Dirty Old London  published by
Yale University Press (October 2014)

Thursday, 5 June 2014

New Cross Gate to Deptford

On the corner of Queen's Road and New Cross Road, a lovely gas lamp, which apparently belonged to an underground toilet from 1897 (full story and pics here). The first underground toilet was built by the City of London in 1884 (see my blog, here and here) and other districts were becoming very keen on the idea by the end of the century. I did wonder if it was a toilet lamp. The tell-tale signs, even if you didn't know the history, are the fact that this is a 'ventilating' lamp - there are holes in column to circulate air from below - and the 'island' location.



Nearby, on Pepys Road, unusual to spot decorative 19C ironwork balconies on the back of a house (although, obviously, the backs of London houses are often not visible to the passer-by) ..


At Deptford Town Hall, the skeleton of a gas lamp ...


And some magnificent pub signage across the way ...


On Vulcan Terrace (great name), there seems to be an infestation of insect life ...


Some very graceful window guards on Wickham Road ...


And a late 19C Bank in what I guess would be called Queen Anne style, majestic on its street corner ...


A very gentle and pleasing bow on the end of these low terraces ...


Greenwich Flour Mills, naturally now flats ...


THE PLACE WHERE THE INTERNET DIED ...

Deptford Creek ...



And one of London's oddest statues, Peter the Great and his dwarf (some further details here)


Then on to a rather gothic ruined pier, which @BillEllson tells me once served the local power station ...






And finally Convoys Wharf ... which might one day look like this




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