My second urban wander last week was from Bermondsey to Borough, when I was fortunate enough to be travelling back from docklands towards the city around 5pm, with time to spare to jump off the tube early and continue at least some of my journey on foot. I chose Bermondsey as I had a loose idea that I might find the road that featured in the BBC TV series/book The Secret History of Our Streets: London but as I'd not properly prepared for this I had no recollection of what it was called or where it was ... for future reference I it's Reverdy Road. Instead however I drifted westwards from Bermondsey tube station, in the vague direction of home, but with no real idea where I was going or what I planned to see. The first section of my walk was a fairly uninspiring trek down the busy Jamaica Road. The first point of interest which caught my eye was a brick wall which shielded the road from the river below. I crossed the road and peered over the wall, only to be disappointed to find a river inlet filled with rubbish. I guess, that part of any urban wander is the experience, no matter how good or bad, but I was simply not in the mood for this today. After this let-down, I headed in towards some of the quieter side streets and the surroundings and my mood picked up immensely.
Turning into Shad Thames I was immediately greeted with what, to me, seems like real docklands. The road curved around to reveal tall, renovated, brick warehouses, so unlike the modern glass buildings in Canary Wharf. I assume the metal walkways running between the buildings at the upper floor levels were originally used to move good around (another reason I need to visit the London Docklands Museum).
Shad Thames, London SE2
Shad Thames, London SE2
Many of the buildings have restuarants and bars on the ground floors. A few of the signs are overstated and garish, but mainly most seem to have been created in a low-key, tastful way, in keeping with the area
Shad Thames, London SE2
Shad Thames, London SE2
Shad Thames, London SE2
As I left Shad Thames and headed past Tower Bridge, London Brigde and into Borough, the evening had started to close in, and the laptop bag was weighing heaving on my increasingly achy back, so I didn't stop to take any photos of the second leg of my journey, but as I often do, I have made a mental note to return on a warmer and sunnier day, and maybe get some shots of the many railway arches. And I have to disagree with Iain Sinclair here when he says in his Lights Out for the Territory something to the effect that urban wandering should take place on a grey and dreary day.
If you missed my first urban wander of the week, this can be found at Urban Wandering: Paddington to Lancaster Gate
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