'SS Robin', Historic Vessel

Awaiting a permanent home.

The 'SS Robin' is the world's only surviving complete Victorian steamship.

Along with her sister ship, 'SS Rook', 'SS Robin' was built at Orchard House Yard, in 1889, launching in September 1890. 

Orchard House Yards, and much of the banks of the River Thames, were considered the world centre for shipbuilding, at the time, with the proud tradition going back many hundreds of years. This made London a global trading empire, whilst also supplying the bulk of ships for the Royal and Merchant Navies.

One of the largest yards in the country, The Thames Iron Works, would build some of the biggest ships, either side of the River Lea, at Bow Creek.

By 1890, however, the northeast coast of England and shipbuilders in Scotland had become the leading shipbuilders, with their lower overheads, resulting in The Thames Iron Works closing in 1912.

Robin and Rook.

Robert Thomson, a ship broker and owner, ordered both ships constructed on slipways and built by Ditchburn & Mare, in 1845. Ditchburn & Mare was later owned by The Thames Iron Works and Ship Building Company, who then leased the yard to shipwright William Jolly, a Thames barge builder. 

He started construction before selling the business shortly after to Mackenzie, McAlpine and Company. Both builders were inexperienced, ill equipped and struggled to complete the orders to a standard high enough to satisfy Lloyd’s. 

Robert Thompson took over the work himself, eventually, paying a naval architect superintendent to complete the ships on his behalf. The ships were complete to Lloyd’s highest class of 100A1. 

'Robin' and 'Rook' were to be the last ships built at the yard, which closed immediately after.

Following their launch they went to the East India Docks, which were nearby, for final fitting out. 'Robin' was later towed to Dundee where her boiler, triple expansion engine and ancillary machinery were installed, by Gourlay Brothers & Company Limited. 

Although rigged as an auxiliary three-masted schooner she was designed to carry sails, should they be needed. 

SS Robin and Lightship 93, at the Royal Docks.

Maiden Voyage.

Having been sold into the service of Arthur C. Ponsonby & Company of Newport, South Wales, her first voyage was from Liverpool to Bayonne, France, in 1890. Her crew consisted of twelve men.

Her next voyage began in Swansea, in 1891, and saw her visit Rouen, the Mersey, Plymouth, Deauville, Guernsey, London, Rochester, Newport, Bristol, Swansea, Cherbourg, and back again to the Thames. This would be her trading route for the following years, carrying bulk cargoes of china clay, coal, grain, iron ore, railway rail and scrap steel, as well as general cargoes of baled and casked goods. 

Tower Hotel, St Katharine's Way

March 7-8, 2025.

I have walked by this hotel on many occasions and I have seen it in many films and TV series, but I have never been inside.

Today, that changed as Emma and I were booked in for the evening, as part of our wedding anniversary. 

The brutalist concrete style, of the exterior, is not repeated internally. Bright tiles and mirrors bring a modern and contemporary feel. 

Reception was fully staffed, so we didn't have to wait long to be checked in. Padam, who checked us in, assured us that he had given us a great room with an even better view. We would see.

The lift (elevator) was silent, smooth and spacious, with mirrored walls and ceiling and tiled floor, which made it seem even bigger. A small ashtray, built into one of the elevator panels, showed the age of the building.

Arriving on the fifth floor we turned right and then, a bit further on, turned left, finally arriving at 561. Our room was simply decorated and had everything now expected of a hotel: bed, smart TV, kettle, iron, Nespresso machine, air conditioning, desk, wardrobes, underfloor heating, etc.. 

Each item of furniture had a glass top, to protect it from damage. There were switches for various lights and heating and air conditioning.

The bed was comfortable and spacious, with plenty of pillows, too.

As promised, by Padam, the view was stunning and exactly what you would hope for when staying at this hotel.

Our view was directly south, looking down on the River Thames, with Tower Bridge and The Shard to our right. Perfect.

Breakfast, on Saturday morning, had everything on offer. There were cereals, pastries, breads, full English, tea and coffee machines and various juices and iced water. We were fortunate enough to be sat by a window, overlooking St Katharine Docks, rather than in the centre of the room.

As luck would have it, Tower Bridge opened for a maintenance check on Saturday morning, for which we had an excellent view.

