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Tower Bridge to Docklands
Tower Bridge is one of London's most familiar and impressive sights. It was the first bridge to be built east of London Bridge, and by the time of its completion in 1894 it was desperately needed. Immediately east ofTower Bridge is St Katherine Dock - now a plush and beautifully preserved residential and leisurearea. After this the riverside continue to combine modern luxury with historic eccentricity as the river dipsthen curves north again along Wapping High Street and Wapping Wall, then looping around the Isle of Dogs to Limehouse. It was here that gamblers and opium smokers, including Oscar Wilde's fictional Dorian Gray, scuttled along the damp cobbles in the late 19th century. On a sunny day it's hard to believe that Canary Wharf is in the same country as Limehouse, let alone adjacent. As the river rounds the Isle of Dogs, the yachts bobbing in the sparkling marinas are very much the London of a generation of postwar imaginations.
Similarly as the river straightens out at Canning Town, the night-time view is more Blade Runner than the marshy wastelands the area was at the beginning of Queen Victoria’s reign. This sci-fi theme continues as the nine futuristic metal domes of the Thames Barrier loom in to viewat Silvertown, originally an area developed merely to service the rubber andtelegraph works of Mr SW Silver, and now a districtundergoing huge and impressive redevelopment.
Local knowledge – The Thames is a fantastic 15 lane highway through the heart of London, with no congestion and no charges. It serves both commuters and tourists and is a great way to see the capital from a different perspective and quickly get from one place to another. You can go from Woolwich to central London in 40 minutes.
There are so many attractions along the banks of the Thames in the stretch between Millbank, Canary Wharf and Greenwich – more than on the Seine in Paris or any other city in Europe. There is a good cluster of restaurants at Westferry Circus near the pier.
Quadrato (46 Westferry Circus, 020 7510 1857) is a classy Northern Italian restaurant at the Four Seasons Hotel that’s popular with the power lunchers. The menu is really varied and unusual and the set lunch makes it much more affordable. Eating at their outside terrace in the summer is a particular treat.
Another good Italian is Scu-zi (37 Westferry Circus, 020 7519 6699), which is more of a pizza, pasta and salad place. The Westferry branch of Jamies (28 Westferry Circus, 020 7536 2861) is a popular and welcoming drinking hole for local workers that does great food all day and has a riverside terrace with stunning views.
