Day 72
Pontoon Dock - Poplar - Preston Road - Prince Regent - Pudding Mill Lane - Putney Bridge
Almost there! Just a few more 'P's to go - can I fit them all in today?
Well, very possibly - because although there are six of them, four of the remaining 'P' stations are in fairly close proximity to one another, on the DLR network.
On the other hand, the remaining two are on the other side of London - and one of them is unhelpfully nestled between the second and fourth stations, alphabetically speaking - so there's still a lot of mileage to be covered.
It's never straightforward is it...?
Anyway, I start with a station called Pontoon Dock.
As I have bemoaned many times before, the DLR network seems to have an aversion to letting anyone outside the stations know where they are. This annoying habit is continued today as, yet again, there is no sign bearing the name of the station outside Pontoon Dock, so I have to climb back up the stairs to the platform for my photograph.
 |
| Pontoon Dock |
That done, I return to ground level and have a look around. Pontoon Dock is in the east of the area called Silvertown, which is where you go if you want to see a real-life personification of the term 'Industrial Landscape'.
It's all factories and warehouses, and if there's any spare space between the corrugated walls and roller-shutters, it's buzzing with construction workers planning and building another factory to fill it.
One thing Pontoon Dock does have, which while still being an 'industrial' piece of architecture does at least manage to have a certain aesthetic quality to it, is the Thames Flood Barrier. It lies to the south of the station, and is reached through an area of greenery called Thames Barrier Park, which includes some 'themed' topiary...
 |
| Thames Barrier Park |
 |
| Water Feature |
Apart from its topiary, the park is fairly nondescript - having a café and a few benches in an otherwise plainly grassed area - but it leads to a riverside path, from which you get an excellent view of the Barrier itself.
 |
| The Thames Barrier |
The Barrier came into operation in 1984 as a way of combatting the threat of flooding from storm surges and high tides, to which London is vulnerable.
Its vulnerability comes from a combination of factors (apart from the basic tidal nature of the Thames), which include the steady rise of water levels generally, thanks to Global Warming, and - more surprisingly - the fact that Britain is gradually tilting, so that the South East is getting lower than the North West.
This tilt is the result of something called Post-Glacial Rebound, which basically means that the areas in the North West which had a greater weight of ice on them during the Ice Age, are now 'rebounding' - and therefore rising - now that the ice has melted. Britain is effectively a see-saw, with the fulcrum on a line between Aberystwyth and Whitby, and someone heavy just got off the
Obviously this process, like all geological phenomena, doesn't happen overnight - it's not like we're all about to slide off the bottom of Kent into the Channel - but it's certainly something I'd not previously been aware of.
Anyway, back to the Barrier.
At first glance, you might think that all the interesting stuff happens in the almost futuristic looking silver towers that span the river, but in fact these are just the piers, between which are the gates themselves. These gates are effectively semi-circular 'drums' attached to wheels at either end as can be seen here:
The above position is only ever used for maintenance - the normal working positions are shown here.
The gates sit below the bed of the river and allow water to flow over them during normal conditions.
During a flood or surge, the gates are closed so that they form a dam against the incoming tide.
They are normally rotated a little further so that some water can flow underneath the gate, rather than being blocked completely.
The Barrier was originally intended to be operated perhaps 2-3 times a year. Currently it is operating at least twice as often as that prediction, though it should still offer relatively good protection to London until at least 2070.
***
My next stop is - in DLR terms - just around the corner.
Poplar is one of the major junction points on the DLR Network (along with Canning Town and Stratford) and trains from here go in every direction - North to Stratford, South to Lewisham, West to Bank, and East to Beckton or Woolwich.
Again, there's no sign outside the station, and again, there's very little to see here other than the station itself.
While not being quite as industrial as Pontoon Dock, Poplar is still a location that would come fairly low down a list of places to visit 'for the scenery'.
The station sits in the shadow of the mass of skyscrapers that form the financial centre of Canary Wharf, to the south, and to the north are the many residential tower-blocks of Poplar itself.
Like Pontoon Dock, however, it does have one landmark that might, on a good day, just tempt you to visit - assuming you like fish that is.
For this is the home of Billingsgate Fish Market... or at least it has been since 1982.
Before that it was located, not surprisingly, at Billingsgate Wharf (by London Bridge) and there is still a building there called 'Old Billingsgate' (where as it happens, once a year, a Whisky Tasting Festival is held - and where, once a year, having visited the Whisky Festival, I too need to be held, in order to stand upright).
Being a working fish market, accepting deliveries from harbours the length and breadth of Britain, it's at its busiest in the small hours of the morning - between 4.00 and 8.00am.
