A Flight Across the River

We took a cable-car from North Greenwich across to Silvertown a few months ago.  The views were amazing and we could use our Oyster card which was handy.  There are wonderful views from the London Eye of the centre of the city, but there is something about an aerial view of this developing part of London that is even more interesting - there are lots of old warehouses (such as Millennium Mills), and lots of building sites.  The area is being regenerated and constantly changed, and there is still evidence of industry along the river.  The view isn't neat and contained; it is messy and fragmented, and much more interesting for the artist!

The Millennium Dome (above).

Silvertown Way runs to the right of this industrial area.  This is a really interesting part of the working Thames.  We headed for Orchard Place (in the distance to the right).

Above - The Tidal Basin Tavern - bombed in WWII but didn't survive beyond 1990 due to structural problems - so it's obviously been sitting here on this roundabout for a long time.  I wonder what they will replace it with?

Old warehouses on Orchard Place with the Dome beyond.

Secrets of the Square Mile

The Secret City

I am planning to write a book about the secret alleyways, lanes, paths and courtyards of the City of London - it will consist of paintings and sketches of points of interest, concentrating on unusual and quirky facts.  The book will be split into different wards and will cover areas of interest in each ward.  There are so many fascinating snippets about the city to include - it will be hard to decide what to put in!  I don't think it will be designed as a walk, but there could be the option to include walks in the back of the book.

I first came to St Bartholomew the Great when there had just been a wedding and the porch was decorated with beautiful lilies and white roses.  The building above is the gatehouse to St Bartholomew the Great.  It had a Geogian facade until 1916 when the original 16th century frontage was revealed in a zeppelin raid.  This timber-framed frontage was restored after WWI.  These details came from Images of Lost London by Philip Davies - which is a stunning book about the history of the capital.

Alleyways

There are a collection of amazing alleyways between Gracechurch Street and Lombard Street which probably haven't changed for a long time.  My grandfather used to work in the city after the war and would go through these alleyways every lunchtime to get to the pub.  They are probably some of the most intact and unspoilt alleyways and courts in the city: Castle Court, Bengal Court, Ball Court, St Michael's Alley, St Peter's Alley and George Yard.  Modernity is encroaching on the city from all sides, but passing into Ball Court (below) is like stepping back into another age - Dickensian lighting and lamps, shady figures(!) and old barrels - very atmospheric.