Notes from East London

Notes from East London will be coming back! We've found ourselves a couple of authors from the East End to update us on the upcoming events, travel news, hottest new places and social scene in this part of London. Stay tuned.....

Qype: A Box in London

London

This is not just one place it’s many. All over the country, in fact all over the world you’ll find them. Shoe boxes, big boxes, open topped boxes, boxes with holes cut in the side. And inside, a cat, looking very smug. Especially if they don’t actually fit.

If you have two playful cats they’ll have endless fun play-fighting there way in and out of a box. A more sedate cat may find it a great place for a sleep, warm but not too soft. Many cats just plain love them. They seem to find a special satisfaction in cramming themselves into one that’s nearly too small. They’re good for scratching too. I had a cat with a passion for tearing up paper and scratching wallpaper. We reached a compromise: a box full of screwed up brown paper that she could tear to her heart’s content. Another large box with a small hole often had one cat inside, scratching, and another outside, also scratching!

Meanwhile the expensive toys are ignored…
Check out my review of A Box - I am moonrising - on Qype

Qype: Victoria Park in London

London - Arts & Entertainment - Parks

From Mare Street a short walk along the canal bank brings you to the Western end of Victoria Park. It’s quite a traditional park and well cared for, with open lawns, trees and beds full of bushes and roses. Walk further in on the South side and you’ll come to the park’s main lake, where there’s a café and toilets. Also lots of water birds waiting for a feed. I once counted a flock of over a hundred coots: black birds with white foreheads which are usually fiercely territorial! Beyond that is a road… but you are not finished. In fact Victoria Park is large enough to have a road running through it. The Eastern end of the park opens out, with sports fields, tree-lined walks, and in the centre a childrens’ play area and enclosure with deer.

All in all, the park is nearly 3 miles round. It’s the venue for fairs, and several good running events. The Victoria Park Harriers have their clubhouse at the East end of the park. Though I’m not a member of the running club I do enjoy the running. Runners have made their own tracks on the grass all the way round (good for those of us who tend to get sore knees on hard paths…) and there’s always someone out for a run. There’s also lots of dogs and kids, but everyone’s well behaved and friendly. You might also get to see mounted police schooling their horses. Victoria isn’t anything earth shaking, but it is a very nice, civilized sort of park.

Check out my review of Victoria Park - I am moonrising - on Qype

Qype: Greenwich Foot Tunnel in London

London - Arts & Entertainment - Landmarks

Built over a hundred years ago this is one of London’s less visible attractions. It runs between Island Gardens on the Isle of Dogs (South of Canary Warf) and Greenwich (right by the Cutty Sark) and was built to take workers from the South to the Northern docks. At the surface all you can see is two strange round buildings. If you didn’t know better you might expect to see an old telescope sticking out. Inside though there’s a choice of lift or stairs. If you choose the stairs it’s a long way spiralling down. You might want to check for signs saying if the lifts are working before you go down! Anyway, the lifts are an experience… One minute you are standing on the river bank, next you could be in some posh department store. The lifts are huge, wooden panelled and complete with an operator sitting on a chair!

After that the tunnel itself is a disappointment to be honest. It’s pretty much like the tunnels found in many underground stations. It goes down a bit… then goes up a bit. That’s it. Fairly grotty and dull really. Ah well, that’s not the point. The experience is more about the idea, if you get what I mean. There’s not many places on Earth you can walk under a major river. Don’t forget when you re-emerge to look across the river and spot where you came from, especially if you have kids with you. They’ll love it.

Check out my review of Greenwich Foot Tunnel - I am moonrising - on Qype

Qype: Middlesex Filter Bed Nature Reserve in London

London - Arts & Entertainment - Day Trips

Ever been out in the country somewhere, and found an old ruin? A few walls, overgrown with grass and bushes. A place to wander, and wonder. This place is like that. It’s tucked away out of site behind a high wall, between waterways and other parks. You can get in through a gate in the wall along the River Lee Navigation, North of Hackney Marshes. Inside old concrete pathways lead you past mysterious stones and great round pits, now full of marsh and young trees. It looks deserted and wild, but is actually well tended as a nature habitat by local conservation volunteers. Once the source of clean water for large parts of London, it’s now a place to relax and watch life go by. If you want to, there are notices to read. There’s also a good chance you’ll see wild birds. On one visit I got to watch a heron perched over the river. Another time I was lucky enough to see a flock of long-tailed tits. These little birds announce themselves by their twittering in the bushes. Look closely and you might just be able to see them, maybe only inches away but hidden in a thicket. They have the most beautiful pink, grey, white and black plumage. There are no facilities within the reserve, but apparently there is a café and toilets nearby: see the signpost at the Southern end. Well off the beaten track, but a magical little place, that I found quite by accident.
Check out my review of Middlesex Filter Bed Nature Reserve - I am moonrising - on Qype

Qype: London Fields in London

London - Arts & Entertainment - Parks

Hundreds of years ago London Fields was on the edge of London, and was the site of plague pits: mass burials during the Black Death. Though there’s no visible sign of what lies underneath, this park still has the same type of peaceful but mournful atmosphere found in cemeteries, with its London plane trees and resident crows. At the South end a dried up concrete pond is presided over by some intriguing mosaic pearly king and queen sculptures. In the North things are a little more cared for, with a well-used children’s play area, a popular pub and the newly re-opened lido: a 50m open air swimming pool.

On sunny days the park transforms as the locals come out in force and it becomes crowded and noisy as a seal colony. At other times you’ll find a school sports day, or maybe some small event like a recycling fair. But mostly it’s the place people pass through on the way to or from work or the shop. If you run you could find worse: once round, cutting the corners a bit, makes roughly a mile, largely on grass. It’s also lacking in toilets, so unless you are visiting the lido or pub, you may not wish to linger too long.

Check out my review of London Fields - I am moonrising - on Qype

Qype: Haggerston Park in London

London - Arts & Entertainment - Parks

In spite of living near by it took me years to discover this place. I think I had it labelled as the grounds of a nearby school. I’m glad I eventually found my way in, because this park packs a lot into a small area. The Northern end is mostly surrounded by a high brick wall, with only one gate onto Whiston Road. Inside there’s gardens, with geometric pits in the grass suggesting there was once much more. There’s also football pitches. Pass through a square arch in the wall and into the South and you’ll find sports courts, a wood chipped play area and a nature area with a real wood. There’s also a bmx track and even a city farm. Though not generally crowded, Haggerston is an active park: there’s usually a game of football, or kids playing or people using the courts. For running it’s a strange place: all the changes of scenery, level and surface make it interesting, but not practical for time trials! But it’s definitely a good place for getting some exercise in: you won’t be the only one.
Check out my review of Haggerston Park - I am moonrising - on Qype