And while I might, conceivably, see the latter of these two hours, the chances of me being up and about, out of my bed, and on the other side of London in time to see the market in full swing are smaller than the chances of Donald Trump winning Feminist Of The Year.
What I can do is give you a potted history (or potted shrimp history, if you prefer) of the market.
The original market in the 16th and 17th Centuries was an open air one, which then moved into the building at Old Billingsgate in 1877. It moved to its current location in 1982, as mentioned above, but prior to that it had been the workplace of - among others - George Orwell and the Kray twins.
In its original location, it was a City Of London run enterprise, and despite now being on land owned by Tower Hamlets, this is still the case. The City Of London Corporation pays a nominal rent to Tower Hamlets Council for the use of the land, although under the terms of their rather unusual agreement the rent is designated as 'the gift of one fish'.
So there you go - two down, four to go - and now it's a trip across town towards Harrow, and my next destination.
***
Preston Road is, sadly, just another of those stations that sit between rather more interesting neighbours, and seem to have no reason for being there, other than to break up the journey.
The road from which it takes its name is in North West London, between Wembley and Harrow, and has little, other than a few shops and cafés to interest anyone other than a local.
It takes just ten minutes for me to walk up and down the road, and to accept that my stay here will be a brief one. All to the good in terms of completing the letter P by the end of the day, but disappointing in all other respects.
***
And it doesn't get much better at my next stop, Prince Regent.
It's pretty much due north of where I started this morning, at Pontoon Dock - with the expanse of the Royal Victoria Dock separating them. It also sits at the north east corner of the Excel centre - and this is the main, indeed only, attraction nearby.
Unfortunately, not only have I visited it before, but the exhibition centre also happens - today - not to be hosting any events whatsoever, and is as dead as the proverbial dodo.
I take a stroll to the dockside, and snap a couple of photos of the buildings across the water, but even these are fairly mundane.
I do spy the slightly odd spectacle of a ship on what looks like a raft...
This is the SS Robin, apparently the world's oldest complete steam coaster (which, as the name suggests, is a vessel which only works coastal waters), built in 1890 and now fully restored. The 'raft' is actually a pontoon, which allows the ship's restored hull to be seen in all its glory.
We're also reasonably to close to City Airport, though even the planes seem to be having a day off today, as I don't see a single arrival or take-off in the whole time I'm here.
So I set off once again...
***
... to my next stop - and my final DLR station of the day - Pudding Mill Lane.
This is, like its next-door neighbour Stratford, a station that provides easy access to the 'Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park' (formerly simply the 'Olympic Park') - the home of London's 2012 Olympic Games, and continuing as the site of various sports venues.
However, unlike Stratford, this station wasn't actually open during the games themselves - for two very good reasons.
Firstly, Pudding Mill Lane station was deemed too small to be able to cope with the expected crowds, so was closed for the duration of the games and only reopened on 12th September 2012.
And the second very good reason that the station I'm visiting wasn't open during the games is that it wasn't actually here.
The original Pudding Mill Lane station was located a short distance to the north of the current one, and was the one which was closed during the Olympics. Despite briefly reopening after the Games, it was permanently closed a couple of years later and re-sited to the south, as the construction of the new Crossrail line required a tunnel ramp to be built at its old location.
Despite its proximity to the Olympic Park I don't propose to use my visit to Pudding Mill Lane to thoroughly explore the home of the Games. It seems more appropriate to do that when I visit Stratford later on my travels. However, I do allow myself a quick look at the nearest couple of landmarks.
The first of these is the iconic 'Orbit Tower' (officially the 'ArcelorMittal Orbit' - to use the name of its Steel Manufacturing sponsor). This is the largest piece of public art in Britain and was designed by Anish Kapoor - who also designed the 'Cloud Gate' (or 'Bean') sculpture in Chicago, among other famous pieces.
The tower has two observation platforms and, from last year, a permanent tunnel-slide. These again, I will hopefully get a chance to experience when I return to Stratford.
Next to the Orbit is the main Olympic Stadium of the park - now the home of West Ham Football club.
There was considerable dispute as to the post-games tenancy of the stadium, with several rival football clubs and other interested parties bidding for its use.
It took almost exactly six years, from August 2010 (long before the actual games, but the time when the official 'Legacy' process began) to July 2016 (when the final objection was dropped) for West Ham finally to be the undisputed tenants of the stadium, with a 99 year lease costing £2.5 million a year.
Again, I suspect I'll be able to get a closer look at the stadium at a later date, so for now I call it a day here, and move on once more.
***
Putney Bridge station - the last on today's list, and (more importantly) the last of the 'P's - is on the Wimbledon branch of the District Line and a short distance to the east of the bridge after which it is named.
The bridge itself is famous for being the starting point of the historic University Boat Race between the rowers of Oxford and Cambridge.
