Along the Banks of the Thames

Over the summer, I’ve been exploring the banks of the Thames near the studio in Woolwich. It’s a fascinating area - steeped in industrial and navigational history.

Just opposite the studio, on the north bank of the Thames is the Tate & Lyle sugar refinery. It’s a beautiful ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ building with pipes and funnels, ramps and chimneys.

I love sitting on the river wall, and watching the barges unloading and the little airplanes rise on their steep incline as they take off from City Airport.

A little further upstream - beyond the Thames Barrier - are the old wharves of the aggregate works. Heath-Robinson-like on their stilt legs, these contraptions extend far out into the river. Gravel barges would once have anchored alongside these, and unloaded their cargo onto the system of ramps and rails.

It’s a place deeply rooted in the history of the river, but one which still hums with a sense of activity and purpose.