St Katharine Docks
I live near here and am very conscious of the historical importance of the area. Just upstream is the Tower of London,
the City of London is close by to the North, while eastwards,
St Katharine's Way leads to Wapping and Limehouse, where
Charles Dickens spent some of his early childhood.
The dock lies in the shadow of Tower Bridge. This part of the Thames has witnessed the arrival of the Romans, the monarchs travelling between
Greenwich and Hampton Court, the Great Fire of London, the rise
(and decline) of London as the greatest port in the world, right up to
today's magnificent Thames Festival.
| St Katharine Docks celebrating Queen Elizabeth's 60 years on the throne |
| Wonderfully unique Thames Pageant, with the Queen and Prince Phillip enjoying every minute of this great spectacle.. |
Posted on Monday, June 04, 2012 8:46 AM
What a fabulous event.
The Queen and Prince Phillip obviously enjoyed themselves
enormously, and so did the
people, probably more than
ever before).The atmosphere here
was full of joy, pride, fun and thrills;
absolutely splendid and unique.
Thanks and praise to
a most wonderful Monarch.
Posted on Tuesday, June 05, 2012 12:55 PMSettling down now, towards the end of this triumphant celebration of the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. A lovely surprise for me, was to see Gloriana moored here in the docks. The million pound row barge, painstakingly hand built, which took more than four years by 60 craftsmen, was certainly one of the main attractions in the Thames
Diamond Jubilee Pageant this weekend, leading more than 1,000 boats to honour the occasion. The first royal barge to be built in 100 years, Gloriana was powered on the day by 18 oarsmen, led by Britain's greatest Olympian, Steve Redgrave. The organisation here seems to have been a great success; with bigger crowdsthan ever before, the management team should be delighted (and probablyexhausted).
Beating The Bounds: Allhallows Church By The TowerThis church is one of the most historically important ones
of it kind, and so very worthwhile to visit. Beating the Bounds
is an ancient custom still observed in many English parishes.
Its roots go back to mediaeval times when parishes reaffirmed
their boundaries by processing round them at Rogationtide,
stopping to beat each boundary mark with wands and to pray
for protection and blessings for the land.
At All Hallows we beat the bounds of our parish every year on
Ascension Day. Plenty more interesting detail on 
Nightingale Lane was, for hundreds of years, renowned for being home to villains of all kinds; it separated St Katharine Docks from London Dock and it has now been renamed Thomas More Street. Times Newspapers transferred here from Fleet Street some time ago, and press people were here again today, hoping to get sight of Rupert Murdoch, talking to staff at the Sun. Carrying on an old tradition or an unfortunate coincidence? 
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