EUROPE - BRITAIN - LONDON : LONDON'S EASTSIDE A BLOOMIN' WONDER
by Ursula & Eldrid Retief



Cor blimey! Would you Adam and Eve it? We had a butcher's at London's Eastside and who would ever have thought London's old docklands, now all dolled up, would be challenging the rest of this wonderful old city as a bleedin' tourist mark. Yer know what I mean?

Once the home of the world’s largest trading port, London’s Eastside, from Tower Bridge to the Thames Barrier and beyond, is today again drawing global attention, this time as a vibrant and culturally interesting travel destination.

At the heart of what used to be London's Docklands is the futuristic Canary Wharf. It got its name when it was in use as a dock and many of the imports came from the Canary Islands. Sliding into decay, it was regenerated during the boom years of the 1980s. Now Canary Wharf has become one of the most cosmopolitan areas of London with over 200 shops, restaurants, cafes and bars. The most visible sign of Canary Wharf's rebirth is Canada Tower, the largest building in Britain. You can take a self-guided walk focusing on Canary Wharf’s open spaces, parks, waterfront walks, fountains and colonnades which include more than 25 species of trees and 88 floral varieties.

London's Eastside is home to two World Heritage sites: Tower Hill (with two international icons, Tower Bridge and the Tower of London) and Maritime Greenwich as well as numerous quirky museums and visitor attractions of international standing.

Mention England's wonderful palaces, castles and gardens and London's Eastside is not likely to be the first destination of choice that springs to mind. Yet, one of London’s greatest tourist attractions, the Tower of London, has served as a royal palace, fortress, prison, place of execution, an arsenal, royal mint, menagerie and jewel house over 900 years. Today, it is a world famous visitor attraction that is home to some of the most potent symbols of British history including the Crown Jewels.

At London's most famous landmark, Tower Bridge, you can stop off for a quick history lesson of Tower Bridge and to find out how it works. Save a few bob and invest in a Tower Bridge Exhibition and The Monument combined ticket for an historic self-guiding trail. The Monument is topped by a flaming urn of copper symbolizing the Great Fire of London. Its height (202ft.) is equal to the distance between the base of the column and the baker's house in Pudding Lane where the Great Fire of London is said to have begun. Climb the 311 steps up the spiral staircase and receive a certificate to prove it!

Maritime Greenwich on the River Thames, the other World Heritage Site, is famous for such historic landmarks as the Cutty Sark, the last surviving tea clipper; the National Maritime Museum takes a new view of Britain's proud association with the sea and seafarers; and the Royal Observatory, the home of Greenwich Mean Time and the Meridian Line, Longitude 0°. The hidden-away and quirky Fan Museum is the only museum in the world dedicated to the history of fans and to the art and craft of fan-making.

Just south of Greenwich, in Eltham, is the medieval Great Hall of Eltham Palace where Henry VIII was educated. Today the Great Hall is attached to the Courtauld House, one of the finest Art Deco houses in the country, The Tudor Barn, possibly one of the oldest buildings to house a restaurant and Well Hall Pleasaunce gardens.

We whipped through a few of the 27 museums and galleries in London's Eastside. Firepower is the major new attraction in Woolwich Royal Arsenal, telling the story and evolution of artillery; the Museum in Docklands unlocks the story of London's river, port and people in a spectacular warehouse built in 1803 for the storage of rum, molasses and sugar. Here you will encounter a wide array of people that have come and gone from the docks over the last 2000 years, from its Roman founders to Viking invaders and from gentleman pirates to today's city workers.

There are many parks and gardens in London's Eastside including Greenwich Park, one of London’s oldest royal parks, Thames Barrier Park, London's newest riverside park with magnificent views of the Thames Barrier and the Millennium Dome, Horniman Gardens with its beautiful, formal and natural landscapes, Tower Hamlets Cemetery Park with its network of paths that take you on a tour around wonderful woodlands and wildflower meadows. Island Gardens, a charming riverside park, holds the modern day view of Greenwich featured in Canaletto's famous 18th century painting 'A View of Greenwich from the River' and Three Mills Island, one of the Eastside’s most well-kept secrets and home to the oldest remaining tidal mill in Britain and 3 Mills Studios.

