Couch to 25K, June 2020 - A.M.

The intention had been to go for a walk, try out a new little compact camera, and experience some spaces - usually thronged with people - in what would likely be the least populated version of themselves. It was a stunning day and turned into a 25KM stroll.

With the majority of indoor spaces closed to entry, it was a largely unsettling arms-length encounter with various spaces, whilst I got closer to other places than I would have imagined at the start of the day.

 
The Coaling Pier, Greenwich Power Station_London County Council Architects Department

I’d never happened to be passing Greenwich Power Station with a camera at a time when the tide was so low. It was a real treat to be able to enter the environment of mudlarkers and rowers and make a few pictures on the beach.

The Coaling Pier (1903-05) extends some 36 metres into the Thames, and is 60 metres in length and 12 metres in width. The pier is supported by 16 concrete-filled cast-iron Doric columns. The steel-girder superstructure of the pier originally had a timber platform on which cranes unloaded the coal (1 000 tons a day) from the colliers.

Victoria Deepwater Terminal - Hanson|Heidelberg Cement Group

As part of an upgrade to their operations on the site, and to eventually mitigate its visual impact, Hanson were in the process of developing their strategic batching plant, to be enclosed in buildings that would also house the aggregates previously stored in the open. The wharf alongside the site is safeguarded in the London and Greenwich strategic Plans, and the riverside path is being upgraded to provide a better experience for cyclists and walkers. 

Slice of Reality - Artist: Richard Wilson

Standing on the foreshore of the Thames, the work comprises of a sliced vertical section of an ocean-going sand dredger. The original ship was reduced in length by 85%, leaving a vertical portion housing the ships habitable sections: bridge, poop, accommodation and engine room. The slicing of the vessel opened the structure, leaving it exposed to the effects of weather and tide.