I’ve written before about ‘The Line’. Back in February 2014, when the idea was part of a crowd-funding project I wrote Marking the Meridian – The Line, which looked at my own work on the Meridian in the 1990s and my unsuccessful bid to get a walk established as a Millennium project, which failed even to be short-listed. It was a fairly obvious proposal and others had similar ideas, and a few of these did get some kind of local support, with more markers appearing along the line.
The Line was finally opened in May 2015, though on a rather smaller scale than the up to 30 sculptures in the original plan, and I was at Cody Dock on 23 May to witness the ribbon being cut and to photograph a couple of the sculptures. It was a busy day for me and I didn’t have time to walk the whole of the line, but you can see more at Cody Dock Opening for ‘The Line’.
I still haven’t found an occasion to walk the whole of The Line – though you can’t actually walk it all but need to take the ‘dangleway’ across the Thames from North Greenwich to Royal Victoria Dock, and then the DLR to Star Lane.
The web site is rather confusing, and I’ve yet to find the link which is supposed to give a print version which might be rather easier to understand. There are as yet two sculptures I’ve failed to locate, and the House Mill at Three Mills which is supposedly open daily from 11am-4pm was closed on the day I tried. But the walk – or the bits you can walk – is perhaps more interesting than some of the sculptures.
Some of it was there before the line – including I think all of the works at North Greenwich – and I’ve visited and photographed them on previous occasions. The cable car across the river should be one of London’s major tourist attractions, but is thankfully still uncrowded, and doesn’t cost a huge amount – with a reduction for travel card holders. It’s worth deviating at the Royal Victoria Dock to cross the high level bridge – and you can then walk back along the other side. The walk by Bow Creek from Cody Dock has its fascinations – and to my mind the most fitting of sculptures.
I’m not quite sure how The Line is meant to go at Twelvetrees Crescent, but I like the path over the Bow Locks, although not the detour needed to access it, with a building site probably illegally blocking the path from the Tunnel Northern Approach. Three Mills is always worth a visit too.
There are actually more sculptures, both found and official along or close to The Line but not a part of it. I expect someone will provide a suitably annotated and illustrated walk before long, though I’ve yet to see one.
See The Line – Sculpture Trail for some more pictures.
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My London Diary : Buildings of London : River Lea/Lee Valley : London’s Industrial Heritage
All photographs on this and my other sites, unless otherwise stated, are taken by and copyright of Peter Marshall, and are available for reproduction or can be bought as prints.
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That web site is too clever for its own good!!
Still here it is:
http://the-line.org/img/TheLine_Map_2015.jpg
The trick is to click on the word HERE
Thanks Chris. I knew it was there somewhere. As you say, too “clever”. Ignoring the basic purpose of a website, which isn’t to show how clever you are.