Westminster to Greenwich

The Walk in Pictures  1066 Harold’s Way, Walk 1

To Greenwich

Surrey Docks and Surrey Docks Farm, the vast expanse of Greenland Dock, the Dog and Duck Stairs and Greenland Pier all linked by Rotherhithe Street.

In front are the trees of Greenwich Park and the Observatory on the horizon. Here also, is the site of the Tudor dockyard, Drakes Steps and the Royal Victoria Victualling Yard.

Then the waterfront prevents continued access to the river and the final 1¼ miles is mostly through the Deptford’s former Victorian back streets that include the ‘The Dog and Bell’, that beer paradise.

Walk along Watergate Street for a final view of the river with its statuary of Tsar Peter the Great before crossing the Deptford Creek and suddenly and without fanfare you find yourself in Greenwich, in the square dominated by the Cutty Sark, with views over the Thames and the end of Walk 1.

I left Westminster at lunchtime and, with all the sightseeing, it took most of the afternoon to walk to Greenwich. Speed was not an issue as I did not have to meet the challenge of William. This will always be a slow section and for a relaxed walk, take the day, do not push on too hard and find the time to enjoy the finish – Greenwich is worth it.

We used to finish at The Trafalgar for a renowned ‘whitebait supper’ but unless the service and the portions have improved since 2013, I cannot recommend it any more.

I will shortly be trying the Meantime’s Old  Brewery in the old Royal Naval College, The Cutty Sark and The Yacht as alternatives in the hope that there will be more of a welcome and better value for money. It is a burden that I must bear.

 

They say that the best view of Greenwich is from across the Thames. The Greenwich Foot Tunnel will take you to Island Gardens for a cup of tea and West Indian food, at the Island Gardens café, a DLR station and most of all for a memorable photograph standing where Canaletto painted his ‘View of Greenwich’.

I returned to London Bridge by Southeastern Trains but the Thames Clipper from Greenwich makes more of a splash on the way back to town.

Westminster to Greenwich

My Chicago Girl

Approaching Bermondsey, I saw a young woman in jeans and with a daypack, following a similar route. I stopped for photographs and to enjoy the history and she moved in front and as she checked her map I passed her. Opposite Limehouse we stopped together. She was from Chicago, having an away day without the safety of the rest of her group and said

“There is nothing much to see here – it’s a bit boring, I expected more”.

“There is all this history” I said enthusiastically. “Opposite is Limehouse, the China Town of old, the dross of the world docked here, opium dens, Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Fu-Manchu. You’ve passed Execution Dock where pirates were hanged, references to the Mayflower and the Pilgrim Fathers, the pub where Paul McCartney recorded music, the Kings Steps and Brunel and the last voyage of the Fighting Temeraire. The Saxon fleet sailed by here in 1066 before the Battle of Hastings. And when you get to Greenwich…”

She produced one of those little fold out maps of London.

“Oh, I expected all those Bridges, the Wheel and Big Ben, where am I?”

She turned and started the long hot walk back into tourism. I hope that she told the rest of her party of her journey into the unknown.

Westminster to Greenwich

The Walk in Pictures  1066 Harold’s Way, Walk 1

Statues and the Prospect of Whitby

Here, by the river in Rotherhithe, there is a sense of times past – there have been people living and working at the dock since Saxon times and I do feel that I am walking through history.

  

The Brunel Museum displays the historic Thames Tunnel. Cumberland Wharf (with its sculpture ‘Sunbeam Weekly and the Pilgrim’s Pocket’) leads to the entrance to Surrey Water and its red rolling lift bridge installed in the 1950s. Follow the Thames Path signs past the Old Salt Quay PH, with just under 4 miles to go.

 

Westminster to Greenwich

 

The Walk in Pictures  1066 Harold’s Way, Walk 1

Shad Thames, Jacob’s Island & Execution Dock

Walk under Tower Bridge and into Shad Thames. The old warehouses have been revitalised into London Living but the names are remembered in Shad, Butlers Wharf and others.

Access to the river has always been difficult here with warehouses, docks and quays lining the river bank. A hundred and fifty years ago, there would have been the noise of ships being unloaded and wagons drawn, full of the cries of workmen and machinery but for us, it is quiet and peaceful now that we have left the crowds of the Embankment behind us.

