|
|
|
|
|
|
A
relaxed easy walk suitable for allThe leisurely Walk tries to capture the atmosphere of the river in days gone by, when many of London’s wharves were heaving with commerce and life.
After the Tower we walk towards Shadwell, an area almost uninhabited until the 17th century, although there is evidence of Roman burials here. By 1674 Shadwell had developed into a hard working and thriving community of mariners, watermen and wooden framed houses. Captain Cook’s first child was baptised in the nearby church of St Paul’s.
St
Paul’s church is often referred to as the Church of the Sea Captains, as
more than 175 names of commanders and their wives appear in the register in the
1700s, amongst were Captain James Cook’s son and the mother of Thomas Jeffeson,
third President of the USA. John Wesley preached here on five occasions.
Another hidden gem is the church by Nicholas Hawksmoor St George’s-in-the-East. It was built as a result of Queen Anne’s 1711 Act for building Fifty New Churches in London The church was bombed during the 2nd World War and to believe its most unusual restoration you need to see it!
It
will be possible to take a picnic whilst enjoying the river views from King
Edward VII’s Gardens. From here we continue to Tobacco Dock, a restored Dock
area with massive and attractive brick vaults, initially used for tobacco and
wine and now home to the American Scooner ship Sea Lark.
From here we continue to St Katharine’s Docks designed by Thomas Telford and opened in 1825. The warehouses here housed goods as varied as tea, rubber, ivory, sugar, marble, live turtles and cigars. It is now a lovely Marina with yachts, Thames barges, sailing, shops, walkways, and restaurants.
Then to Butler’s Wharf, an area of overhanging walkways, narrow streets and old 1870s warehouses, an ideal setting for many films and period television drama. The walk will finish at Butler’s Wharf by Tower Bridge, where we can have a well deserved cup of tea!