Introduction
On Sunday Dad led a guided walk around the Canning Town area for the London Arts Café group he belongs to, so I came along.
After discussing the history of the Thames Ironworks foundry, which used to be where the DLR/tube/bus station complex is now (and to which there's an inscribed concrete slab in that entrance, complete also with a thick plate of iron hull from the first iron Royal Navy warship which was built there), we took the DLR a couple of stops to Custom House.
The first sight of interest was a sculpture I didn't bother to photograph and a location which, apparently, had been in the news twice: once many years ago when a tower block blew up in a gas explosion, and once recently when somebody had been in a dispute with local youths and got shot dead.
Following the cheerful start, we went down to the Royal Victoria Dock, which had closed relatively recently when the Port of London Authority moved most shipping further down the river to Tilbury. It was now very decorative and surrounded by expensive flats and an exhibition centre.
The most impressive feature was a pedestrian bridge which crossed the dock entrance at a great height (presumably to allow ships under). It had stair towers/lift shafts at each end to reach the high-level span.
Once on top, the bridge offered good views in all directions.
We left the dock and continued on toward Silvertown, where a very large chemical complex had once blown up due to dangerous explosives production practices during World War 1.
Next was Barrier Park, beside the Thames Barrier. This had been designed by a French landscape architect. The walk ended here.
After a drink in the park café, we walked back to the DLR station, which was quite high and provided good views.
Aaand that was my Sunday. :)