Hello People,
Today I'm taking a stroll through Shad Thames. To my right are lines of restaurants and bars filled with tourists and those feeling a little flush. Some are greedily tucking into their lobster thermidor, others are enjoying a sociable pint after another hard week in the city. To my left is that beautiful old muddy brown river - the Thames, and in front of me is a paved path scattered with huge iron sculptures. Some resemble giant human heads, some look like parts of a broken ship, while others look like absolutely nothing at all.
Walking around here is a wonderful way to spend an evening, although if I'm honest not particularly exciting. What I need is a bit of adventure so I can write about it in my blog. Fortunately I have a magical adjustable spanner which allows me to travel through time. My wife Rosie - who you will remember works at the British Museum making sure the Mummies don't escape from their crypts at night - won it in the annual BM summer clear-out raffle a few years back. Rosie herself is far too busy with her work, baking and floristry commitments for time travel, and had only bought a ticket out of politeness and the hope of winning the 5th century Ming Dynasty Vase, so she gave the magic spanner to me.
Now that I think about it, having a magical adjustable spanner which allows you to travel through time is quite a unique selling point for a blogger, and I can't think why I've never mentioned it before. Let's give it a twist and see what happens...
One small turn of the screw and the years simply roll away. When they stop I find myself in a time before the bars, before the restaurants, and even before Nando's, to a time when Shad Thames was a bunch of derelict warehouses next to an abandoned dockyard. As I write, I see a group of men in sharp suits walking along the docks with their cameras and note pads. I assume these to be the developers who would later make Shad Thames what it is today; so I must be in the late 80s, early 90's. As the men get closer I realise I'm right, as leading the pack, dictating while others write notes; is Sir Terrance Conran. Sir Terrance is the man who had the vision to regenerate the docks, an incredibly powerful individual with an impressive business empire including the furniture giants Habitat and Heal’s. He seems in his element walking along the docks, but wait what’s this? A woman has joined the group, and she doesn't look happy. In fact she's started arguing with Sir Terrance and the developers. I do believe she's none other than the great Maggie Blake! She was a local protester who fought the Shad Thames developers over access rights to the south bank of the river. Maggie and her supporters believed that everyone should be free to walk along and enjoy the Thames, the developers however thought access should only be for paying customers, and the wealthy private residence. Maggie and her supporters fought a great campaign and - against the odds - won! In the London we know in 2016 the ally that leads from Shad Thames to the riverside is named 'Maggie Blakes Cause' in honour of her.
I'm so happy to have seen Maggie, I think I'll go talk to her. She's a true SE London hero, and besides it will be great to hear from a woman for a change, British history is an absolute sausage fest. But wait, things seem to be getting quite heated between Maggie and the developers, in fact she's punched one of them, and now she's reaching for a lump of drift wood that's washed up on the docks and she's swinging it around like a baseball bat. Most of the developers have ran away, but old Conran has grabbed a piece of wood too and it looks like he's getting ready to make a fight of it! But, oh no! Conran’s famous creativity has gotten the better of him, he's become distracted by the natural beauty of the wood and he's trying to make the frame for a chez lounge out of it. Maggie looks like she's getting ready to take a big swing... For God’s sake defend yourself man, you haven't time for this creative expression!...
Oh well I guess I'll leave them to it. I'm not done with Shad Thames yet, but I'm getting close to my word count so you're probably all starting to lose interest and wondering if any of your friends or your friends' friends have updated their Facebook status yet. So I'll finish the rest of my story next week. Till then I might as well hang around in the nineties, so I'm off for a Wimpy and a game of Sonic the Hedge Hog.
Laters.
Today I'm taking a stroll through Shad Thames. To my right are lines of restaurants and bars filled with tourists and those feeling a little flush. Some are greedily tucking into their lobster thermidor, others are enjoying a sociable pint after another hard week in the city. To my left is that beautiful old muddy brown river - the Thames, and in front of me is a paved path scattered with huge iron sculptures. Some resemble giant human heads, some look like parts of a broken ship, while others look like absolutely nothing at all.
Walking around here is a wonderful way to spend an evening, although if I'm honest not particularly exciting. What I need is a bit of adventure so I can write about it in my blog. Fortunately I have a magical adjustable spanner which allows me to travel through time. My wife Rosie - who you will remember works at the British Museum making sure the Mummies don't escape from their crypts at night - won it in the annual BM summer clear-out raffle a few years back. Rosie herself is far too busy with her work, baking and floristry commitments for time travel, and had only bought a ticket out of politeness and the hope of winning the 5th century Ming Dynasty Vase, so she gave the magic spanner to me.
Now that I think about it, having a magical adjustable spanner which allows you to travel through time is quite a unique selling point for a blogger, and I can't think why I've never mentioned it before. Let's give it a twist and see what happens...
 |
| Shad Thames |
One small turn of the screw and the years simply roll away. When they stop I find myself in a time before the bars, before the restaurants, and even before Nando's, to a time when Shad Thames was a bunch of derelict warehouses next to an abandoned dockyard. As I write, I see a group of men in sharp suits walking along the docks with their cameras and note pads. I assume these to be the developers who would later make Shad Thames what it is today; so I must be in the late 80s, early 90's. As the men get closer I realise I'm right, as leading the pack, dictating while others write notes; is Sir Terrance Conran. Sir Terrance is the man who had the vision to regenerate the docks, an incredibly powerful individual with an impressive business empire including the furniture giants Habitat and Heal’s. He seems in his element walking along the docks, but wait what’s this? A woman has joined the group, and she doesn't look happy. In fact she's started arguing with Sir Terrance and the developers. I do believe she's none other than the great Maggie Blake! She was a local protester who fought the Shad Thames developers over access rights to the south bank of the river. Maggie and her supporters believed that everyone should be free to walk along and enjoy the Thames, the developers however thought access should only be for paying customers, and the wealthy private residence. Maggie and her supporters fought a great campaign and - against the odds - won! In the London we know in 2016 the ally that leads from Shad Thames to the riverside is named 'Maggie Blakes Cause' in honour of her.
I'm so happy to have seen Maggie, I think I'll go talk to her. She's a true SE London hero, and besides it will be great to hear from a woman for a change, British history is an absolute sausage fest. But wait, things seem to be getting quite heated between Maggie and the developers, in fact she's punched one of them, and now she's reaching for a lump of drift wood that's washed up on the docks and she's swinging it around like a baseball bat. Most of the developers have ran away, but old Conran has grabbed a piece of wood too and it looks like he's getting ready to make a fight of it! But, oh no! Conran’s famous creativity has gotten the better of him, he's become distracted by the natural beauty of the wood and he's trying to make the frame for a chez lounge out of it. Maggie looks like she's getting ready to take a big swing... For God’s sake defend yourself man, you haven't time for this creative expression!...
Oh well I guess I'll leave them to it. I'm not done with Shad Thames yet, but I'm getting close to my word count so you're probably all starting to lose interest and wondering if any of your friends or your friends' friends have updated their Facebook status yet. So I'll finish the rest of my story next week. Till then I might as well hang around in the nineties, so I'm off for a Wimpy and a game of Sonic the Hedge Hog.
Laters.
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