The official starting line is marked by an unassuming stone post on the south side of the river - inscribed with a simple 'UBR' (for University Boat Race).
The two teams race from this point to a similar marker at Chiswick Bridge, 4.2 miles away, and the route - known as The Championship Course - has been the official race course since 1845, though the Boat Race has been run between the two universities since 1829.
The bridge crosses the Thames from Putney (south of the river) to Fulham (north of the river) and the station is therefore actually in Fulham.
To the west of the station is Fulham Palace - the historic home of the Bishops of London.
Though the current building is approximately 500 years old, being constructed in the early 16th Century, there was a bishop's residence here continually from as early as about 700AD. Since 1973 however, the Bishop's residence is at Dean's Court, by St Paul's Cathedral - the diocesan cathedral for London.
The Bishop of London is 3rd in seniority in the Church of England after the Bishops of Canterbury and York, and the current incumbent is Richard Chartres, although he is actually due to retire from the post in exactly one week's time, on Shrove Tuesday the 28th February. A previous incumbent was Nicholas Ridley (c.1500-1555) who was one of the 'Oxford Martyrs', burned at the stake by Queen Mary I (daughter of Henry VIII) for the crime of heresy.
I've arrived long after the palace shuts its doors to visitors, unfortunately, so I have to be satisfied with a quick wander round the gardens.
And that's your lot for today, boys and girls.
Another letter ticked off the list, and another stage closer to finishing this remarkably pointless challenge.
You never know - I might actually finish this thing one day. Wonder what I'll do with myself after that......
Toodle-pip!
Its vulnerability comes from a combination of factors (apart from the basic tidal nature of the Thames), which include the steady rise of water levels generally, thanks to Global Warming, and - more surprisingly - the fact that Britain is gradually tilting, so that the South East is getting lower than the North West.
This tilt is the result of something called Post-Glacial Rebound, which basically means that the areas in the North West which had a greater weight of ice on them during the Ice Age, are now 'rebounding' - and therefore rising - now that the ice has melted. Britain is effectively a see-saw, with the fulcrum on a line between Aberystwyth and Whitby, and someone heavy just got off the
Obviously this process, like all geological phenomena, doesn't happen overnight - it's not like we're all about to slide off the bottom of Kent into the Channel - but it's certainly something I'd not previously been aware of.
Anyway, back to the Barrier.
 |
| Barrier Pier - with a gate wheel visible to the left. |
 |
| A Gate rotated between two piers so that water can flow beneath it - this is the 'Maintenance' Position |
The above position is only ever used for maintenance - the normal working positions are shown here.The gates sit below the bed of the river and allow water to flow over them during normal conditions.
During a flood or surge, the gates are closed so that they form a dam against the incoming tide.
They are normally rotated a little further so that some water can flow underneath the gate, rather than being blocked completely.
The Barrier was originally intended to be operated perhaps 2-3 times a year. Currently it is operating at least twice as often as that prediction, though it should still offer relatively good protection to London until at least 2070.
***
My next stop is - in DLR terms - just around the corner.
 |
| Poplar |
Again, there's no sign outside the station, and again, there's very little to see here other than the station itself.
While not being quite as industrial as Pontoon Dock, Poplar is still a location that would come fairly low down a list of places to visit 'for the scenery'.
The station sits in the shadow of the mass of skyscrapers that form the financial centre of Canary Wharf, to the south, and to the north are the many residential tower-blocks of Poplar itself.
 |
| View to Canary Wharf from Poplar Station |
Like Pontoon Dock, however, it does have one landmark that might, on a good day, just tempt you to visit - assuming you like fish that is.
 |
| Billingsgate Fish Market |
For this is the home of Billingsgate Fish Market... or at least it has been since 1982.
Before that it was located, not surprisingly, at Billingsgate Wharf (by London Bridge) and there is still a building there called 'Old Billingsgate' (where as it happens, once a year, a Whisky Tasting Festival is held - and where, once a year, having visited the Whisky Festival, I too need to be held, in order to stand upright).
Being a working fish market, accepting deliveries from harbours the length and breadth of Britain, it's at its busiest in the small hours of the morning - between 4.00 and 8.00am.
And while I might, conceivably, see the latter of these two hours, the chances of me being up and about, out of my bed, and on the other side of London in time to see the market in full swing are smaller than the chances of Donald Trump winning Feminist Of The Year.
What I can do is give you a potted history (or potted shrimp history, if you prefer) of the market.
The original market in the 16th and 17th Centuries was an open air one, which then moved into the building at Old Billingsgate in 1877. It moved to its current location in 1982, as mentioned above, but prior to that it had been the workplace of - among others - George Orwell and the Kray twins.
