It doesn’t look like much but this could be the oldest Anglo-Saxon era dock in the world – it’s certainly the oldest in the UK. It’s also the last surviving inlet on the Thames in Central London …
It’s squeezed in between tall modern buildings because it’s protected as a scheduled ancient monument …
Nearby is a very informative plaque …
The hotel next door has a terrace you can walk around. Look down at the wharf and this is what you’ll see …
A wonderful collection of oyster shells (oysters once being a poor person’s food) and medieval (maybe even Roman) roof tiles and bricks …
There are also some lumps of white chalk. Large chalk beds were once laid down to provide a soft settling place for barges at low tide.
I’ve written about the Riverfront before in my blog Down by the River – wharves, beaches and desperate immigrants.
Another plaque gives the second reason for my visit …
It was designed by Tessa Hunkin and executed by South Bank Mosaics under the supervision of Jo Thorpe – and I recommend you take a stroll down through the City to the river and study the intricate and lively detail of this epic work for yourself. Tessa also supervised the splendid mosaic I wrote about two weeks ago.
Here’s the mosaic from start to finish. It’s a stunning piece of work and rewards detailed study …
Note the little seal waving you goodbye …
A striking archaeological theme is that archaeology was incorporated into the mosaic. Archaeologist Mike Webber led volunteers to retrieve finds of Roman, medieval and modern date from the foreshore and selected finds were embedded into the mosaic: archaeology becomes art …
And how appropriate that we can see The Globe across the River …
Trivia fact: A key sequence of the 1951 Ealing comedy The Lavender Hill Mob used Queenhithe as a location for filming: Mr. Holland, played by Alec Guinness, can be seen falling from a wharf into the Thames and being rescued by two actors dressed as police officers. You can watch the official trailer here. They don’t make ’em like that any more!
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