The situation at Surrey Docks Farm near Rotherhithe, downstream from Tower Bridge, has always been rather confused. There are not many public footpaths in the capital and the towpath does not exist here. A planning application for path improvements at the farm makes it clear that the Thames Path route will be open Tuesday to […]

The slight and brief diversion away from the water between Shiplake and Sonning has ended now that the bank has been repaired. Pre-planted rolls have been installed along the top of piling to encourage natural vegetation.

White Hart Dock on Albert Embankment has been so hidden that many people did not know it existed. Indeed I confess that I did not ask readers to note the blank high concrete wall when writing the directions between Lambeth and Vauxhall Bridges. The surprise is that the draw dock opening on to Black Prince […]

By the end of this week the Thames Path will close between Tate Modern and Blackfriars Bridge and stay closed until New Year 2012. The closure was delayed until the annual Thames Festival last weekend. The riverside work is part of building a south bank entrance to Blackfriars Station which will now span the river […]

Reports of a blaze on Eel Pie Island over the weekend will have concerned many. We all knew it must be serious as a fire boat was called upstream. Unfortunately it was low tide on Saturday night which did not help with pumping. We now know that the house which has burnt down belongs to […]

Walking downstream from Richmond to Kew this afternoon I was surprised to see -I had to look twice- that the lion was missing from the top of Syon House. I wondered about my eyesight. This evening I learn that I was not mistaken. The lion was lifted down in March for restoration. The lion is […]

Very good news on the front page of South East Walker. ‘New path opens up a mile of Thames riverside’ says the headline. I had been waiting for the result of a public inquiry over a disputed path at Shiplake linking the road with the isolated towpath. I can remember in the 1980s walking from […]

I walked past the Blacksmiths Arms in Rotherhithe on Saturday not knowing that it was being featured that day in The Independent as one of ‘50 Best Gastro Pubs‘. I did not know that it was a gastro pub. Along with my companion I had just had a wonderful lunch for £5 at Surrey Docks […]

A section of the Thames Path between the Founders Arms near Tate Modern and Blackfriars Bridge is being closed for at least two years from  next month. The closure will take place in the week beginning 14 September which is just after the Thames Festival. The path diversion will be signposted behind the Bankisde Gallery […]

Expect to see flowers on the Marchioness memorial at the back of Southwark Cathedral over the weekend. Today is the 20th anniversary of the disaster when 51 people drowned after the Marchioness was hit by the Bowbelle. The pleasure boat was between Southwark Bridge and Cannon Street Railway Bridge. The names of the dead were […]