In its original location, it was a City Of London run enterprise, and despite now being on land owned by Tower Hamlets, this is still the case. The City Of London Corporation pays a nominal rent to Tower Hamlets Council for the use of the land, although under the terms of their rather unusual agreement the rent is designated as 'the gift of one fish'.
So there you go - two down, four to go - and now it's a trip across town towards Harrow, and my next destination.
***
 |
| Preston Road |
Preston Road is, sadly, just another of those stations that sit between rather more interesting neighbours, and seem to have no reason for being there, other than to break up the journey.
The road from which it takes its name is in North West London, between Wembley and Harrow, and has little, other than a few shops and cafés to interest anyone other than a local.
 |
| The uninspiring Preston Road shops |
***
And it doesn't get much better at my next stop, Prince Regent.
 |
| Prince Regent |
Unfortunately, not only have I visited it before, but the exhibition centre also happens - today - not to be hosting any events whatsoever, and is as dead as the proverbial dodo.
 |
| The Excel Centre |
 |
| Royal Victoria Dock |
 |
| SS Robin |
This is the SS Robin, apparently the world's oldest complete steam coaster (which, as the name suggests, is a vessel which only works coastal waters), built in 1890 and now fully restored. The 'raft' is actually a pontoon, which allows the ship's restored hull to be seen in all its glory.
We're also reasonably to close to City Airport, though even the planes seem to be having a day off today, as I don't see a single arrival or take-off in the whole time I'm here.
So I set off once again...
***
... to my next stop - and my final DLR station of the day - Pudding Mill Lane.
 |
| Pudding Mill Lane |
However, unlike Stratford, this station wasn't actually open during the games themselves - for two very good reasons.
Firstly, Pudding Mill Lane station was deemed too small to be able to cope with the expected crowds, so was closed for the duration of the games and only reopened on 12th September 2012.
And the second very good reason that the station I'm visiting wasn't open during the games is that it wasn't actually here.
The original Pudding Mill Lane station was located a short distance to the north of the current one, and was the one which was closed during the Olympics. Despite briefly reopening after the Games, it was permanently closed a couple of years later and re-sited to the south, as the construction of the new Crossrail line required a tunnel ramp to be built at its old location.
Despite its proximity to the Olympic Park I don't propose to use my visit to Pudding Mill Lane to thoroughly explore the home of the Games. It seems more appropriate to do that when I visit Stratford later on my travels. However, I do allow myself a quick look at the nearest couple of landmarks.
 |
| Orbit Tower |
The tower has two observation platforms and, from last year, a permanent tunnel-slide. These again, I will hopefully get a chance to experience when I return to Stratford.
Next to the Orbit is the main Olympic Stadium of the park - now the home of West Ham Football club.
 |
| Olympic Stadium |
It took almost exactly six years, from August 2010 (long before the actual games, but the time when the official 'Legacy' process began) to July 2016 (when the final objection was dropped) for West Ham finally to be the undisputed tenants of the stadium, with a 99 year lease costing £2.5 million a year.
Again, I suspect I'll be able to get a closer look at the stadium at a later date, so for now I call it a day here, and move on once more.
***
Putney Bridge station - the last on today's list, and (more importantly) the last of the 'P's - is on the Wimbledon branch of the District Line and a short distance to the east of the bridge after which it is named.
 |
| Putney Bridge Station |
The bridge itself is famous for being the starting point of the historic University Boat Race between the rowers of Oxford and Cambridge.
 |
| Putney Bridge |
The two teams race from this point to a similar marker at Chiswick Bridge, 4.2 miles away, and the route - known as The Championship Course - has been the official race course since 1845, though the Boat Race has been run between the two universities since 1829.
The bridge crosses the Thames from Putney (south of the river) to Fulham (north of the river) and the station is therefore actually in Fulham.
 |
| The Thames - looking westwards. |
To the west of the station is Fulham Palace - the historic home of the Bishops of London.
 |
| Fulham Palace |
The Bishop of London is 3rd in seniority in the Church of England after the Bishops of Canterbury and York, and the current incumbent is Richard Chartres, although he is actually due to retire from the post in exactly one week's time, on Shrove Tuesday the 28th February. A previous incumbent was Nicholas Ridley (c.1500-1555) who was one of the 'Oxford Martyrs', burned at the stake by Queen Mary I (daughter of Henry VIII) for the crime of heresy.
I've arrived long after the palace shuts its doors to visitors, unfortunately, so I have to be satisfied with a quick wander round the gardens.
And that's your lot for today, boys and girls.
Another letter ticked off the list, and another stage closer to finishing this remarkably pointless challenge.
You never know - I might actually finish this thing one day. Wonder what I'll do with myself after that......
Toodle-pip!
No comments:
Post a Comment