Regent's Canal

The Broad Walk Bridge.

Regent's Canal is one of my favourite walks to take, in London. 

Stretching for 8.6 miles (13.8 km) from Little Venice to Limehouse Basin and the River Thames, Regent's Canal is a beautiful walking route that meanders through green spaces, industrial, residential and newly regenerated areas.

Having walked the towpath on numerous occasions, over the years, I have seen some changes to the surrounding vistas, especially around the Camden and King's Cross area.

London Zoo stop.

But, there is still a lot of history that has been kept; From bridges to tunnels to floating restaurants, there is always something new to discover.

Feng Shang Princess, Chinese Restaurant.

The towpaths, themselves, are fairly well maintained, for the most part, and wide enough to allow for the countless joggers, dog walkers and cyclists that use this route on a daily basis.

'HMS Alice Liddell' by Shezad Dawood

'HMS Alice Liddell' by Shezad Dawood.

I was taken by complete surprise when, walking through St Pancras International railway station, I noticed a giant spaceship hanging from the ceiling, above the eastern entrance on Pancras Road.

The steampunk-gothic spaceship HMS Alice Liddell.

It is very 'steampunk' in its design and, after having a better look, I noticed that it had buildings on it. It also appeared to change colour, depending on the angle it was viewed from and the light hitting it. So, I took the lift to the next floor, to get a better view and understanding of the piece.

Depending on the light the spaceship takes on a different colour.

Sure enough the spaceship did have buildings on its top; a scale model of St Pancras International. I realised that this model is a kind of hybrid steampunk-gothic mix and that I was going to have to do some research on this intriguing piece of art.

"Cannon to right of them..."

A City of London bollard.

Walking around the streets of London you will always see metal posts, or bollards, separating the pavement from the road. Many of these, especially the newer ones, are metal or toughened plastic. 

In the city of London these bollards become more ornate, but some of them have a history, are quite old and are not even English.

More street bollards in the City of London.

During the Battle of Trafalgar, on October 21, 1805, the British plundered all of the French ships, using what they could, before sinking the enemy ships. The French cannon could not be converted for use by the British fleet, so, instead of leaving them to be reused, they were brought back to England and used as bollards, throughout the East End and south London.

French cannon, used as street bollards, removed during pavement works.

Before they were set in stone each cannon had a ball welded into the barrel, so as to stop it being removed and used against the country.

Cannon outside the old Royal Navy Victualling Yard, Rotherhithe.

Millwall Slipway

Hydraulic ram.

Historic places can be easily missed, even when walking the streets and roads of London.

It was while wandering along Westferry Road, on the Isle of Dogs, that I found what looked like a car park and an ordinary entranceway to the River Thames.

At first glance it looks like a simple slipway.

What made me stop were the bollards at the top of the ramp. These weren't your typical car park bollards, but ones that I have seen countless times near docks and mooring sites. So, I decided to take a closer look.

Heading down the slipway I saw some obviously old machinery, to my left. On closer inspection I discovered that this was a hydraulic ram, once used for closing the long disappeared lock gates.

Hydraulic ram.

The ramp itself was modern, although, as I approached the foreshore, a portion of the old ramp could be seen almost completely covered by sand, rubble and pieces of clay pipes that litter London's beaches.

Walking with Keilyn: 'Cart & Horses', Stratford, to... "Rain stopped play"

Keilyn outside the Cart & Horses.

Thursday February 22, 2024.

Having taken Erin to the Wallace Collection and parts west, on Tuesday, I had promised to take Keilyn to Stratford and parts east, today. As I and some friends had taken Keilyn to see Iron Maiden, at the O2, last year, I had promised to take her to where Iron Maiden had first performed... The Cart & Horses.

Rain was meant to be light and fleeting, but ended up being heavy and perpetual. Still, it didn't put us off.

Our day started with my uncle Martin, and my mum, picking us up and driving to Croxley station, as they were heading to the British Museum and various places, for the day. We shared the semi-fast Metropolitan line train to Finchley Road, where Keilyn and I disembarked and boarded a Jubilee line train to Stratford, leaving mum and Martin to head off to Euston Square.

Keilyn at West Ham station.

We arrived at West Ham station, where Keilyn had her photo taken with a West Ham roundel, before we continued to Stratford, grabbing a snack and hot drink, but not before Keilyn had her photo taken with 'Robert', a steam engine, that  Keilyn had last stood next to in 2015.

Keilyn with Robert the steam engine.

As we wandered up The Grove, the rain, which had been threatening, began to get heavy, so we took shelter in a closed shopfront recess for a few minutes, whole we waited for the Cart & Horses to open its doors.

Keilyn ready to enter Hallowed Ground.

As soon as we saw the doors open I took a photo of Keilyn outside the pub, in her double-denim and Iron Maiden t-shirt, before we headed inside and out of the rain. A few moments later we had drinks (Pepsi for Keilyn and a Trooper for me) and Keilyn was off to the jukebox, busy searching for Iron Maiden tracks. I, meanwhile, was busy looking around at the photos, wall art, merchandise, signed posters and the like.

Trooper Beer.

Since my last visit, in 2018, the pub has had a major refurbishment. The stage, which had stood on the left, as you entered the pub, had now been moved downstairs, where the live music was now performed. And, as such, was off limits to the casual patron. I did get a photo of Keilyn where the stage had been, though.

Keilyn, where the stage used to be.

However, the barmaid, Ruta (not sure of spelling, so sorry if it is wrong), did say that once her colleague arrived she would take us downstairs to see the stage. While we waited Keilyn busied herself at the bar, by completing a Heavy Metal wordsearch, while also working out what merchandise she wanted to buy.