A traverse of the Thames basin
Greenwich Observatory to Parliament
Hill
Canary Wharf to Limehouse Basin
When we arrived at Canary Wharf we
emerged into, horror of horrors, a shopping mall. Not what we wanted at all. Lots of
shinny people in suits and short skirts and presumably on their lunch break dashed about
purposefully. We left. Quickly.
One Canada Square a.k.a. the Canary Wharf Tower is off limits to casual visitors and the
security for the entrance hall on the ground floor resembles something from Terry
Gilliam's "Brazil". Somewhat alien to the constant stream of people heading in
and out of the building (and we thought, a few newspapers aside, it was supposed to be
empty) we found our way outside to look up at what is, Britain's tallest building and the
world's first stainless steel clad skyscraper. Although Cesar Pelli is credited with the
design, the plans for the actual shell of the building (and those surrounding it) had
already been outlined by the LDDC so Pelli's job was to hang a facade. With scant regard
for my own comfort I took a photograph of Antony and the Canary Wharf Tower, something of an achievement considering they were standing
barely ten feet from each other and one is considerably taller than the other. And then we
made our excuses and left.
It was something of a relief to get away.
There is something quite unsettling about the whole Docklands development. Modern
architecture is often criticised for imposing utopian ideals on the people who actually
use the space but this development lacks any coherent philosophy at all - although I
suppose you could say that the laissez faire 'planning' was a product of its time. I found
it a bleak and soulless place not least through the ditching of the industrial heritage -
ports are generally interesting places but with no ships or cargoes they lose their heart
and a token dock crane or two doesn't make up for it.
We headed for Limehouse. Crossing the Westferry Road we noted how little traffic there was
and in fact how little we had seen in crossing the Isle of Dogs. This is presumably as a
result of the cordon that the City of London established after a huge IRA bomb blast and
which was never dismantled. We can see why as it certainly makes walking around a great
deal more pleasant.
We picked up the north Thames river path and followed it along Limehouse Reach. The Surrey
Docks were visible on the south bank of the river and a succession of cruisers, barges,
river boats and sail vessels braved the choppy waters. Limehouse has undergone a similar
transformation to Docklands and many of the river front properties are new stylish
apartment blocks. The river path is something of an oddity as in places it passes over new
decking and through private car parks and ducks into and away from the river. At one point
we found ourselves standing next to a pub on Narrow Street and so popped in for some
lunch.
Limehouse was originally the first Chinatown of London and in Victorian times had a
colourful reputation as a mass of opium dens and illegal gambling joints. Think of
Sherlock Holmes donning a disguise and heading for some seedy area of the East End and you
get the idea. Little remains from that period but the pub (sorry - didn't make a note of
the name) with its long narrow room, bare brick walls and low ceiling gave us a little
flavour of olde Limehouse. We ordered bangers and mash (and beer obviously) and went and
sat by the window. Surprisingly it opens right out onto the Thames. The tide was lapping
against the wall immediately by our feet. Not a bad spot.
After lunch we walked on into Limehouse. Crossing a bridge over an inlet from the river we
could see a launch crawling along the bank with four lifejacketed policemen peering
into the dark corners of the riverfront searching for... what? We don't know but people do
have a habit of jumping into the Thames and we suppose that someone has to pull the body
out.
Intro
Greenwich
The Isle of Dogs/Canary Wharf
Canary Wharf to Limehouse Basin
Next: The Regency Canal Pub Crawl
Camden to Hampstead
Postscript
Home