Weekend reflections in Docklands

I stumbled across this area of Docklands on my way to Billingsgate Fish market. This is the old Poplar Dock (I think). In the 1970s I used to work in Poplar when it still had the old docks and as I walked around I just could not believe the transformation with its huge office blocks and hotel. It even had tourists wandering around. Regeneration had to happen in this part of London. The docks were no longer needed and there were no jobs. Everywhere was looking run down. So I am pleased that so much money has gone into the area but the jobs that have been created are very different from the ones that existed here before but times have changed and the world doesn't stand still.

The cobbled street and old brick wall - reminders of the past.
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Stop or go?

This Traffic Light tree contains 75 sets of traffic lights. It was created by the French sculptor Pierre Vivant who described it as 'imitating the natural landscape of the adjacent London Plane trees, while the changing pattern of the lights reveals and reflects the never ending rhythm of the surrounding domestic, financial and commercial activities'

It was originally installed in 1998 at the Westferry roundabout near Canary wharf, a large financial district in London's docklands. It was removed in 2011 so that work could be carried out to reconfigure the traffic flow. As a consequence it could  not be returned to its original setting  but after a couple of years in storage it has found a new home on the Trafalgar Way roundabout near Billingsgate fish market. As you can see work is still going on to its setting but it is good to see the lights on again.

When it was first erected,  motorists were confused by the numerous light changes but it soon became a favourite amongst the locals and visitors to the area.

London Docklands Museum #14

Inside the London Docklands Museum I was captivated by this model of London Bridge. This first bridge over the River Thames was begun in 1176 and had numerous houses built along its whole length.

In the centre was a  Chapel dedicated to St Thomas a Beckett who was murdered in Canterbury Cathedral in 1170. This picture shows what the chapel would have looked like around 1397 when it was rebuilt. Many pilgrims would stop to worship here on their way to Canterbury.

There was a drawbridge to allow large vessels to travel  upstream

Also in the Museum was a reconstruction of the areas around the river with its dark,narrow passageways and shops like the Ship Chandlers.

The shipyards and factories all had their own blacksmiths' shops.

I hadn't realised how much opposition there was to the regeneration of the docklands. The idea in 1985 to change the docklands into a new financial area sent shock waves through the community. A Funeral march took place  with a symbolic coffin carried through the streets and posters proclaiming the 'Death of a community'.

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West India Docks

West India Docks North Quay. This was London's first cargo handling dock. It was opened in August 1802 and was the largest of its kind in the world at that time. During the 1700s the Merchant ships would be moored along the river Thames. With 13,500 ships arriving each year there was a demand that something be done to prevent the blocking of the river with all the ships.  The cargo from these ships would be ferried to the shore by  smaller boats called 'lighters'. As a consequence there were many opportunities for the cargo to be stolen.

In response to the anger of the owners of the cargo, a secure dock was built allowing the cargo to be unloaded within 4 days rather than the 4 weeks. Alongside the dock they built 9 secure warehouses to store the cargo. Today there remains just one which now houses restaurants and the London Docklands Museum.

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Library telephone box

At the side of a very busy road in Lewisham, SE London there is a red telephone box. Nothing unusual about that you might think. But on opening the door an amazing transformation has taken place.















 Inside, the box has been converted into a library where anyone can take a book to read.

 The only rule is that for each book you take you must replace it with one  you no longer want.

Poppies at the Tower

Today marked the centenary of the start of the First World War. There were many services happening throughout Britain and the rest of Europe. At the Tower of London ceramic poppies are being planted in memory of the thousands of soldiers who lost their lives.



At the moment there are about 120,000 poppies that volunteers have placed in the moat  around the Tower. They will continue to plant them until 888,246 poppies have been placed. That is one for every British and Colonial soldier who died in the war.

 The last poppy to be laid will be on 11th November.

The name of the installation is:
Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red by Paul Cummi

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Sheffield Park National Trust # 18

Sheffield Park in East Sussex is a National Trust property. The gardens were laid out in the 18thCent by Capability Brown and have an attractive informal feel to them. The gardens are centred around four large lakes which reflect the mature shrubs and trees surrounding them.

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