We are on our way to Canary Wharf (seen here in the hazy distance)in the East End of London and a 35 minute drive from home. Canary Wharf is part of the Docklands area on the banks of the River Thames. It is a modern Business, Fiancial and Banking Centre. There are many hotels, restaurants and coffee shops where people like to hang out, both indoors and outdoors. The Docklands overhead light railway goes right through the complex. There is also a large underground shopping mall. The area is still expanding. It would be impossible to count the number of high rise apartment buildings, including the apartments attached too, and serviced by, the major chains. Looking in the Canary Wharf Magazine I see that the most expensive apartments are in excess of 2 million pounds (at the present rate of exchange that would be almost 4 million dollars). There are also many apartments to rent. The weekday business centre very much becomes a leisure and tourist area at weekends.
Here to enjoy are just a few of the many photographs that I took yesterday, plus a VERY brief history of this part of East London.
1200's Known as Stepney Marsh. It was drained to support meadows and pastures
1500's Port of London expanded and docklands became a point of departure for Merchant ships
1620 The Mayflower set sail for America from here
1800's West India Docks opened and were considered to be the U.K.'s greatest civil engineering structure of it's day
1920's In July 1921 King George V Dock was opened by the King
1930's By the 1930's the Port of London handled 35 million tons of cargo
1940's Mass bombings during the second world war. Saturday 7th September 430 dead,
1,600 seriously injured and 10,000 homeless
1960's 60 million tons of cargo handled
1970's Most of the docks had closed
1980's Became an Enterprise zone
We began our day at the riverside where we enjoyed delicious cappucinnos in the sunshine. We are looking towards the City
Part of the City in closeup
I like reflections
Leaving the river front behind
I picked a posy of roses for you today. I so appreciate all my blogging buddies that I would like to hand you these in person, but as this is not possible, I am sending you a Greetings card depicting the roses instead. You have my permission to copy this and print it out if you wish.
Having so enjoyed reading the 100 things about some blogging friends I decided to join in with my own as part of celebrating my 100th posting. Initially it seemed daunting but when I sat down to write it I found the random thoughts just flowed, so here it is as the thoughts came.
The Front
1200's Known as Stepney Marsh. It was drained to support meadows and pastures
We began our day at the riverside where we enjoyed delicious cappucinnos in the sunshine. We are looking towards the City
Part of the City in closeup
I like reflections
Leaving the river front behind
The train over one of the docks
A re-use of the old warehouses
Some of the docks are empty and some are full of various boats and ships that are used as resturants and party venues
And this one a lunchtime church
An enjoyable day and now back to the river to rest awhile and watch the river craft before walking back to the car
We pass the controversial London Dome as we head away from the river and home
Some more Clematis
Campanala
And of course more Roses
And some shrubs.JPG)
Then just as I was leaving the shop I saw this cute bone china mug and this was only 50 pence too.
