St George's Garrison Church, Woolwich

St George's Garrison Church.

I had read quite a bit about St George's Garrison Church and its history, but I had never been to visit it, until now.

As it is only open to the public on Sundays, unless for an exhibition or special event, it has always been difficult to find the time to get there. Fortunately, I was in the area as I had just visited Severndroog Castle, just down the road, which has a viewing platform that is only accessible on, you guessed it, a Sunday.

One of the church gates.

It was beautiful noon day as Keilyn and I wandered through the gates into the garden of this ruined church, the sun illuminating the gold mosaic above the altar, ahead of us. The canopy, above the remains, filtered the light making the whole place glow.

The canopy protecting the ruins.

The mosaics are stunning, with the St George mosaic being my favourite along with the Victoria Cross Memorial.

The mosaics glinting in the diffused light.

The walls, pillars and columns are all still in place creating a wonderful place to reflect.

Woolwich Free Ferry

Looking from the south terminal to the north.

Although you can traverse the River Thames by foot, either by bridge, tunnel or cable car, you can also choose to go by train, by road or boat.

The Woolwich Free Ferry, however, is only suitable if travelling from South Woolwich to North Woolwich, but it is still a fun way of travelling and offers some great views along the Thames. Plus, it is completely free to use.

Walking with Keilyn: Greenwich Peninsula to Woolwich Foot Tunnel... and beyond

Our starting point for the day.

Friday June 3, 2022.

Having been to London, as a family, the previous day, Keilyn decided that she hadn't seen enough and wanted another walk. So, following an early start we made our way to North Greenwich, from where our walk eastward was to begin.

We made our way from the station to The Tide, a raised walkway that allows for great views over Peninsula Square and leads you to Olympian Way beside the River Thames.

The Mermaid by Damien Hirst.

The first sculpture we saw was 'The Mermaid' by Damien Hirst, quickly followed by Anthony Gormley's 'Quantum Cloud'.

The riverside has changed a lot, since I last walked along it. With its landscaped gardens, seating and barbeque areas it has become a nice place to relax on a summer's evening.

Thames Pathway.

Keilyn takes a rest.

We followed Olympian Way towards the Greenwich Peninsula Ecology Park, spotting the 'Hydra & kira' sculpture enroute.

Hydra and Kali by Damien Hirst.

After we passed the Greenwich Yacht Club the area became more industrial and unkept, harking back to this areas commercial and manufacturing past.

Tarmac Charlton Concrete Plant.

Moving on to Riverside the sun had begun to beat down on us and the breeze, which had kept us cool earlier, had now disappeared. 

Woolwich Foot Tunnel

 

The south entrance to the Woolwich foot tunnel.

Of the roughly 40 tunnels beneath the River Thames, the majority of which carry utilities, railway lines and motor vehicles, only three allow pedestrians to use them: The Greenwich foot tunnel, the Woolwich foot tunnel and the Rotherhithe tunnel, although the latter is not advisable, unless you want to look like a chimney sweep and breathe in noxious fumes.

Friday June 3, 2022

I finally managed to get myself to Woolwich, so that I could walk through the foot tunnel, leaving only the Rotherhithe Tunnel for me to walk through.

It was a beautiful morning as Keilyn and I made our way along the Thames Path from North Greenwich to Woolwich, taking in the sights and atmosphere of the four-day Jubilee weekend.

With lots of building work going on along the River Thames, at Woolwich, the entrance to the foot tunnel was difficult to locate, at first, being sited behind the Waterfront Leisure Centre.

Once we discovered the entrance, which is the oldest remaining building in the riverside area, we made our way down the 94 steps of the spiral staircase to the tunnel itself.

The lift shaft in the south entrance.

Once we reached the tunnel we began the walk towards the north bank. There were few pedestrians using the tunnel, but there were plenty of cyclists, disobeying the rules by cycling through the tunnel. 

Looking back towards the south entrance.