Greenwich, Bikefest and the Forties: Twenty years in the past on Sunday thirteenth June 2004 I had a time out in London, starting with a stroll beside the Thames at Greenwich, then coming to Westminster for a motorcycle pageant in Trafalgar Sq. after which a fairly peaceable ‘Battle within the West Finish’ in Leicester Sq.. Yow will discover what I wrote then about all these a bit method down the June 2004 web page of My London Diary.
Greenwich to North Greenwich Stroll
I’d determined to stand up early on Sunday and take a stroll by the River Thames in Greenwich. Sadly engineering work meant no trains had been operating there so I had fairly a protracted bus journey from Waterloo to get there. A minimum of there was little visitors to carry the bus up.
I started with a stroll across the grounds of the previous Royal Naval School, now Greenwich College earlier than taking the trail previous the facility station and alongside Ballast Quay an on.
The trail was open to North Greenwich and I made my method alongside it. Among the photos I made are actually tough to find as this entire riverside is getting changed by blocks of flats.
I didn’t put many pictures on line in 2004, as most viewers had been nonetheless on sluggish web connections. Additional on in the direction of North Greenwich there’s nonetheless – at the very least the final time I walked alongside right here a few years in the past – an mixture wharf with enormous piles of sand and gravel on the landward aspect.
One of many enormous gasholders at Greenwich was nonetheless standing in 2004, since demolished, and throughout the river Canary Wharf tower for lengthy the one tower on the location was now virtually hidden by others sprouting round it.
Ultimately I may see the Millennium Dome looming above the sand and gravel which I felt “maybe appears extra at dwelling on this virtually lunar panorama” and I knew I used to be not removed from North Greenwich station the place I may catch the tube to Westminster.
Extra photos on My London Diary.
Bikefest – Trafalgar Sq.
Bikefest was the primary bicycle pageant in Trafalgar Sq., however I used to be stunned to search out that bicycles weren’t allowed on the sq.. Although maybe they’d have gotten in the way in which, however it might have been good at the very least to have had some momentary safe bike parking.
Besides after all these collaborating formally within the occasion together with Staff Excessive acting on the half-pipe and a few nice cycle powered musical techniques reminiscent of Rinky-Dink.
However I had agreed to satisfy one in every of my sons there and he managed to smuggle his unicycle in to the occasion. However by the point I discovered him he had already been hassled by the heritage wardens (who I described as ‘Ken’s SS’) however he nonetheless determined to have a go at driving within the fountains the place he couldn’t presumably be endangering the general public.
However he had hardly acquired going when he was ordered out and made to go away the world, although he did so driving the unicycle after just a few fast bounces to shake off the water.
I went again to watching Staff Excessive and taking just a few extra photos, though I discovered it exhausting to convey fairly how excessive they had been, earlier than leaving to affix the Second World Battle in Leicester Sq..
Extra photos start right here on My London Diary.
West Finish at Battle, Leicester Sq.
Westminster Council had organised a pageant turning Leicester Sq. into 1940’s London for the weekend, going again 60 years to 1944.
Though 60 years in the past bombs had been nonetheless falling on Westminster and rationing made life tough (although for the rich – and there have been loads in Westminster – the black market was flourishing) the West Finish was filled with servicemen on depart and plenty of servicewomen decided to have enjoyable, “letting their hair down” in cinemas, on dance flooring, in golf equipment, pubs and lodges.
I discovered the scene within the sq. fairly unhappy, though clearly numerous effort had been put into the shows and performances and there have been just a few Forties dressed re-enactors among the many crowds in trendy gown.
60 Years earlier Allied troops had landed in France on D-Day to combat to reclaim Europe, however the earlier Thursday we had seen a big vote right here within the European Parliament election rejecting it with each Conservative and Labour votes nicely down and the Lib-Dems coming in 4th place behind the UK Independence Get together.
Issues after all acquired worse in 2016, when the depart vote gained a small majority over these wishing to stay. Though the vote was not binding, stupidly Tory Prime Minister David Cameron had promised to abide by it – fairly than extra sensibly stating {that a} main constitutional change reminiscent of this could require a considerable majority fairly than a momentary electoral whim – as would absolutely have been the case if we had a written structure. And for as soon as a politician stored his promise.
The newest opinion ballot (Might 1st 2024) has 55% saying we had been incorrect to go away in opposition to 31% pondering we had been proper with 13% of Don’t Is aware of.
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Tags: 2004, mixture wharf, Bikefest, Brexit, Cameron’s stupidity, Canary Wharf, D-Day, Europe, European Parliament Election, Greenwich, Greenwich College, Greenwich Stroll, half-pipe, Leicester Sq., lighters, London, London Photographs, millennium dome, North Greenwich, opinion ballot, peter Marshall, Rinky-Dink, River Thames, riverside wlak, Royal Naval School, sand and gravel, sound system, Statista, Staff Excessive, Thames Path, Trafalgar Sq., unicycing in fountains, unicycle, West Finish at Battle
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