Into the Isle of Dogs...

Eventually I was back along the river where I spotted the O2...

...an old ad for whale oil...

…and this plaque at the departure spot of three ships that arrived in Virginia in 1607, thirteen years before the Mayflower sailed.

There’s a lot of apartment buildings on the Isle of Dogs, in all different shapes and colors.

That evening, Jimmy and I went to Wilton’s Music Hall in Shadwell. 

It originally operated as as a music hall from 1850 to 1880. After a varied history, it was renovated and reopened as a music hall in 2012. The shabby chic theater with its wooden floors and peeling paint was really charming. 

We had front row seats for Frank’s Closet, which was a fun show.

 

Walking Across the Docklands...

I decided to take the long walk home, sticking on the Thames Path even as it veered away from the river...

…such as it turned towards the Royal Docks, passing this giant abandoned flour mill... 

…these huge old cranes...

…London’s City Hall...

…and the Cloud Cable Car.

I was glad that I detoured to explore Trinity Buoy Wharf, where I saw London’s only lighthouse. Built in 1864, it was never used to navigate the river but instead to test lights and train lightkeepers.  

As recent as 1998, Trinity Buoy Wharf was an empty derelict site. Now it is home to a variety of creative companies surrounded by artworks by Andrew Baldwin made out of recycled industrial bits. 

Yes, that is a real car on top of a café. 

 

Thames Barrier...

Unlike the Netherlands, which does an annual test of its major flood barriers, the Thames Barrier is closed monthly. On September 9, 2024, I ventured out to see the barrier from a different viewpoint than when we had first visited it in 2019. I took the DLR to Pontoon Dock Station and walked through Thames Barrier Park, which is on the north shore of the river. 

Presumably this sign is a remnant of COVID. 

There were several others hanging around to see if the test would actually happen.

If you look closely, you can see how what looks like a wooden wheel changes positions between photos...

…and the doors along the edges are obviously closed.

As much as I hope this barrier is never actually needed, it’s good to know that the system works.
 

Sightseeing with Sally + John...

In early September, I met up with Sally and John, who were in the process of repatriating to England. They bought a house not far from where Sally grew up in Poole, but were spending one week in London as John had final tasks to finish at his company’s headquarters before retiring. They invited me along as they visited some iconic London sites. We started with a visit to the Natural History Museum...

Fern, the Diplodocus, and the surrounding Jurassic Garden were recent additions outside of the museum.

The purpose-built museum opened in 1881, but this full-sized animatronic T-Rex is clearly built more recently...

…along with this feathered Deinonychus, known as Terrible Claw. 

Hope, a juvenile blue whale, hangs from the ceiling in the main hall.

I found the architecture often more interesting than the skeletons. 

That afternoon we went to the viewing platform at Horizon 22.

The following day we visited The National Gallery. I had just finished watching the series My Lady Jane, so The Execution of Lady Jane Grey from 1833 caught my eye. She had been Queen of England for only nine days in 1553 before she was replaced by Mary, who later had her beheaded for treason. The alternative history series ended with her escaping (sorry for the spoiler).

And Two Crabs by Vincent van Gogh from 1889 caught my eye with its vibrant colors.

 

 

Miscellaneous August 2024...

Somehow I had learned about a show southwest of London in the city of Woking. While the city has historic roots, the city center is mostly from the 20th and 21st century. This statue in Victoria Square was made in 2017. We were surprised when we were encouraged to bring our own wine into a Lebanese restaurant. We enjoyed a delicious meal with our cheap bottle of wine. 

The New Victoria Theatre opened in 1992. With 1,300 seats, it’s one of the largest theaters in England outside of London. We were curious to see how An Officer and a Gentleman could be transformed into a musical. 

I splurged for VIP tickets, which included a glass of bubbly and ice cream served in a private lounge. 

We thought the show was great!

Veronica visited David and Tamsin in Aberdeen and then she and David ventured down to Glasgow to spend a day with Ashlynn. 

Ashlynn enjoyed playing tour guide, taking them on a 13-mile (21-kilometer) walk around the city. 

In August I also finally made it to the Docklands Museum in Canary Wharf. I was so fascinated by the history of Wapping and the surrounding neighborhoods since World War II that I never made it to the other floors to learn about ancient history along the river. This model depicts the port on the north side of the Thames around 1938. As you can see, there’s interconnected harbors following the curve of the river. This area was heavily bombed during the Blitz and today only the harbors on the far left, next to Tower Bridge, and on the far right still exist; in between there is just a small canal.