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Tubewalker: The Tube, on Foot

Jubilee Line: North Greenwich to Stratford

Stratford station
Stratford station

Ah well, just because today was my very last tubewalk, that doesn't mean it necessarily has to be a great walk... and I'm afraid it isn't, really. This feels like an unloved and rather disconnected part of London, and combined with the continuing grey skies of summer 2008, it got to me a bit. Despite being joined by my partner Peta for the first half of the walk, I couldn't see the bright side, and stomped through the industrial estates and social housing that line this entire route, counting the miles off to the end. It's not a great way to end three months of walking, that's for sure.

North Greenwich to Canning Town

Construction work around the Dome
Construction work around the Dome

The Jubilee line crosses the Thames three times in quick succession, and it makes life rather challenging for the tubewalker. On my penultimate Jubilee tubewalk, it crossed the Thames between Canada Water and Canary Wharf, and again between Canary Wharf and North Greenwich, and today's walk starts in the same vein. It's just under a mile as the crow flies from North Greenwich to Canning Town, but the most sensible walking route heads southeast from the Dome, along the south bank of the Thames, all the way to the Woolwich Foot Tunnel, from where it's another hike back along the north bank to Canning Town. That's over 7 miles for just one Tube stop, and it's all thanks to the Thames.

Greenwich Millennium Village
Greenwich Millennium Village
The end of the Thames Path
The end of the Thames Path
Woolwich Dockyard
Woolwich Dockyard
Houses between the Tate and Lyle factory and London City Airport
Houses between the Tate and Lyle factory and London City Airport
Royal Victoria Dock with the Spillers Millennium Mills on the left
Royal Victoria Dock with the Spillers Millennium Mills on the left
Prince Regent station
Prince Regent station
The mouth of the Jubilee line tunnel under the Thames between Canning Town and North Greenwich
The mouth of the Jubilee line tunnel under the Thames between Canning Town and North Greenwich

Canning Town to West Ham

A housing estate in Canning Town
A housing estate in Canning Town

After the seemingly constant industry of the last section, it's a relief to duck into the suburbs for the stretch to West Ham, though to be honest, this is not a terribly desirable place to live. There's a monstrous roundabout just north of the station, followed by some fairly forgettable modern terraces, and then a small park gives you a bit of breathing space before the suburbs start up again. The theme in this part of the world is council estate after council estate, a legacy of the 1930s slum clearances and the Blitz, which destroyed about 85 per cent of the area's housing (as the docks were a prime target for the Luftwaffe). There's no use pretending that this makes Canning Town a lovely place to explore on foot, as it doesn't; I didn't hang around for long, as there didn't appear to be anything to hang around for, particularly as Peta had hopped on the DLR at Prince Regent and headed for the comfort of a café at Stratford, leaving me to finish this last stretch on my own.

A memorial to a lady with a handbag in East London Cemetery
A memorial to a lady with a handbag in East London Cemetery
The 'orchard' in East London Cemetery
The 'orchard' in East London Cemetery

West Ham to Stratford

All Saint's Church
All Saint's Church

More housing estates kick in to the north of the station, after Manor Road passes under the Greenway. The skyline is dominated by two interesting examples of the art of the tower block, in the form of Brassett Point and David Lee Point, just off Abbey Road. These two blocks have recently been refurbished and don't look too bad, and if you can ignore the nearby blocks of pebbledash and dark brick, there are some pleasant terraces and new-build houses to be found in the mix. Just north of the blocks is New Plaistow Road, and on the other side is the lovely parish church of West Ham, All Saint's Church, which is well worth the detour. The church was once part of Stratford Langthorne Abbey, which was dissolved during the Reformation, and the current church tower dates from the early 15th century, while two chapels were added in the following century, since which time the church has remained broadly unchanged.

Mark at Stratford station
The end of my tubewalk, at Stratford