Peta Bridle’s Riverside Sketchbook

Peta Bridle sent me this latest series of her drawings.

“I made these sketches this spring. My drawings were all made on the spot and I was grateful for the bright dry weather which granted me excellent drawing conditions. I use Quink and a Chinese calligraphy brush which has a beautiful quality of line. You can create either the slightest hairline or a full heavy stroke of ink simply by altering the pressure a little. I was only able to make visits to London when my work rota allowed because I am a home carer. It has been drawing which got me through the lockdown.”  Peta Bridle

Dr Salter’s Daydream, Bermondsey

This statue of a cat crouches on the river wall in Bermondsey. It is one of a collection of four statues to commemorate Dr Alfred Salter (1873-1945), his wife Ada and their only child Joyce, made by artist Diane Gorvin.  Dr. Salter was a doctor,  campaigner and Labour politician who lived and worked locally. In the Victorian era, the Salter family dedicated themselves to tackling poverty in Bermondsey and Alfred set up a medical practice to treat its poorest residents. His daughter Joyce died of Scarlet Fever when she was only eight years old. The statue of Dr Salter sits on a bench remembering his family in happier times. As I sketched the family cat, Dr. Salter and Ada looked on in silence whilst little Joyce leant against the wall, smiling to herself.

Boat Nails, Roof Tile, Oyster Shell, Cumberland Wharf, Rotherhithe

Cumberland Wharf has a sandy beach that you can reach by some stone steps. Along with an abundance of rusty nails, I found an oyster shell and a red roof tile. The nails were evidence of a barge building and boat repair workshop that once operated here. Charles Hay & Sons was established in 1789 and the premises backed directly onto the beach.

Houseboat, Cumberland Wharf, Rotherhithe

This sits on the bank at Cumberland Wharf. It is a quiet spot to draw in, the only distraction being the occasional police boat or clipper traversing the river. A walker brought their dog onto the beach whilst a mudlark searched the shore, looking for finds.

Monument, St Mary’s Churchyard, Rotherhithe

A park bench offered a convenient place to sit and draw this leaning monument with its faded inscription to Reverend Edward Blick, put there in affection by his parishioners. The churchyard was bright with spring flowers and I could hear the voices of children playing in the nursery beyond. St. Mary’s stands close to the Thames on a narrow cobbled street, close by the Mayflower Pub where Captain Christopher Jones moored the Mayflower on his way to North America in 1620.

Phoenix Wharf, Wapping

Phoenix Wharf is an Victorian warehouse backing directly on to the Thames. Unlike the other warehouses that line Wapping High St, it appears undeveloped as yet.

The York Watergate, Victoria Embankment Gardens

This was built in 1626 in the grounds of York House for the Duke of Buckingham to access the river. When the Embankment was constructed in the nineteenth century and the land reclaimed, the watergate became stranded and was left in situ. When I made this sketch the gardens were busy with people enjoying the spring sunshine and there was the drone of a lawnmower circling behind me.

Sphinx by George John Vulliamy, Victoria Embankment

This bronze sphinx is one of pair on either side of Cleopatra’s Needle, an Egyptian obelisk from 18th Dynasty, Pharaoh Thutmose III, presented to Britain in 1819. Tourists like to stop and have their photo taken next to the sphinx and many did while I was drawing there.

Herb Garden, Surrey Docks Farm, Rotherhithe

I sat in the corner of the herb garden, looking towards Canary Wharf over the river. From behind me came the gentle tap of metal from the blacksmith’s forge. In front, the high tide pounded the river wall, sending water slapping up onto the path. I used to visit Surrey Docks with my eldest daughter when she was small. Where the farm stands today was once part of a shipyard. Then it became a Victorian timber wharf. From 1883, it was used as a river ambulance receiving station from where smallpox and fever patients were transferred by boat to isolation hospitals further down the Thames Estuary.

Merchant Vessel Royal Iris with Tate & Lyle Plant

The MV Royal Iris once ferried passengers across the River Mersey in Liverpool and was the ship that inspired Gerry & the Pacemakers to write ‘Ferry ‘Cross The Mersey.’ It became a floating dance floor where bands performed, but pigeons have now replaced the partygoers from the past and the boat is a partially sunk wreck moored at Trinity Wharf.

Trinity Buoy Wharf Lighthouse

I sat across from the car park to draw London’s only lighthouse. It was built in 1864 to experiment lighting equipment for Trinity House lighthouses, lightships and buoys. The Chain and Buoy Store sits behind where iron mooring chains were once kept.

The Hope & Anchor, Charlton

I sat in the beer garden of the pub to sketch one of the anchors leaning against the railings. In the distance, the cable car spans the water from Greenwich Peninsula to the Royal Docks. The pub itself is painted black with a little round tower one end and faces directly onto the Thames.

Lola Rose, Broadness Creek, Kent

There are ramshackle buildings on stilts, reached via rickety walkways crossing the water, and the boatyard is very picturesque. I sat hidden among the reeds to sketch this little boat, the Lola Rose.

Double page of Broadness Creek, Swanscombe Marsh, Kent

Broadness Creek is a tidal inlet on the edge of Swanscombe Marshes. It is home to a small boating community and I spent a few indulgent days making sketches here. A line of electric pylons cross the marsh and reach beyond. A Dutch barge is moored in the distance. From where I sat, I could hear birdsong from the marsh – including a cuckoo – gulls wheeling overhead, wind catching the rigging of the boats and, out on the Thames, the throb of a ship’s engine as it slid past. In the distance, a procession of vehicles crossed the Dartford Crossing, linking Kent and Essex. The marshes have been designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest due to its wetland, saltmarsh and varied wildlife habitats. Swanscombe Marsh is a magical place.

Drawings copyright © Peta Bridle

You may also like to take a look at

Peta Bridle’s Gravesend Sketchbook

Peta Bridle’s City of London Sketchbook

Peta Bridle’s New Etchings

Peta Bridle’s Latest Drypoint Etchings

Peta Bridle River Etchings