Canary Wharf, East India, Silvertown, Beckton & Woolwich: I used to be again in London’s docklands on sixteenth Could 2004, every week after I had led a small workshop there, this time alone, and fairly than strolling I had gone with my Brompton folding bike.
The Brompton is a perfect approach to cowl bigger distances when taking pictures. It may be folded to go on public transport and may be very simple to get on and off and park in little or no area. It folds and unfolds in seconds. It’s a vigorous trip with a brief wheelbase and good for driving in site visitors, although for longer rides I desire my street bike.
The Brompton has some minor issues. They aren’t low-cost – which delayed me shopping for one for years. It’s not constructed for off-road use and mine has mudguards that may clog and cease the wheel turning on muddy floor. And now I’m a bit older it’s just a bit heavy to hold for any distance in stations. However my essential downside is that it’s a thief magnet, harmful to depart wherever for any size of time even if in case you have an excellent lock. No bike lock can defy the well-equipped thief for greater than round half a minute and it slips simply right into a automobile boot and fetches an excellent value.
I’d hoped to get the Jubilee Line to Canning City, however trains had been solely operating so far as North Greenwich, so as an alternative I bought off at Canary Wharf earlier than the prepare went below the Thames once more. It was no downside as I had the bike.
I took a number of footage round Canary Wharf, then rode off to the east previous Blackwall Basin and on to the East India Docks most likely essentially the most boring of all of the redeveloped docks.
From there I went up on the Decrease Lea Crossing, taking footage of Pura Meals to the north and the view south throughout Trinity Buoy Wharf and the Thames in direction of the Millenium Dome.
I photographed the Dome once more from Silvertown Manner, in addition to the works happening for the DLR extension to London Metropolis Airport.
An enormous benefit of being on a motorbike is that you may wander round, and I went right down to the Royal Victoria Dock, then again to Silvertown Manner and Lyle Park, then again to Victoria Dock once more.
I couldn’t resist going onto the excessive stage bridge throughout the dock, although the carry wasn’t working and I used to be cursing the load of the bike and cameras by the point I reached the highest of the steps.
Ultimately after making fairly a lot of footage I compelled myself to come back down and continued my trip alongside the North Woolwich Highway to the futuristic Barrier Level, its west entrance like some area metropolis.
In Thames Barrier Park I went right down to the riverside to {photograph} the barrier earlier than persevering with on to Silvertown, stopping a number of instances for extra footage. Close to North Woolwich I sloweed to {photograph} two boys on a scooter being towed by a lady on a bicycle. I ended take extra footage however later I met them in North Woolwich and so they informed me she had quickly given up.
I took some extra footage in North Woolwich after which rode on to Beckton Retail Park, then circled and went down Woolwich Manor Manner throughout the Royal Albert and King George Docks.
Again in 2004 flights from London Metropolis Airport had been pretty rare and I had fairly an extended relaxation ready to {photograph} a aircraft going overhead.
I rode on to North Woolwich ferry pier the place I had a await the ferry and took some extra footage. In 2004 I wrote that the Woolwich Ferry is “London’s best-value river journey. I ponder how for much longer this free ferry will function?” It was upgraded in 2018 with new, fashionable, low-emission boats which proved fairly a catastrophe. Providers had been severely diminished, working with solely one of many two new boats.
However Transport for London every week in the past in Could 2024 restored the two-boat service and expanded working hours. They are saying the service will proceed so long as there may be demand. A brief trip took me to Woolwich Arsenal Station the place I folded the Brompton for the journey house.
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Tags: Barrier Level, Beckton, Brompton, Canary Wharf, Docklands, East India, East India Docks, folder, folding bike, excessive stage bridge, King Geoge V Dock, London, London Metropolis Airport, London Photographs, Decrease Lea Crossing, Millenium Dome, peter Marshall, Pura Meals, Silvertown, Trinity Buoy Wharf, Victoria Dock, Woolwich
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