There are over 40 miles of signposted footpaths, suitable for both walkers and cyclists, which link together many of open spaces including canals and waterways. The Thames Path runs on both sides of the river through London’s Eastside starting from London Bridge.

90 miles of London’s waterways, including the Grand Union, the Regent’s Canal, the docks surrounding Canary Wharf, and the Rivers Lee and Stort provide a unique behind-the-scenes look at London’s Eastside, passing many attractions and waterside pubs and offering a variety of water-based leisure activities.

Speaking of pubs, only a short distance from the towering glass skyscrapers of Canary Wharf, are many historic pubs surviving from a much earlier, more romantic age. Some of these time-warp taverns are little changed from the days when the area was the world’s largest trading port for sailing ships, attracting pirates and smugglers as well as honest seafarers.

A free booklet from TourEast London is an invitation to explore these delightful inns, with their flagstone floors, timber beams and river views, lying within a mile or two of Tower Bridge.

Among the pubs featured in the 40-page “Waterside restaurants, bars and pubs guide” are The Prospect of Whitby (57 Wapping Wall), London’s oldest riverside tavern, dating from 1520 and The Grapes (76 Narrow Street), mentioned by Charles Dickens in his novel “Our Mutual Friend” and boasting a fish restaurant upstairs. The Captain Kidd (108 Wapping High Street) is named after the naval officer turned pirate who was hanged at Execution Dock nearby in 1701; while from the riverside steps beside the Town of Ramsgate pub (62 Wapping High Street) you can see the post to which the bodies of hanged pirates were chained until three tides had washed over them.

Some of these pubs were known by artists including Turner and Whistler, and novelist Dickens and diarist Samuel Pepys were regular visitors.

There were more markets in East London than in any other town in Britain even before the Old Truman Brewery threw open its doors again to introduce the newest and coolest Sunday (Up)Market in the heart of trendy and ethnic Brick Lane. Fashion designers, jewellery makers and artists are alongside a wide array of vintage clothes and shoes, hand-made bags and accessories. There is a taste of the rest of the world with imports such as Guatemalan textiles, homemade Chilean food and freshly squeezed Brazilian juices.

Spitalfields holds many historic secrets behind its old doors, bargains in its street markets and fantastic food in the many Bangladeshi restaurants.

There are family events every Saturday at Roman Road Market , in the heart of Bow including street performances, jugglers, stilt walkers, and face painting.

At Greenwich Market, there is a wide range of antiques and collectables, arts and crafts, and the Blackheath Farmers’ Market.

London Bridge offers Borough Market, a thriving fine food market with specialist farmers and producers travelling from all over country to sell their wares. You can buy ham, wild boar, venison, ostrich, poultry, fish, olives, cheeses, wines and beers (mainly organic) and speciality breads here. Stop and rest either in the many cafés and bars in Hay’s Galleria or cross the road to have a pint at The George Inn, London’s only remaining galleried inn and mentioned in Dickens' novel ‘Little Dorrit’.

One of the major influences over the food traditions in London was the river Thames. It provided fish, both fresh and salt water, meat, vegetables and fruit were transported from around Britain, and spices and exotic foods from all over the world. The importance of the trading ships and the great markets like Billingsgate, Spitalfields and Smithfield can be seen in the names of roads in the East End, such as Bread Street, Milk Street and Fish Street. Here you can try the traditional pie’n’mash and jellied eels.

The most famous London dish is the Cockney speciality, jellied eels, caught locally and further out in the Thames Estuary. The taste is similar to that of pickled herring, but the softer texture can put people off.

Photo: courtesy courtesy TourEast London

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