Tracking The Tube: District Line: 04: Monument to East Ham

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Weather: Very Warm and Humid
Distance Walked: 16.68km
Distance By Tube: 10.73km
Stations Visited:12
Fantastic Place: The Tower of London

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12 Stations on this leg with no coherent design

I was already working up a fine sweat by the time I arrived at Monument on what was the hottest day of the year so far and the tube was busy with people in suits rushing to become something in the city while I was wondering how far I was going to get on my journey into the uncharted regions of the east. Actually, not so uncharted to be honest as I hadn't noticed that one stretch of the walk was along the Greenway. If I had I would have also noticed that the Greenway was closed for part of that stretch for engineering works and it would have saved me a couple of tiresome detours, but more of that anon.

After leaving Monument station (having this time been directed underground from bank up and down untold numbers of short flights of stairs and escalators) I headed towards the Tower of London. I remember going in there when I was young but haven't been in since I moved to London as it is so expensive. The area around the Tower has been tarted up a bit since I last walked through and you can get a good view of the buildings from the walk up towards Tower Hill station.

Buildings Ancient and Modern

You can also see of my least favourite modern towers - the 'Walkie Talkie' and the 'Cheese-grater' as you look back to the city. 

The Tower of London

I used to have a brown plastic money box in the shape of the Tower of London, I imagine I bought it when I taken there by my sister.

Emperor Trajan by the Roman Walls

There are quite a few remains of the old Roman Walls in this area (which may be an interesting theme for a series of walks for the future - tracing the old boundaries of London, Roman, Saxon etc.)

 

Attractive Victorian Pub 

After passing through building sites and narrow alleys I reached Aldgate East, a station that appears to have an inordinate number of entrances; one very modern, one less so and the original one tucked into what I thought was a library. Mind you at least I didn't walk past it like I did with Whitechapel station as it was almost invisible on the other side of the road (and I had forgotten that it existed and hadn't marked it on my route map)!

The Whitechapel Road follows the route of an old Roman road heading out to Colchester and parts of it look like they haven't been resurfaced since then while other parts are undergoing major roadworks. I have never seen so many cones and orange plastic fences! The walk follows this road all the way to Bow Road.

Don't think is a real ancient column

Now my pencil ran out about here so I don't have many notes to remind me of what I saw or where I saw them. This combined with the heat and humidity may make the rest of this commentary a little odder than normal.

After Stepney Green station the route passes under Mile End Park where they have built a green bridge over the road linking the two haves of the pub just after the road passes over the Regent's Canal.

View down the Regent's Canal

Green Bridge linking two halves of a park. Note the cones!

Just before this I passed Queen Mary College, a fine set of buildings both ancient and modern including some nice bas-relief work showing various arts.

The next section was one of my least favourite so far. Very hot and alongside the very busy A12 south towards Bromley By Bow station then back north looking for an underpass across to the far side of this major trunk road.

Once through a light industrial estate you enter the River Lea valley a collection of riverways and canals, a peaceful change from the roads barely a hundred yards away.

Three Mills

Amongst the buildings here are 3 Mills Studios where I notice Masterchef is filmed (spotted the bridge I walked over on the credits for this week's episode).

As well as the canal architecture, peaceful waterways with birdsong and views across to the Olympic Park there is quite a bit of sculpture lining the route.

Memorial to workers killed by bad air

Not sure who this was

After getting lost, retracing my steps and then having to re-retrace them when discovering that the Greenway is partially closed I eventually reached West Ham station before rejoining the Greenway for a stretch. The views from the Greenway are splendid and it should be far better known and used than it is.I took an ill-advised short cut to Plaistow station ending up walking the same distance but in less interesting surroundings before heading on to Upton Park. Couldn't resist taking a shot of the Boleyn Ground on y way. As I was heading up to Upton Park station (prettiest station on this leg by the way) I saw what I assumed to be a traditional East End funeral; a horse drawn hearse with black ostrich plumes and a train of six or seven long black limos.

Upton Park / Boleyn Ground Home (for now) of West Ham United

The last stretch to East Ham was enlivened by a long conversation with Pat, a long standing resident of the area who questioned what I was doing (something I do regularly). We chatted for at least half an hour, my legs slowly stiffening but we bonded over politics and the poor manners of the younger generation (I was a little annoyed to be be classed as the same generation as her!).

I hope to be able to complete the rest of the District Line on y next walk which will take me through Barking and out to the utter east.