was just Martina and I that made the trip.
Martin drove us to Croxley station, where we caught a Metropolitan line train to Finchley Road, where we changed to a Jubilee line train to complete our journey to Westminster station.
On exiting the station we headed across Westminster Bridge, dodging the hordes of tourists that often congregate here as they jostle to get their perfect photo of the Elizabeth Tower that houses Big Ben. Crossing to the east side of the bridge we headed down the steps, beside St Thomas' Hospital and the Covid Memorial Wall, heading along the Albert Embankment to our first stop of the day... the Garden Museum.
The Garden Museum is situated at the western end of Lambeth Road, next to Lambeth Palace, and is housed within the old St Mary-at-Lambeth church. The church closed in 1972 and was due foe demolition, but was saved, reopening in 1977 as the world's first Gardening Museum.
After a brief look around the small garden, we entered the church and began looking at the building and its exhibits. After a quick look around we purchased tickets and made our way up the 131 steps of the tower, to check out the view.
And what a view it was. Being beside the River Thames the view allowed for views along the river towards Nine Elms and Battersea Power Station. The Palace of Westminster and Lambeth Palace were great from this vantage point, which then allowed you to gaze across to the City of London, The Shard and Canary Wharf.
Suitably impressed with the view we made our way back down the tower and went off to the Garden Museum cafe to grab a coffee. Once we were refreshed, and suitably warmed up from being outside in the wind, we continued our tour of the museum.
William Bligh's tomb and the Tradescant family tomb were situated in a small garden area, with its plant nursery and other graves. We visited the Ark gallery and the other various rooms and galleries. The shop had everything horticultural, but there were no books or leaflets on the history of the church itself. Fortunately, one of the volunteers at the shop informed us about a 'magic pink folder', held at the main reception, which contained lots of information.
So, making our way to the main reception, we asked to view this 'magic pink folder'. It was stuffed with pages about the building, its history, various graves, snippets of information all gleaned from various sources. The lady at reception was more than happy for us to take photos of various pages, which we did. After reading what we wanted we returned the 'magic pink folder' to reception, thanked the lady and made our way outside, ready to continue our walk.
We headed down Lambeth Road, passing the Novotel Hotel, which was once Norfolk House, home of the Howard family. This hotel is next to the Bell Building, which stands on the site of the Bell Inn, which was built in 1560.
On the River Lea Navigation, close to the Middlesex Filter Beds Weir, there is a stream of bubbles that rise in a line across the width of the river. This is the ISS-Flowthrough Bubble Curtain.
I found it to be quite calming and therapeutic as I gazed at it from the Capital Ring, that runs along this part of the River Lea.
Middlesex Filter Beds Weir.
However, it is not unique, as there is also one at Shadwell Basin and at Paddington Canal, plus many more around the country and internationally, but each one is bespoke to the area in which it is used.
The Canal and River Trust, who manage the watercourse, committed vast personnel and resources, that they could barely afford, being a Charitable Trust, in the collection of debris and litter, which would have ended up in the River Thames and, eventually, the sea. They approached ISS-Flowthrough in the hopes of finding a solution.
The solution was a bubble barrier. This barrier would arrest issues that were impacting this navigable channel. These issues included, excessive growth of aquatic plants which interfered with river traffic, saline intrusion from the tidal River Thames, of which the River Lea is a major contributory, water quality from storm overflow discharges and, because of its urban setting, a large amount of floating debris.
Bubble Curtain.
The bubble barrier was designed with a rubber membrane disc diffuser and had to meet specific criteria for the area. This included, ensuring that the River Lea Navigation was still accessible to river traffic, be highly robust and be low maintenance and prevent the downstream movement of litter and facilitate its collection.
The bespoke bubble barrier, installed in May 2020, was set at an angle across the river, thus ensuring that any litter or debris, coming upstream, would be redirected to a collection point. This collection point was created by using the existing bridge buttresses and the channel wall.
So, if you are ever passing this way, stop and take in this calming bubble curtain that helps to keep this waterway clear of litter and excessive plant growth, while still keeping the channel open to boats and other river traffic.
With the Metropolitan line completely closed and the London Overground (Lioness line) not going beyond Finsbury Park, uncle Martin, Keilyn and I took the 09:24 fast train from Watford Junction to Euston, then a Northern line, via Bank, to London Bridge.
From here we crossed Tooley Street and took the stairs down to the Contorted Tunnel, which would lead us to Hay's Galleria.
Suitably refreshed we headed out of Hay's Galleria and headed to HMS Belfast.
With tickets in hand we boarded this historic vessel and begun our exploration. Our first surprise was seeing a German Navy Corvette-class ship, named Magdeburg, moored on her port side.
Across nine decks we clambered, exploring every inch of the ship that was open. The boiler room and one of the gun turrets were closed for maintenance.
We made our way from the Quarter deck towards the Fo'c'sle, before we headed up the decks sitting in the Admiral's chair, the Captain and Navigating Officer chairs, before reaching the Flag deck.
Then we headed down to visit the Mess decks, Sick bay, the Galley, the Engine room, the Chapel, Operations room, the Lower steering position, Gun turret and everything in-between.
Two and a half hours later we disembarked HMS Belfast and stopped for some lunch from one of the street vendors, that had setup along The Queen's Walk.
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