Finally I am at Whitechapel. Whitechapel Road is busy, lots of cars going up and down, lots of people walking and there is the market. The market is a real old school market, stalls selling fresh fruit and vegetables, fresh fish, clothes and accessories, fabrics, toys, knick knacks etc, a refreshing change from the modern ' street food' markets that seem to be dominating our high streets and town centers, and in some cases have taken over long established traditional markets. The market starts outside one of the few, dare I say it, tourist attractions, The Blind Beggar pub, a pub made famous by the Kray twins where Ronnie Kray shot George Cornell. Their is a little shrine inside the pub and its rumored there is still a bullet or so left in the wall. I am not sure if this is true but it makes a good story. I pop in for a pint. The pub has a mixed clientele and a good selection of drinks and is not badly priced for a London pub. The rest of the road seems to be dominated by fast food and Bangladeshi food shops. I pass shop after shop selling fresh samosas, onion bhaji's and Indian/Bangladeshi sweets. There are also a lot of Bangladeshi cafes and restaurants which are pretty cheap. This is not the first time that I have been here and previously I have eaten at Ponchokhana, so seeing that I am hungry it would seem rude not to go in. One thing I have noticed with Bangladeshi food is that not only is it quite spicy, but fish features a lot, so I normally order a fish dish. Also paratha's are a staple here and freshly made in front of you. I opt for what I am told is 'small fish curry' with rice. Pretty tasty, if not a touch creepy looking, the fish are whole and you can see the tiny eyes! Cost me about £8 which is what most of the fish dishes cost, however if you opt for meat or vegetarian its normally £6 or less. One interesting thing on the menu is Brain Masala! Maybe next time. Here are a couple of photos of meals I have had on previous visits. The only real other landmarks on the high street is the East London Mosque.
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One thing that you can't help but notice walking down Mile End Road is the city views, you can get a good view at times of the Shard, unfortunately I didn't think to take a photo! However a little farther down the road I did, unfortunately the Shard wasn't in view, although I think a tiny bit is visible in the top left hand corner, but I could be wrong. Not the greatest photo ever I know and yes I should have thought better of taking a photo with the sun directly in front of me but you get the idea and the view. Something else I began to notice walking along the road was the sheer amount of eatery's selling Chicken. Chicken sales really did appear to have the monopoly on fast food in the area. Fried chicken, deep fried, shallow fried, stir fried, Tandoori Chicken, Grilled chicken, chicken burgers, chicken doner, Chicken Shish, chicken curry, Bangladeshi or Chinese, the list is endless. If you are in need of a chicken fix then Mile End Road is the place to be with prices to match. In between the many chicken joints I came across Genesis Cinema, which apparently has been voted best UK cinema. Its housed in a renovated 19th century building. Considered an Arthouse cinema showing blockbuster and independent films. It also houses Grindhouse cafe which amongst other things serves Pieminister pies and vegan hotdogs, and Bar Paragon which serves Truman beers. A touch farther down the road on the opposite side of the road I notice the appropriately named Eastenders Snooker hall, and again I didn't think to take a photo. Here I was in the east end of London and I miss the chance of an apt photo for the journey. Oh well these things happen. As I approach the end of Mile End Road I pass an interesting looking building, which not surprisingly all things considered, sells Chicken! And is aptly named Chicken Shop. However they are selling a more upmarket, and expensive, product in the shape of Free Range Rotisserie Chicken as well as a Dirty Burger. As I said It was the building that first drew my attention and this time I took a photo! A minute or so walk from here I come to a busy crossroads which signifies the end of Mile End Road or actually, numerically, the beginning and the end but my beginning of Whitechapel Road
I leave the Wentworth Arms and head down Mile End Road which will eventually lead me onto Whitechapel High Street, the second and second cheapest property on the Monopoly Board. One side of the road is more residential while the other side is mostly shops, takeaways, Pubs, cafes and restaurants. There is a small retail park and a university campus. One thing that catches my eye are a couple of large plaques on what I now know is Albert Stern House.
Fully relieved and relaxed and in need of a pint I sit at the bar. Pub is busy, all locals and some great tunes coming out the jukebox. Good atmosphere and friendly barmaid who I have a chat with, tell her that I am doing a blog, which she thinks is a great idea, and tell her how I ended up in her pub, she laughs. Had a couple of cheap pints before it was time to head on. I would definitely recommend the Wentworth Arms for a pint, a friendly old school pub, the type of pub that in the modern day seems to be on the demise
After the hustle and bustle of Greenwich this side of the Thames is much quieter. Apart from a few people heading to Greenwich or along the Thames path there is hardly anybody about. The area is called Island Gardens and is in the borough of Tower Hamlets. Looking back across the Thames you get a great view of the former Greenwich Hospital, Cutty Sark and the National Maritime Museum. I head to the main road and jump on 135 bus and head to Shoreditch, which is in walking distance of Whitechapel, as there is a coffee shop/roasters that I want to check out. The journey is pretty uneventful, there is not much of interest to look at. Eventually we hit Canary Wharf which being a Saturday is not very busy and apart from lots of very tall modern buildings there is not a lot to say about the place. We eventually arrive in Limehouse, civilization, normality and people. Its here that I decide to cut the journey short and look for a pub. Its been quite a long and active day and as well as fancying a pint I really need to pee! Unbelievably I walk and walk and walk, see every type of business and shop you can think of but no pub. I walk for almost 25 minutes, I see a sign for Mile End Tube Station to the right and as I cross the road I see a Pub. I fly down the road, straight through the side door and straight to the toilets, it could of got any better!
I head back down the hill towards Greenwich town center, pop into the market to buy some coffee beans from Ideal Espresso, who I would highly recommend for a cup of coffee. They have a large range of coffees available and do ice coffees which as it was a hot sunny day were very popular. I have spent longer than I had expected in Greenwich and now it is time to head to the next property on the board, Whitechapel in East London, the other side of the Thames. I am going to walk through the Greenwich tunnel which takes will take me underneath the Thames. To get there I will pass the famous Cutty Sark The Cutty Sark was a British Clipper ship, one of the last tea clippers to be built and one of the fastest before sailing ships gave way to steam ships. The ship is now a museum and is open daily. Not sure if its the same every Saturday or even everyday, but there was a street market with music, street food and pop up bars, a pretty lively spot. I headed towards the waterfront to the Tunnel. The tunnel links Greenwich with Millwall and was opened in 1902. It replaced a ferry service allowing workers from south of the river to get to work in the docks and shipyards in and around the Isle of Dogs. There is a lift or a helical staircase, which I took, to get your to the beginning of the tunnel which you can imagine is quite a way down. After maybe 10 minutes I am on the other side of the Thames. I look back over to Greenwich which gives me a good view of the Maritime Museum and the Queens House.
From the Queens House I head up the hill to the Royal Observatory and the Planetarium. The Observatory was commissioned by King Charles II in 1675 and the architect was Christopher Wren. It houses the astronomical instruments used to make meridian observations, its where we get Greenwich Mean Time or GMT from. Ticket prices are between £7 and £16 and is open daily. Outside is the remaining section of William Herschel's telescope which was built for the astronomer Herschel, who became famous for his discovery of the planet Uranus in 1781. The telescope was the largest in the world at the time, paid for by King George III, and was completed in 1789. It was 40 foot long or 12 meter's. Only a section remains today The Observatory and Planetarium are on the top of the hill and from here you get some great views of the city. |
AuthorLouis Mogg. Archives
March 2020
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