Checking out was easy, as we simply handed our wood-effect keys in at reception.

The staff and facilities were excellent and I would definitely stay here again.

Oh, and one last thing... A big "thank you" to my wife for booking the hotel.

A Chimney disguised as a Lamppost, Tower Bridge

Tower Bridge is used by over 40,000 people and nearly 21,000 vehicles everyday. But, I wonder how many people have spotted this little oddity on its north approach.

At first glance it appears to be one of the many lampposts that line the approach to the bridge, but without its lamp. 

But it isn't. 

It is, in fact, a chimney.

But why is the chimney here, on the northern approach road? 

To find out more we need to travel back to 1894, when the bridge opened.

Walking with Keilyn: St John's Wood to Camley Street Natural Park... and beyond

Gasholder Park.

Sunday March 2, 2025.

Keilyn decided that since she had missed out on Friday's walk, we should head to London for the day, so off we set.

Taxi to Watford Metropolitan station and a train to Finchley Road. Then two stops on the Jubilee line to St John's Wood, was how the walk began.

Keilyn at the former Marlborough Road station.

Exiting the station we walked up Finchley Road, to the former underground station that is Marlborough Road, before heading east along Queen's Grove, on to Elsworthy Road, then Elsworthy Terrace which brought us to Primrose Hill.

The view from Primrose Hill.

We then followed the path to the viewing point and took in the amazing views of London. The hazy clouds had dispersed allowing us to see everything that the city had to offer: The Clock Tower, in Caledonian Park, Camden Lock, Canary Wharf, St Pancras station, the Gherkin, St Paul's Cathedral, The Shard, Centre Point, BT Tower, the Snowdon Aviary at London Zoo, London Eye, Palace of Westminster, Crystal Palace Tower, Westminster Cathedral and so much more.

Once we had seen everything, and taken lots of photos and videos, we continued east, exiting Primrose Hill via the Primrose Hill Road exit and, after crossing Regent's Park Road, headed along Rothwell Street to Chalcot Crescent. 

Keilyn at the home of Paddington Bear.

Chalcot Crescent is full of houses, many painted in pastel colours, but we were here to see one particular house... number 30. This is the house that Paddington Bear lives in with the Brown family, in the Paddington Bear movies. After the obligatory photo of Keilyn, outside the house, we made our way back to Regent's Park Road, which we followed until we reached 'The Little One' coffee shop, where we purchased drinks: Hot chocolate and a latte.

The former Primrose Hill station and the Camden Roundhouse.

We then continued along Regent's Park Road until it brought us to Haverstock Hill and Chalk Farm Road, passing the Camden Roundhouse and Camden Stables Market. On reaching Camden High Street we dropped down onto the Regent's Canal towpath, following the meandering canal to Gasholder Park, at St Pancras Basin.

Camley Street Natural Park Pond.

Since we had made good time we decided to cross Somers Town Bridge so that we could explore Camley Street Natural Park. The park, set across 2 acres, is a wildlife habit that includes wetlands and meadows and is home to a wide variety of fauna and flora. 

Walking with friends: Swiss Cottage to Portobello Road Market... and beyond

Friday February 28, 2025.

As my friend Steve and I both had the day off from work, Steve had been off all week, we decided that a trip to London was in order.

We began our trip at Watford Metropolitan line station, boarding a train to Baker Street. We changed at Finchley Road and took a Jubilee line train the one stop to Swiss Cottage, from where our walk would begin.

On leaving the station we found ourselves directly outside the Swiss Cottage public house, which had permanently closed at the beginning of the month. After taking a few photos we headed south, along Finchley Road, passing the former Marlborough Road underground station, before we reached St John's Wood station. 

From here we headed southwest, along Grove End Road, Hall Road, Sutherland Avenue and Warrington Crescent and the Warrington Hotel. Although the pub was closed we could see the splendid interior, through the windows, promising to visit on another occasion.

Warwick Avenue and its Cabmen's Shelter was next, before Clifton Villas and Bloomfield Road brought us to Little Venice, where we crossed over the Grand Junction Canal and continued along Westbourne Terrace Road, using Westbourne Bridge to traverse the railway lines coming out of Paddington station. 

