Unexpected London Sight No. 2: Floating Gardens
Walking by the river near Tower Bridge, I noticed a cluster of these surprising gardens on barges floating on the Thames – complete with fruit trees, shrubs, the works.
They turn out to be yet another London anomaly in need of saving – find out more about the Downings Road Moorings and the campaign to save them from eviction by Southwark council here. One of the council's reasons is apparently that they are 'visually detrimental'. How quince trees and lavender could be considered a blot on the landscape, while most of the Thames is being buried under swathes of repellent 'luxury development', it's hard to say.
Comments
I too stumbled upon this little cluster of green-clad boats, and wondered at their thriving gardens, the bicycles on deck, colourful laundry, I thought of how great it would be to live there, on the Thames in the heart of London in a quirky dwelling.
They enhance the area, unlike the steel and glass apartment blocks which strive to make Londons river look like any other modern city of the world.
The boats and their dwellers bring a touch of humanity to a world fast surrendering to the universal mediocrity of "get-rich-quick" developers.
Posted by: soubriquet | December 24, 2007 11:35 PM