West Ham to Victoria Park via Olympic Park circular lockdown walk

 

Following last weekends enjoyable walk to Valentines Park in Ilford, Gill and I decided to go in another direction to Victoria Park in Tower Hamlets. 

We started off at the Memorial Recreation Park, E15 (the original home of West Ham FC?) then joined the Greenway and turned left towards Olympic Park (on top of a cross London Victorian Sewer outlet) which Mahatma Gandhi used to walk along to enjoy the views. 

We went past the imposing Victorian Abbey Mills Pumping station to cross over Stratford High Street. I used to walk or cycle along this route from my home to my housing office near the Roman Road in Bow pre 2012. Much has changed since. In fact incredible change. 

We stopped off at the Viewtube to check out what what was going on (outdoor music, takeaway cafe,  fresh bread & cakes stall). 

West Ham FC played Liverpool FC at the London Olympic Stadium today (no crowds allowed due to Covid). We walked past and could see activity and hear stadium announcements. Liverpool won 3:1. 

Then we walked to Victoria Park past British Second World War anti tank  invasion defences (and the scene of the first ever UK Railway murder). 

After lunch on a outdoor picnic table overlooking East Lake, we made our way back via the Hereford Union Canal then turned right to follow the River Lea to the historic Three Mills Island. 

We paid our respects to the workers memorial statute at Three Mills Green then re-joined the Greenway via the river weir (and past the site of the first "Big Brother" TV location) and then back to Memorial Park. 

A lovely walk which lasted 8.25 miles and took 3 hours and 16 minutes (could be shortened by leaving out stretch to Victoria Park).  Recommended. 

A Newham Greenways & Waterways Circular Walk

Yesterday Gill and I went on a wonderful 3 mile circular walk in Newham, starting in West Ham Memorial Recreation Park E15 (once the home of West Ham FC). We walked through the Park to join the Greenway footpath (in the footsteps of Gandhi) then turned left along the Channelsea river toward 3 Mills Green Park. Passing the former Channel 4 TV "Big Brother" site (and long lost "bridge of shame")

We paid our respects at the "Clasping Hands" statute, which in more normal times we would have held a remembrance event last week on April 28 for Workers Memorial Day.

Next we walked past 3 Mills (LBTH) then along the River Lee towards Bow Creek. At the Twelve Trees Crescent junction we crossed over the river and walked along the other side. .

This stretch toward Cody Docks is very much an unknown and unused gem. I love the Shopping Trolly sculpture in shape of DNA double-helix structure. After Cody Docks you walk through a industrial estate (past West Ham bus depot) then through some estates to rejoin the Recreation Park.

Newham Heritage Week - Walk to Mill House & Tour

Picture college is from the last day of Newham Heritage Week, when Gill and I walked from Forest Gate (and back) for a tour of Mill House in 3 Mill Island, Bromley-by-Bow.

We walked via the back streets of Forest Gate, thorough West Ham Park, the Green Way then along the newly reopened "Long Walk" footpath path to 3 Mill Island. I use to walk/cycle this route for many years when I worked in my housing office near Roman Road, Bow.

I am sure that the early "Big Brother" TV series used to be filmed nearby? The old "Bridge of Shame" has gone but part of the old footpath route is still blocked off. I must find out why.

Nearby is the beautiful "Clasped Hands" Workers Memorial Day statute in 3 Mills Green.

The Mill House in 3 Mill Island, Bromley-by-Bow is a hidden Newham historic gem.  The Mill House is a Grade 1, 18th Century listed tidal mill. "Originally built in 1776, on a man-made island on an existing pre-Domesday site, it is the largest surviving tidal mill in the world".

The Tour of the Mill House was fascinating, it is amazing that there has been a working water mill on this site since around 1380 to 1941. I joined "Friends of the Mill House" at the end of the tour.

I missed the nearby Mill Island London Gin tasting tours this year but will make a special effort to attend next year! 

Newham Greenway - Vote Early (Vote Often?)

I’m reluctantly supporting one of Boris’s daftest ideas. Voting on-line in a “referendum” to decide which 10 London parks should receive up to £400,000 for improvements. You would have thought that it was the job of elected officials to make considered judgements on which Parks should have the funds for which they could then be held accountable.

Nope – Boris is letting it all hang on Internet voting. So that’s okay then. How very fair, transparent and of course not open to any abuse.

Still, if you can’t beat ‘em – Vote here for Newham Greenway. It’s a real life green lung for East London. For years I have walked, cycled or jogged to work and back along this route. I’ve been too lazy recently but I can feel yet another New Years Resolution about getting fit and losing weight in the air.

From the Greenway in Bow you could see the Chris Evans “Big Breakfast” cottage (I use to wave at him on the lawn as I cycled past) and a short detour leads you to the original “Big Brother” house at Temple Mills. Also close by is the impressive memorial here (and main photo) in Three Mills Green to 3 workers who tragically died trying to save the life of a work colleague. I have helped organise Workers Memorial Day remembrance ceremonies there in the past.

To vote you only have to type in your post code and put in a name. I voted twice from the same PC (purely in the interest of investigative blogging), the second time using the name Boris Johnson and the Newham Town Hall post code. The website accepted the 2nd vote.

Ends 29 January 2009.

Nice one Boris!

Big Brother’s Carole Vincent is Candidate with No Name.

Former Big Brother contestant (and part time “Sun” model) Carole Vincent, is standing to be a Councillor in a by-election in Leyton, Waltham Forest, East London for SWP/Respect.

Due to bickering over the use of the name “Respect” between George Galloway’s “Jamaati/ Respect” and John Rees “SWP/ Respect”, she has had to stand under no political label on the ballot paper (which is pretty apt for all strands of diss-respect)

I am not going to gloat too much since this by-election follows the conviction and disqualification of the Labour Councillor Miranda Grell for “falsely branding a Liberal Democrat rival a paedophile and telling electors he had sex with teenage boys.” Miranda, who still protests her innocence, has since resigned from the Labour party.

Campaigning journalist, Khevyn Limbajee, is the excellent and well respected (in the true sense of the word) Labour Party candidate. I’ll post details about local campaign activities as soon as I can.

Hat tip to Alan G.