Clare and I went on an impromptu tour of London infrastructure today after unexpectedly ending up at Dishoom Canary Wharf due to a power cut at the Kensington branch.
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This was my first ever in-person view of the Millennium Dome (or O2 arena, as we’re meant to call it now). I was in my late teens when it first opened and I wanted to see it at the time, but my London-born parents have sworn never to return to the city as its post-Thatcher progressiveness offends their conservatism.
A few hours later we went inside to find it’s basically a fairly standard shopping centre with a rather tatty-looking umbrella on top.
> have sworn never to return to the city as its post-Thatcher progressiveness offends their conservatism
Ouch. Much sympathy.
I'm also London born and will never return -- but that has more to do with #Autism and severe discomfort in overcrowded spaces.
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On the strangely-named Goodluck Hope peninsula we spotted this former Whale Oil Extraction building, and talked about how strange it is that the industrial-scale slaughter of whales was once an economical means of producing oil.
@katemorley
We had a textbook in school in the 90s that recommended sperm oil on a whetstone for sharpening tools.... -
Bonus photo: “Britain Needs Reggae”
@katemorley I'm definitely more likely to vote for reggae.
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Throughout our walk we could see the London Cable Car. While a cable car might make sense for a mountainous city, it’s a ridiculous means of transport for somewhere as flat as London, and it’s almost entirely used by tourists. So of course we had to give it a go.
Near the highest point the cable car slowed down, and with today’s windy weather it started swaying alarmingly. The views across London were spectacular, but on the approach to the Greenwich peninsula it was very visible how the Millennium Dome had failed to encourage further regeneration of the surrounding former industrial area.
@katemorley Paris, aka the flattest place on earth, recently got a cable car as well
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Bonus photo: “Britain Needs Reggae”
@katemorley I'd vote for reggae!
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Bonus photo: “Britain Needs Reggae”
@katemorley You're the second person to post this in my timeline this month
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@katemorley the original stuff in the millennium dome was so exciting. Although the concert venue is nice, I kinda want the original back.
Oh, like what? (not from there, love my own city’s civic entertainments) @Erased_Citizen @katemorley
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Bonus photo: “Britain Needs Reggae”
@katemorley While it's true that we need reform, we don't need Fromage and THAT reform #votereggae
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Oh, like what? (not from there, love my own city’s civic entertainments) @Erased_Citizen @katemorley
@clew @katemorley so the Millennium Dome was built originally to house an exhibition celebrating the new millennium in 2000. There were all sorts of different areas about culture, science, etc including things like a giant human body you could walk through, with interactive things like the heart beating. If I remember right, if you screamed at it, the heart rate went up. All sorts of interesting things.
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Throughout our walk we could see the London Cable Car. While a cable car might make sense for a mountainous city, it’s a ridiculous means of transport for somewhere as flat as London, and it’s almost entirely used by tourists. So of course we had to give it a go.
Near the highest point the cable car slowed down, and with today’s windy weather it started swaying alarmingly. The views across London were spectacular, but on the approach to the Greenwich peninsula it was very visible how the Millennium Dome had failed to encourage further regeneration of the surrounding former industrial area.
@katemorley I didn't know this cable car existed! -
Bonus photo: “Britain Needs Reggae”
@katemorley more than ever. More than ever. The whole world, really
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Clare and I went on an impromptu tour of London infrastructure today after unexpectedly ending up at Dishoom Canary Wharf due to a power cut at the Kensington branch.
A ten-minute walk from Canary Wharf took us to the Temple Of Storms (officially the Isle Of Dogs Pumping Station), a grade II* listed building constructed in 1988. While I’m not generally into postmodern architecture, it’s refreshing to see a modern industrial building that isn’t just a metal and concrete box.
@katemorley Temple Of Storms! Brilliant
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Clare and I went on an impromptu tour of London infrastructure today after unexpectedly ending up at Dishoom Canary Wharf due to a power cut at the Kensington branch.
A ten-minute walk from Canary Wharf took us to the Temple Of Storms (officially the Isle Of Dogs Pumping Station), a grade II* listed building constructed in 1988. While I’m not generally into postmodern architecture, it’s refreshing to see a modern industrial building that isn’t just a metal and concrete box.
Listed status does not prevent the application of ugly signage to the building, I see.
Lack of imagination.
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Listed status does not prevent the application of ugly signage to the building, I see.
Lack of imagination.
I have mixed feeling about that, because a very expensive starchitect *public library* near me went through lawsuits when the workers in it added legible signage that Did Not Fit the Architectural Vision. The *designers* sued, iirc. Bad players both sides, sometimes.
Paper taped inside the glass door has many humble virtues... I would personally be tempted to center-justify all of it.
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Continuing the Millennium theme, we passed one of the 1400 Millennium Beacons, looking a bit worse-for-wear a quarter of a century later (a figure that made us both feel very old). Several shelducks were feeding in the former dock in the background.
@katemorley apologies for the slew of stars, but this has been fun day out, vicariously
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Clare and I went on an impromptu tour of London infrastructure today after unexpectedly ending up at Dishoom Canary Wharf due to a power cut at the Kensington branch.
A ten-minute walk from Canary Wharf took us to the Temple Of Storms (officially the Isle Of Dogs Pumping Station), a grade II* listed building constructed in 1988. While I’m not generally into postmodern architecture, it’s refreshing to see a modern industrial building that isn’t just a metal and concrete box.
@katemorley That's cool
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Bonus photo: “Britain Needs Reggae”
@katemorley Nice!
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On the strangely-named Goodluck Hope peninsula we spotted this former Whale Oil Extraction building, and talked about how strange it is that the industrial-scale slaughter of whales was once an economical means of producing oil.
@katemorley Interestingly (well, to me anyway), while I think the business was real, the sign is a modern addition: https://bl.ag/faux-ghostsigns-for-ballymore/
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Bonus photo: “Britain Needs Reggae”
@katemorley I have been thinking for a while that GOURANGA! on bridges needs a reboot. Grand Theft Auto spoilt that. Glad someone's come up with a potential winner.
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Clare and I went on an impromptu tour of London infrastructure today after unexpectedly ending up at Dishoom Canary Wharf due to a power cut at the Kensington branch.
A ten-minute walk from Canary Wharf took us to the Temple Of Storms (officially the Isle Of Dogs Pumping Station), a grade II* listed building constructed in 1988. While I’m not generally into postmodern architecture, it’s refreshing to see a modern industrial building that isn’t just a metal and concrete box.
@katemorley I love how there’s always new stuff to discover. Worked out that way for a couple of years and had no idea this was there. Thanks!
