A few weeks ago I was out in East London towards the Thames Estuary doing some research for my book when I realised I was going to be close on an old WW2 bunker that I had been wanting to see for a few years but it being on the other side of the city… Continue reading Finding an old WW2 pillbox on the Thames
Tag: River Thames
A swan-song moment of glory for Tilbury Fortress
I thought I would finish my little run of Tilbury Fort related posts but recalling its last great moments and some might say greatest of all, the night it shot down a Zeppelin in WW1. The Zeppelin was invented by Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin. It was a rigid dirigible and he patented his idea in… Continue reading A swan-song moment of glory for Tilbury Fortress
When Cricket FairPlay and sportsmanship were hit for SIX at Tilbury Fortress
My last post was all about my recent visit to Tilbury Fortress on the northern bank of the River Thames. Despite its massive size and strength or maybe because of it, no-one was ever killed in action here and yet there was one death in particular that must go down as one of the most… Continue reading When Cricket FairPlay and sportsmanship were hit for SIX at Tilbury Fortress
A visit to the impregnable Tilbury Fortress
Last Monday being part of a long Bank-holiday Monday and us entering our months behind schedule first warm weather of the year, I decided to visit Tilbury Fortress in the county of Essex though to all intents and purposes it is on the edge of London. It’s a property that belongs to English Heritage and… Continue reading A visit to the impregnable Tilbury Fortress
The 900 year old Swan Upping ceremony is cancelled
It is an historic Royal ceremony that has taken place annually for the last 900 years but the Coronavirus means that for only the second time, this ancient practice of counting the swans on the River Thames has been cancelled for the year. The Swan Upping census lasts for five days and was due to… Continue reading The 900 year old Swan Upping ceremony is cancelled
York Watergate – The ceremonial gateway to the River Thames, out of sight of water.
Following on from Mondays post on the Lions of the River Thames, not to far away is one of the last remnants of an era of grandeur on the Thames that has largely been swept away. The York Water Gate. However, if you walk along the River Thames you won’t ever find it. That’s because… Continue reading York Watergate – The ceremonial gateway to the River Thames, out of sight of water.
The Thameside Lions that guard against flooding
There is always something to look out for in London, even in the most unlikely places. One might not know that you’re seeing but there are points of interest all over the place. Should you happen to to be near the Victoria Embankment and peer over the wall without falling into the river below then… Continue reading The Thameside Lions that guard against flooding
The Great Stink of 1858
If like me, you suffered through the blazing London summer of 2018 with seemingly wall to wall sunshine heat and humidity from Easter to the end of September, squashed on your commute in airless tube trains and wondering how you’d ever get to sleep in a bedroom that rarely fell under 30 degrees (90 F)… Continue reading The Great Stink of 1858
An eerie old mortuary from Jack The Ripper and the world’s oldest Police.
Whilst out on one of my walks and whilst taking some photos for Mondays post on The Ratcliffe Highway Murders, I made it my business to hunt out a new (for me) location related to Jack The Ripper. Hidden away in the corner of St George in The East Church, I found this. The derelict… Continue reading An eerie old mortuary from Jack The Ripper and the world’s oldest Police.
The ticking timebomb shipwreck that could damage half of London
Every now and then a newly made discovery of a long-lost shipwreck makes the news with everything from RMS Titanic to the lost ship of Captain Cook and everything in between. There are a few shipwrecks however that are well known, even visible to us today. Out of them all, there can’t be any more… Continue reading The ticking timebomb shipwreck that could damage half of London
Stephen Liddell 