Down the Thames to Greenwich
We were visiting London in March 2014 to see our son and decided that, as it was lovely day, we would take a boat trip to Greenwich. We did not regret this - it was a great way to see well known and forgotten parts of London from an unusual angle. The extract from Google Earth shows our route and various places of interest.
Embankment Wharf, where we started, with Charing Cross Station behind.
Heading downstream in the spring sunshine.
Blackfriars Road Bridge with the rail bridge and its station behind. And, dominating all, the City behind. The "Cheesegrater" half hides "The Gherkin" and the "Walkie-Talkie" has its cranes on top.
St Paul's Cathedral. Until 1962, just over 50 years ago, it was the tallest building in London.
Currently the tallest building in London - and Europe - is "The Shard". The Millenium Bridge spans the river here.
Shakespeare's Globe Theatre - a reconstruction near the original site. The southern bank of the Thames was out-with the city of London and therefore was not subject to the rules concerning such disreputable activities as theatrical performances.
The Tower of London. Note Traitors Gate on the right. The promenade with all the people is a recent addition. Previously boats could get into the tower at high tide.
Tower Bridge. High Victorian Engineering. The Gothic stonework conceals a steel framework. Magnificent!!
Tower Bridge and the Shard. We got off this boat here and waited for another to take us on to Greenwich.
The Church of St Mary the Virgin, Rotherhithe. This is where the captain of the Mayflower worshipped. It is unclear whether any of the Pilgrim Fathers worshipped here. They probably joined the ship at Southampton. I can't imagine that Puritans would be all that keen on "St Mary the Virgin"!
The Grapes pub, Limehouse. Part owned by Gandalph (Sir Ian McKellen). Note Anthony Gormley's naked man sculpture on the plinth on the left.
Canary Wharf. The eastern outpost / rival of the City of London.
Approaching Greenwich. A modern block of flats indicates galloping gentrification of the area.
The Queen's House, the Royal Hospital and Canary Wharf. Royalty, Charity and Avarice. What more is needed in a photograph?
View of from whence we came - The Shard, St Paul's, The Walkie-Talkie, The Cheesegrater and the Gherkin.
The Greenwich Observatory
At the Queen's House
Canary Wharf glimpsed between the domes of the Royal Hospital
A ship in a bottle - just the thing for a Maritime Museum!
Some figureheads at the National Maritime Museum.
These are magnificent - I suspect that until the Renaissance most sculpture was painted and was therefore much improved.
