Crossing the River at Woolwich
Short of using your own boat or swimming, there are three ways: the DLR, the Woolwich Free Ferry, or the Woolwich Foot Tunnel. To commemorate the 100th birthday of the latter, a small group of London Historians walked the tunnel yesterday. An unhappy birthday as it happens, because this and its counterpart in Greenwich are mired in controversy. Since 2010 they have had £11 million from Greenwich council fire-hosed on refurbishments that should have been completed last year. Instead, in the case of Woolwich, the ground level buildings on both banks are both shrouded in scaffolding, surrounded by blue hoarding, and the lifts don’t work. The fiasco has been covered over the period by this angry blogger.
Despite all of this, we enjoyed ourselves, underground and over water. I shall stay brief because the wonderful Caroline’s Miscellany has already posted and so has The Londoneer. Here are some pictures.
What a great day out. I love this bit of the Thames, the occasional proper ship reminds the landlubbing Londoner that their great city grew from maritime trade. I suppose if you stretch a point a fourth way to cross the Thames at Woolwich is to take the Clipper boat to Canary Wharf. Thoroughly reccomend doing this – a great journey that costs less than a fiver.
Thanks Rob, it was. I’m a big fan of the Clipper too, use it whenever I can. Londoners should travel their river more than they do.
Know the foot tunnel well as I grew up in Greenwich between 1952 and 1967. Apparently a distant relative (my Dad’s first wife’s cousin) used to operate the bridge at Deptford Creek and was then transferred to operating the lift at Greenwich end of the foot tunnel. Sadly he committed suicide by hanging himself in the lift shaft. Am assured it is a true story.
The ferry boat is Ernest Bevin, not Bevan
Thanks, fixed.