29 Monday Jun 2020
Posted in Diversions, Down by the river
Every couple of years I seem to find myself at Thames-Side Studios in Woolwich with a few minutes to kill (today visiting a man to see about getting a guitar pickup changed in my Gretsch). The Royal Iris – former Mersey Ferry and venue for early Beatles shows – has looked close to sinking for a long time now, and I can’t believe she’s for this world much longer.
Chart the decline of the Royal Iris through past posts here:
02 Tuesday Oct 2018
Posted in Diversions, Down by the river, London
The Woolwich Free Ferry has been taking people across the Thames for centuries, most latterly as a key route for lorries to avoid the Blackwall tunnel. The current roll-on, roll-off boats, built in 1963, are to be taken out of service this week to be replaced by new vessels which promise hybrid diesel-electric power (check out the exhaust fumes in the picture above to see what the current boats produce), and magnetic berthing. One striking feature of the soon-to-be-redundant ferries is the large space for foot passengers under the car deck, not barely used, but a reminder of the ferry’s past role in getting dock and factory workers back and forth before containerisation and deindustrialisation arrived.
I thought I should get some pictures before these boats bow out, and went down for a trip to North Woolwich and back on a bazlingly bright late September day. See the full album ‘Last days of the old Woolwich Ferry here’.
03 Friday Aug 2018
Posted in Down by the river, London, Photography, Uncategorized
Tags
cruise ship, dusk, Fuji XT20, Fujifilm, graffiti, Greenwich, london, River, signs, Thames, Thames Barrier, Thames Path, Viking Sky
A dad joke at dusk. Spotted on the Thames path, between the Anchor & Hope pub and the Thames Barrier, while out on a Sunday evening admiring the sunset and the sailing skills of the Thames tug captains piloting the Viking Sky cruise ship out of Greenwich.
05 Monday Dec 2016
Posted in Down by the river, London, Photography
A brisk walk from North Greenwich down the east side of Greenwich Peninsula with the sun out and a very cold chill coming off the river. The Antony Gormley statue, cable car, Farmopolis, and the boats of Greenwich Yacht Club all make this section of the river feel quite different to Charlton riverside, though it’s just round the bend of the river. The gas works have long gone and the flats have gone up and are going up still further (with terrible ‘settler’-themed advertising hoardings which I really should photography for posterity at some point). Soon the O2 Arena will be barely visible at ground level around here; it only seems 5 minutes since it was the only thing to look at on the peninsula.
04 Sunday Dec 2016
Posted in Down by the river, London, Photography
Tags
Charlton, Down by the river, Fuji XT10, Greenwich Peninsula, london, photography, Thames, Thames Path
Down to the Thames by the Anchor & Hope in Charlton on a crisp, cold early December day; the pollution layer that’s been hanging over London for the last few days very evident in the clear skies. Views north across the river to Silvertown give a clue as to how the south side of the river could look when the planned Charlton riverside development has replaced the remnants of industry in a few years time. Looking west, it’s suddenly noticeable that views of Canary Wharf and the O2 Arena are starting to disappear, obscured by new developments on Greenwich Peninsula. London needs more housing, but it’ll be worse for the loss of links with its industrial past.
28 Sunday Aug 2016
Posted in Down by the river, London, Photography
Tags
cable car, Emirates Air Line, Fuji XT10, Jetty, london, monochrome, photography, River, Silvertown, Thames
Click images for full-size
A breezy and occasionally damp walk along the Thames path, past the Emirates Airline cable car and the old jetty (currently Farmopolis), looking over the river to Silvertown.
27 Saturday Aug 2016
Posted in London, Photography
Tags
Canary Wharf, Fuji XT10, london, London from above, SE1, Shard, Skyline, South London, tate modern, tate modern extension, Thames, urban
Thursday lunchtime, London was sweaty and the air murky, with the sun just not quite breaking through. A weird and kind of attractive light for taking pictures.
07 Sunday Aug 2016
Posted in Down by the river
Tags
alex chinneck, bullet from a shooting star, iPhone, london, monochrome, photography, sculpture, Thames
A bit of time to kill before going to Caught by the River Thames in Fulham spent photographing around the Thames path on the north-west corner of Greenwich peninsula. It’d be a lot easier to make decent photos round there if it wasn’t for the miles of metal fencing, but it remains an interesting place to walk and photograph.
The sculpture is Alex Chinneck’s A bullet from a shooting star, part of the The Line – a sculpture trail running across both sides of the river, that I really should investigate more.
30 Saturday Apr 2016
Posted in Down by the river
Tags
black and white, dartford bridge, Fuji X100T, Greenhithe, monochrome, River, silver efex pro, Thames
A quick Sunday morning look at the Thames as it goes past Greenhithe.
22 Monday Jun 2015
Posted in Down by the river, London, Photography
Tags
cable car, emirates airline, excel centre, Fuji X100T, Greenwich Peninsula, River, Royal Victoria Docks, Silvertown, Thames
A trip across the Thames by cable car, on an overcast June afternoon.
