Greenwich, Poplar & Limehouse - Friday 28 May 2021

 

Another fine day in London Docklands. It took a little while to find the Leon in the Lower Mall of Jubilee Place at Canary Wharf but it was worth the effort. An interesting walk along dock sides and then via Roffey Street and St John's Park to Folly House Beach at low water. It was a surprise to find there were single bricks and rusty nails amidst the sand, shingle, flotsam and jetsam on the beach looking towards the Greenwich Peninsula. 

To find sheep grazing on the big field at Mudchute Park was another surprise and it was like being in the countryside for the walk from the Pier Street entrance to the exit near Mudchute DLR which leads to Millwall Park.

Once across Manchester Road it was on to Greenwich through the foot tunnel from Island Gardens (which overlooks the Thames with panoramic views towards Greenwich - photo above).

No visit to Greenwich is complete without a sight of the restored Cutty Sark and conveniently, the Greenwich entrance to the foot tunnel is very close to the historic sailing ship. After stops for coffee and lunch (The Andes Empanadas from Greenwich Market) it was time to return to the Thames.

Following the riverside footpath east in front of the Old Royal Naval College and past the Admiral Lord Nelson statue led to the side of the Trafalgar Tavern bedecked with flowers. The roof terrace was covered by tarpaulins but has previously been accessible to customers.

In May 2020, Boak and Bailey tweeted 'Reading about The Trafalgar Tavern at Greenwich, South East London, built in 1839. It seems to have closed at some point before World War I before being converted into a military hospital in 1915. It didn't reopen until 1965. That's quite a hiatus.'

Photo: wikiart.org

The view from the river frontage of the Trafalgar Tavern was painted by James Tissot c. 1878. Lucy Paquette writes 'The Trafalgar Tavern was one of four riverside inns operating at that time; all were known for their whitebait dinners – for diners with the means to enjoy them.'

The pedestrian route then goes behind the Trafalgar Tavern and the entrance to the Yacht is adjacent to the rear entrance of the Trafalgar Tavern.

The Cutty Sark

Continuing along Crane Street, one reaches Highbridge Wharf, giving river views again in front of the historic Trinity Hospital. Once past the front of Greenwich power station, with its disused coal jetty, you reach Ballast Quay, the location of the Cutty Sark, a Young's pub.

Andrew Grumbridge (Dulwich Raider) and Vincent Raison (Dirty South) describe the Cutty Sark in the Ales of the Riverbank chapter of their (recommended) book 'Today South London, Tomorrow South London': 'The Cutty Sark has it all. Several ales, a stone floor, a huge ancient fireplace downstairs and the Crow's Nest room on the third floor with superb views of the river - and there are plenty of tables by the water, across the cobbled street.'

On our visit, there was only one table by the river free so obviously we finally stopped for a beer. A half pint of Young's Ordinary, once brewed in Wandsworth, was £2.50 and disappointingly, served in a lager glass. However, it tasted fine and was served in good condition. 

After this refreshment we could have continued along the west bank of the Greenwich Peninsula to reach the O2 but instead we caught a 188 bus from Trafalgar Road towards North Greenwich as far the Millennium Village, Oval Square stop which is opposite the entrance to Southern Park.

A footpath leads to a boardwalk over wetlands with handrails through a wooded area with views of a lake at the edge of the Greenwich Millenium Village. This leads to the Greenwich Peninsula Ecology Park on the eastern side of the Greenwich Peninsula. It is another green oasis worth seeking out in London. 

Thanks to John Rogers, author of This Other London, for sharing a video of his Greenwich Peninsula 'New London' walk on YouTube in April 2021. This was the inspiration for a holiday in Docklands and the chance to follow in his footsteps. 

Reaching the Olympian Way footpath and cyclepath, next to the river Thames, you can see the Thames Barrier to the east. We headed north towards the O2 with new residential tower blocks on the left and the Thames on the right with views across to Trinity Buoy Wharf. 

Quantum Cloud by Antony Gormley

There were sculpture artworks by the river to admire, part of  The Line, a dedicated public art walk. 

As we made a circuit of the O2 along the riverside path and then 'inland' to North Greenwich station, we saw more sculptures, including A Slice of Reality by Richard Wilson.

The Festival Inn, Poplar

Chrisp Street Market Clock Tower in distance

After some delay at North Greenwich bus station we boarded the first 108 bus bound for Stratford via the Blackwall Tunnel. Typically, two more 108 buses came along soon afterwards. We got off at Chrisp Street Market in Poplar.

It was 5.30pm and most of the market stalls had been packed away. There was a long queue at a bank cashpoint machine. It could have been a world away from Canary Wharf although it's only a mile away.

The reason for visiting this area, rebuilt as the Lansbury Estate for the Festival of Britain in 1951, was to see the Festival Inn, recently featured in a blog post by Boak & Bailey as 'the first significant post-war pub'.

Two of the side windows of the single storey section, fronting Kerbey Street, featured the Festival of Britain symbol. A Scotsman was involved in a lively discussion at the main entrance to this part of the pub, fronting the pedestrian precinct. The door of the Kerbey Street entrance was propped open allowing a view inside of floorboards, wooden furniture and wood panelling with pictures hung at a high level. Several interior photos and a plan are included on CAMRA's Pub Heritage website page for the Festival Inn. It would be nice to venture inside the pub on a future visit to East London.

The Grapes, Limehouse

The Travelodge hotel was within walking distance, east along the busy East India Dock Road, with stops en route to photograph Frederick Gibberd's Chrisp Street Market clock tower and Erno Goldfinger's 26 storey Balfron Tower. 

To reach the Grapes for an 8pm table booking, Google maps suggested a 115 bus to Limehouse Town Hall or Docklands Light Railway to Westferry but instead we took the D3 bus from East India station to Westferry Circus and then walked along the riverside path and over the footbridge at Limekiln Dock (where the photo above was taken) before reaching Narrow Street a short distance from the historic pub.

A blue plaque above the door of the Grapes shows the pub dates from 1583. A sign at the entrance asks customers to wait to be seated and we were welcomed by the friendly Sergio who showed us to a table between the bar and the door to the balcony that overlooks the river Thames. 

After Sergio feigned disappointment that we did not accept his suggestion of whisky to drink, we ordered pints of Adnams Ghost Ship instead. Athough our first pints may have been from near the end of the barrel, its taste and condition was better than my previous experiences of this beer served from cask or bottle. 

Each table had a small laminated mini tapas menu with tempting choices. The Fish and Chips, chosen from the blackboard, as a main course was accompanied by mashed peas and a creamy coleslaw. The chips had been salted already so the absence of a salt cellar was not an issue. Sergio or his efficient and tireless female colleague had to fetch all the dishes from the narrow staircase leading to the restaurant and kitchen upstairs. 

A vantage point, from the table beside the bar, provided the chance to take a photo of the bar counter and the small front area beyond now busy with customers. The prints and pictures on the claret coloured walls include portraits of past visitors to the pub including Charles Dickens. Further pints of Ghost Ship, now pulled from a fresh cask were the perfect accompaniment to an evening at The Grapes with its jovial atmosphere and memorably high standards.

After settling our bill with Sergio, it was easy to retrace our steps east along the river Thames to Westferry Circus and catch a D3 bus back to East India station and then a short walk to the hotel.