Shad Thames
Close to Tower Bridge hides historical quarters. Tourists rarely fo further and prefer to cross over to the Tower. Shad Thames, I have to say is a very quiet place.
But the stories it could tell! You seee, in Victorian times, the biggest complex of warehouses was built here to welcome merchandises from the colonies: tea, coffee, spices… were brought from the ships to the buildings around or from the same buildings towards different ships and new destinations.Imagine the noise, the mix of languages, the sailors, the horses. Streets and yards were names logically: Cayenne Court, Tea Trade Wharf…
In the 20th century, the harbour proves too small for the increasing trade: new warehouses are built further east. The neighbourhood falls back into silence. It will have to wait for the 1980ies to be in fashion again: entrepreneurs invest in the now empty buildings and transform them in smart, expensive flats. Some overlook the Thames, have a great view on the bridge or the City… Others have kept their original windows – small ones which temper the view a little. Upmarket restaurants flourish along the Thames, the Design Museum is built.
From its historical past remain a few signs: names on the brick walls, a cobbled street, winches…
… and this:
These sky passages were used to roll barrels from the Butlers Wharf Building to the Cardamom one. These days, they belonged to the flats nearby and are used as extended balconies.
Suspended in time somehow.
8 Responses to “Shad Thames”
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sandra says:
c’est magique cet endroit…j’aime beaucoup ta photo !
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Chocoralie says:
Bibsa: il faut etre frique pour ce quartier-la… Marrant que sur toute la rue, seuls ces deux batiments aient adopte l’idee des passages suspendus. J’habiterais bien un appart cote bridge, personnellement…
Sandra: merci, tu vas bientot aller voir ca de plus pres!
Nath: un luxe… ou une folie avec le temps humide et grisailleux?
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Superbe photo et merci pour l’anecdote! Je n’aurais jamais soupçonné qu’on pouvait trouver de tes endroits à Londres, en tout cas, de nos jours! Ce doit être super d’y habiter, mais c’est sans doute hors de prix, hélas!
Cette photo mériterait d’être postée sur le site Trivago, je suis sure que bien des visiteurs ignorent l’existence de cet endroit. -
Merci Maud. D’ou l’existence de ce blog… ou la photo s’accompagne d’une petite histoire plutot que de rester sans legende…
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roooooooh j’adore cette rue !!!!! La première fois que j’y suis passée je me suis dit: je veux habiter là. Et puis j’ai chercher des locations sur le net, et j’ai abandonner l’idée. Enfin ma raison a abandonné l’idée, j’adore toujours!! Le balcon au dessus de la rue, génial… Il faut habiter tout en haut, tant qu’à faire, sinon c’est sombre.
Bref, me voilà nostalgique (dit-elle en contemplant son mur de briques)