My first exploration of the local area - Shadwell and Limehouse Walk

My first stop was St. George's Town Hall which has a striking mural depicting the fight between local residents and the British Union of Fascists in 1936.




I went on to Tobacco Dock - a Grade 1 listed building. Built in 1811 it was a store for tobacco, and in later years, sheepskins and furs. The unusual iron columns and superb brick vaults were nineteenth-century architectural innovations.

After a pleasant walk I came to Shadwell Basin which was built in 1858 to provide the space needed for ships which had outgrown the London Docks. It is used today by a water sports centre.

I followed the riverside walkway which gave some amazing views of Canary Wharf and came out by the Narrow Street Restaurant mentioned earlier.

I then walked inland to the Limehouse Basin. It was built in 1812 to serve inland waterway barges using the Regents Canal and was enlarged in 1820 to accommodate seagoing vessels. The Basin also connects the Grand Union Canal to the Thames. Today it is an area developed into flats.

My last viewing was of St. Anne's Church. It was built in 1714 by Nicholas Hawkmoor. The clock face came from the same workshop that provided the faces for Big Ben. It is one of the highest church clocks in the century.

Katherine's visit to London.

17.4.11

Katherine came to the flat for a pre-birthday visit. As it was such a lovely day on the Sunday we decided to go on a river cruise from Greenwich to Tower Bridge. Full commentary was provided, not that everyone listened. Katherine and Harry enjoyed kitkat and fizzy drinks!

In the evening we had a take away and went on to the pub down the road 'The Grapes'. It sits on the river and has a tiny wooden terrace overlooking the water. Katherine managed to smash a glass in her drunken stupour! We hastened out!

18.4.11

We wanted to experience the river clipper (the fast boat service) so got that from near here to Embankment. Katherine was feeling a bit hungover and the waves made her feel a bit queasy. We then made our way to Kensington Gardens because I had always wanted to visit Princess Diana's memorial fountain. Before visiting the fountain we decided to have lunch at a cafe by the lake.



We both liked the fountain and felt it reflected what Diana would have wanted. Despite the notice asking children not to stand/play in it, all the children we saw were having a whale of a time playing in it! Keep Health and Safety away.

         

We then decided to visit Kensington Palace as they had a special exhibition on called 'The Enchanted Palace' which was rather lovely. Katherine got herself crowned in the throne room.

In the evening we went our for dinner (tapas) at 'La Tasca' which was ok but not terribly hot. We then went back to the flat and celebrated Katherine's birthday, two days early, with a birthday cake (from Waitrose, of course!).



First meal out!

Our first meal out was to Gordon Ramsey's pub/restaurant called 'The Narrow' on Narrow Street just round the corner from us. We requested a table by the window and the views up and down the river were really stunning. The food wasn't bad either! It's not cheap, but the quality of the food was good.

The flat

The flat is located on Limekiln Dock. It is an interesting spot as you can watch the tide coming in and out from the lounge window. It sounds very much like you are at the seaside with the waves hitting the dock sides.
The very first passengers for Australia left from Dunbar Wharf which is opposite.