Fitzrovia

Last weekend- the first in weeks with sunny weather- I took a tour of Fitzrovia. Fitzrovia is beside Bloomsbury- where Russell Square is- and like Bloomsbury is known for being where the literary and art set always lived. Quite attractive, in several parts you actually couldn't tell you were in the middle of London.

Street scene
Neoclassical facades of Georgian buildings

Now a hotel, this used to be a residential home for nurses in Victorian times

Detail of All Saints Church- Laurence Olivier was in choir school

House where both George Bernard Shaw and Virginia Woolf lived- though at different times

Blue tiled facade of a Victorian building

Steel Sign Holder shaped like a dragon

The BT Tower

Gangs of the East End

After many delays, I can finally update my blog! A couple of weeks ago, I took a walk on the "Gangs of the East End," -talked a lot about the Kray brothers (most powerful and famous crime family from the 50s and 60s). We also talked about the Fascists who were a large presence in the area in the 30s. In fact, the old pub across from the Bethnal Green tube station (the area where I used to live) was their meeting place in the 30s. Most of the walk took place in Bethnal Green so since I no longer live there, I thought I would finally take a few pictures. As Jessie and Bill will tell you, it's hardly posh!

The Museum of Childhood (I used to walk past this everyday to get home)
The "Museum Passage" between the museum and a small park- one of the few attractive places in Bethnal Green

St John's at Bethnal Green- it looks attractive but you can't see the bum sleeping on the stairs!

The Blind Beggar pub in Whitechapel- the Krays shot an associate here

St Matthew's church- where the funeral of the Krays was held

A former church in Bethnal Green where one of the Krays got married

From the Fascists to the Communists- this building was where a major conference of the Bolsheviks was held in 1907- both Lenin and Trotsky were there

Docklands

Saturday I took a tour of the redeveloped Docklands area of London, including Canary Wharf- known as Manhatten on the Thames. The Docklands are on the Isle of Dogs which is actually on the penisula that jots out into the Thames across from Greenwich (Look at a map of London and you will understand) Anyways, from about 1800 until 1980, this was the main place that cargo was loaded and unloaded in the UK. They were closed in about 1980 because the docks were too small to handle the new large containers. The whole area was derelict and then was reclaimed in the last 20 years or so as a new financial and media center. Many companies left the City and moved to Canary Wharf because it was so much cheaper. A really interesting tour and new part of London for me. It was Saturday so it was uncrowded so no wealthy bankers for me!! Sigh!!

View of Central London- you can see the Gherkin
The Millennium Dome or the O2 as it's called now. Located across the river in Greenwich- Prince is performing there at the moment (Been a prima donna but sold out all 21 concert dates so they don't care!)

Some of the buildings at Canary Wharf

The tallest building in the UK (only 50 stories which is high for around here!)

The gate into the West India company warehouse- first to develop the Docklands

The West India Company warehouses from 1803- now restaurants, cafes and the Docklands museum

Part of the old Millwall Harbor Docks showing how large they were- buildings all converted into housing now

Sailboat on Millwall Harbor

Still alot of construction going on

Cow on Mudchute Farm- largest farm in London. It's a public park now. It's called Mudchute because it was made from the mud tunneled out of the docks while being built