London Off the Beaten Path Tips by Mariajoy

Lots Road is a lesser known power station in Chelsea but still of enormous historic importance to the development of the city's public transportation system. It was designed by James Russell Chapman and built in 1905 to supply power to the London Underground and the London trolley buses. The full details of the history of this industrial building can be found on the website below.

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Website: http://www.20thcenturylondon.org.uk/server.php?show=conInformationRecord.133

This famous art deco London landmark on the south side of Battersea Bridge, was designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, and served the city with electricity since the 1920's. It was finally shut down in the early 1980's. It's a Grade II listed building and now stands as an empty shell - until a decision can finally be made as to what to do with it!!

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Website: http://www.batterseapowerstation.org.uk/

If you get a chance to visit Battersea Park you should have a look at the Peace Pagoda - given in 1985 as a gift to London from the Nipponzan Myohoji, a Japanese Buddhist order. There is a gilded Buddah on each of the four sides of the pagoda.

There is always something going on in the park - check the website for futher details.

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Website: http://www.wandsworth.gov.uk/Home/LeisureandTourism/Events/whatson.htm

During low tide it is possible to walk along parts of the banks of the Thames. At certain points there are old Watermen's steps leading down to the shingle.. but, I must stress, the Thames IS tidal!! and the tide comes in FAST ie within minutes! ... please be aware of this if you are tempted to walk down by the river. It is very easy to think you can wander for miles but just because you found steps to come down, you may not find them to get up again and find yourself stranded!!

Anyway, in the 19th century poor local children would come down here and salvage anything they could find ... which wasn't very much, and sell it. They were known as the Mudlarks - (it is incredibly muddy closer to the river.)

There is all kinds of rubbish down here, uncovered at low tide... bits of rusty old cable, screws electrical stuff, car parts, old broken tools. Sometimes more interesting treasures are uncovered, like Roman artefacts or Elizabethan clay pipes and coins (which can be seen on display at the Rotherhithe Museum) I didn't find any of those, but what fascinated me most was the proliferation of old bones!! I am guessing they came from the carcasses of cattle which were once held in cold storage in the nearby warehouses before the docklands closed.

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Website: http://www.london-footprints.co.uk/wkrotherhitheroute.htm

It was from here in Rotherhithe that the Mayflower set sail to take the Pilgrim fathers to the New World. There is a very pretty pub called The Mayflower in Rotherhithe Street and a new statue has been erected of a Pilgrim with a young local lad and a bull terrier who is looking at newspaper full of symbols of America. In the Pilgrims pocket is a crucifix, a fish and a 1600's A-Z! :) The statue which is situated in a little park just off Swan Street is by Peter McLean and is sculpted in bronze.

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Website: http://www.bbc.co.uk/london/content/articles/2005/06/28/coast05walks_stage6.shtml

It was the discovery of a floor tile with a fleur de lys motif which confirmed to archeologists that these remains of a 14th Century Moated Manor House belonged to Edward III. The Manor House was built around 1350 and is located on Bermondsey Wall, opposite the Angel Inn.

We took the Thames Walk from Rotherhithe to the Southbank and made some fascinating discoveries about the area. Although massive redevelopment has taken place here over the last 20 years, much of the history of the docklands has been preserved and other local attractions are the nearby Brunel Engine House and Docklands Museum.

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Website: http://www.london-footprints.co.uk/wkrotherhitheroute.htm

In the mid 19th century Marc Brunel constructed the first tunnel under a navigable river (the Thames.) The museum in the old engine house is open to visitors and school groups. Although the website said it was open on the day we visited, (as part of our Rotherhithe walk), there was a note on the door saying it was only open at weekends until further notice. So it might be worth phoning first before you go to check that it is open.

There is a small cafe which is currently closed as it is undergoing renovation.

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Website: http://www.brunel-museum.org.uk/

During WWII, the docklands were bombed continuously for 50 nights. The dock manager's offices were destroyed on the very first night of The Blitz. It is said that ships attempting to pass cautiously on the other side of the Thames during this time that the docks were on fire, had their paintwork blistered from the ferocity of the blaze.

The offices, which are now the South London Family Housing Assocation, were renovated in 1985.

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Website: http://www.london-footprints.co.uk/wkrotherhitheroute.htm

As we continued along the Thames Walk from Rotherhithe, we took the private footway over St Saviour's dock, (the mouth of the dock is known as "Neckinge"). This bridge (constructed in '95) isn't always open to the public so you may have to consult your A-Z to find an alternative route if you find the gate locked.

As the plaque explains, the docks here were, at times, so incredibly busy that sometimes boats could not unload their cargo and be waiting for weeks at a time. This is when they were vulnerable to attacks from pirates. The name "Neckinge" was an old nickname for the Devil's neckerkerchief - we know it as a noose or lynch. The pirates, if caught, were hung at this inlet over the Thames for three tides. The more notorious of them would be left hanging in cages for all to see.

There are notices everywhere warning the public of the dangers here, the Thames is incredibly deep... and sadly accidents do happen. The little bouquets of fading roses placed recently on the bridge are a tragic reminder of this.

As a contrast to the docklands photos I have here, the website link I have included shows London's Docklands in the early 1980's before the massive redevelopment took place. I would never have had any reason to visit this part of London back then - the transformation is nothing short of breathtaking.

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Website: http://www.cix.co.uk/~petermarshall/p_southwark-a.html

This large and colourful mural in Cable Street depicts the battle which took place in October 1936 between Oswald Mosley and his British Union of Facists (BUF), the Blackshirts - and the local Jews and other people of the East End who fought against anti-semitism.

The mural has suffered vandalism and graffiti on several occasions by the BNP and others since it was first began in the 1980's but is now completely restored and coated with a special protective varnish.

The mural stands as a powerful symbolic reminder of anti-fascism in the East End. 'They shall not pass!'

The full details of the background and history can be found here Battle of Cable Street

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Website: http://www.battleofcablestreet.co.uk/