Westbourne Terrace brought us to Bayswater Road, where we paused at Lancaster Gate, before continuing west, eventually stopping for a coffee at Cafe Diana.

Suitably refreshed we continued our stroll by heading north, along Pembridge Road, until we reached Portobello Road and joined the throng of tourists and shoppers heading to the market.

Steve had not visited the market before, and it had been a good few years since my last visit, so we checked out the shops, stalls, indoor markets trying to spot a deal. I bought some gifts for the girls, before we stopped at a food van for some well deserved lunch. 

We then continued up through the rest of the Portobello Road Market, until we turned westward, along Cambridge Gardens, walking almost below Westway.

Orchard Place and Trinity Buoy Wharf: A Brief History

The Hope and Orchard

Throughout the middle ages Orchard Place was green and rural, remaining that way into the late 18th century.

Orchard House and its orchard, which took up most of the eastern branch, was owned by Mr Wright from 1743-1766.

Goodluck Hope took up much of the northern branch of the peninsula and belonged to the Manor of Stepney. It had a cooperage, a fishery, grazing meadows and a good sized house, called Handlebury. It was also known as Hanbury or Handle Hall and was demolished in 1804.

In 1810 Robert Wigram, who was an East India merchant who had helped to set up the East India Dock Company, in 1803, bought Goodluck Hope, calling it the Wigram Estate.

In 1815 the East India Company bought Orchard House, as the new East India Docks were just next door.

The first industry on Bow Creek was a copperas works. Bow Creek was ideal for this work as London Clay was full of iron pyrites, from which copperas could be extracted. Copperas, an iron sulphate, was used as an ingredient in sulphuric acid, as a fixative for wool and, up until the 19th century, it made the black of ink.

By the late 18th century competition from the north had grown too strong for copperas works in the south. This, along with other factors, saw the last of the copperas works close, early in the 19th century.

Mapping History

Between 1700 and 1820 Orchard Place was transformed from a semi-rural backwater to a busy centre of national importance for trade and industry. So many businesses sprang up, went bust or grew and moved that the maps of 19th century Orchard Place are different every decade.

The Age of Iron and Steam

In 1810 an iron bridge was built to provide a road linking East India Docks and Canning Town, but had to be torn down, in 1887, after a collier barge crashed into it.

In 1840 a railway was opened to link Orchard Place with the City, with trains leaving from Fenchurch Street and arriving at Blackwall station. This would become the London and Blackwall Railway that not only transported goods, but people who were taking trips to the seaside via a paddle steamer. These steamers went to Gravesend and Rosherville Gardens, Northfleet.

In 1862 the Great Eastern Railway was formed, running services to East Anglia. It's locomotives were built at Stratford, while the engine sheds were just up river from Orchard Place.

In 1902 the Midlands manufacturers, Baldwins Limited, brought the Blackwall Galvanised Iron Company to Orchard Place, where they had workshops for much of the 20th century. One of the directors was Stanley Baldwin, who would go on to become Prime Minister.

The Thames Plate Glass Company

The Thames Plate Glass Company, founded in 1835, was the only plate glass factory in the South of England, and was famed for the size of glass it produced and for the finish. No other glass company could match the size of glass produced here. Nearly half of its employees were women, as their 'superior delicacy of touch' allowed for better grinding and polishing of the glass.

Its glass was used for lenses, mirrors, theatre scenery and the Bow Creek Lighthouse, which still stands, and in which Michael Faraday experimented.

In 1862 Henry Dircks and John Pepper used Thames Plate Glass to create a theatrical optical illusion that would go on to be called 'Dr Pepper's Ghost'. So popular was this illusion that the company sold out of Ghost glass.

Well known for embracing the latest technologies, the Thames Plate Glass Company was the first to use the glass rollers designed by Sir Henry Bessemer.

In 1874, following competition from the North, and abroad, the company closed.

Taxi Call Lights

London, like every city and town, is full of street lamps, some of which are affixed to buildings, while others sit atop lampposts. 

While the majority of these are powered by electricity a small percentage are still powered by gas, like the one below..

However, unlike anywhere else that I know of, London also has taxi call lights. These call lights are usually attached to hotels, private residences and the occasional Government building, like the one below at the Palace of Westminster.