The lanes are narrow and dwarfed by high walls, there is a darkness even during the day and when the tide is out and the mud revealed, in the side docks and creeks, there is a feeling of Dickens London about the place, maybe at the end of Oliver Twist – or is it just my imagination.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The view from The Angel inspired Turner to paint the Fighting Temeraire as he watched the warship pass by on its final journey to the breaker’s yard – no doubt it was from the inside of the pub rather than the outside with a quart of ale to help the imagination.

Wapping is on the opposite bank and Wapping New Stairs, with the water swirling around the beach, is the most likely site of Execution Dock. Pirates, thieves and mutineers were hanged and left for three tides to wash over them. You could drink and watch the hanging of the notorious pirate Captain Kidd on May 23^rd 1701, safe across the river. Such events were seen as public holidays but the fun ended with the last hanging in 1830. Look out for a warehouse with the letter E on one wall, it stands on the site of Execution Dock. It is ironic that the very first River Police Station for the Marine Police was built close to Wapping New Stairs, in 1798.

Westminster to Greenwich

The Walk in Pictures  1066 Harold’s Way, Walk 1

The South Bank

 

We are assuming that Harold crossed the Thames at London Bridge as we do. There has been a London Bridge on this site since Roman times and it was the only Bridge for centuries. Harold would have crossed here to the south side to connect with the route of the old Roman road, Great Dover Street and the beginning of Watling Street (the modern A2/M2).

Into Soutwark , long the place to start or end a journey, a place for pilgrims, traders and travellers and the writers, Chaucer and Dickens. The George Inn is now Southwark’s only surviving coaching inn rebuilt in 1676 and worth a visit, either now or later. It is just a short walk down Borough High Street, past Southwark Cathedral and Borough Market (open Thursday to Saturday, a delight for ‘foodies’ and with a couple of good pubs itself) – so much to keep you from 1066 Harold’s Way. Have we time for visit? 6½ miles to Greenwich – perhaps another day.

Across the river is the Old Custom House, the Gherkin, St Pauls and a poetic view of the City skyline behind. This is Queens Walk with HMS Belfast moored by its side and framed by Tower Bridge. Over the river is The Tower of London and the White Tower built by William in 1078 – perhaps not something for us or Harold to dwell on now at the start of 1066 Harold’s Way.

 

Westminster to Greenwich

The Walk in Pictures  1066 Harold’s Way, Walk 1

The Victoria Embankment

 

 

In deciding the route of 1066 Harold’s Way, and for the sake of my own personal enjoyment, I choose the North Bank to cross the Thames at the iconic London Bridge. With the crowds mostly on the South Bank and only morning joggers to avoid, the Victoria Embankment is a delight whatever the weather.

The Victoria Embankment dates from 1870 and covered the new sewer for a healthier London, a cleaner Thames and the new District Line Underground. Gardens and walkways were created and the new road relieved the notorious congestion on The Strand and Fleet Street.

Through the gardens and Canary Wharf comes into view, it will serve as a marker for the first part of this walk and the Shard on the South Bank, 1016ft high, arrows into the sky and transforms the South Bank.

Along St Pauls Walk and under the Millennium Bridge, with its glimpse of St Pauls up the steps to the left, to follow the Thames Path to Queenhithe that was London’s dock even before William built the Tower. Queenhithe was first mentioned in 899 and it was certainly there in Harold’s time.

 

Westminster to Greenwich–The Watergate

Walking landmarks on 1066 Harold’s Way, Walk 1 Westminster to Greenwich 

From the Hungerford Footbridge, walk back down the steps towards Charing Cross and to the right is a tunnel, underneath the railway lines. It leads to the Embankment Gardens where we take a short detour left, up Villiers Street, towards The Strand and by Gordon’s Wine Bar, is The Watergate on the right.

Gordon’s Wine Bar, presumed to be the oldest wine bar in London, is well worth a visit and a delight to sit outside if the weather is good and you can find a table.

Through the iron gate and down the steps into what was once a wharf on the north bank of the river. Into the park by the first gate and look back at the Watergate’s lost magnificence, marooned in the Embankment Gardens, a large and now useless memorial to the Dukes of Buckingham.

Before the Embankment was built, the river was much wider and The Watergate was once the private wharf for York House standing proud on the north bank of the Thames.

In 1747, close to here, Canaletto painted his view of the river with St Pauls in the background. With all the trees in the Embankment Gardens we will have to wait until Waterloo Bridge for a similar view to Canaletto.