Comments on: Watermen’s Stairs

By: John Cunningham

John Cunningham — Sun, 14 Aug 2022 01:02:35 +0000

Growing up, what London meant to me was all about pop culture. Carnaby Street and bands like the Kinks. Waterloo Sunset is still one of my favourite songs. But now being an older Boomer, with time on my hands I’m exploring other deeper aspects of this great city. I no longer live in the UK but on my visits to London the Gentle Author is a guiding light. I visited the Prospect of Whitby in May for an excellent few beers but never noticed the Waterman’s stairs that GA writes about. Much still to learn about “The Smoke”

By: Cherub

Cherub — Fri, 12 Aug 2022 06:00:13 +0000

I really enjoyed this piece and the photos (the passageway to the stairs at Wapping looks very frightening in the dark.

I’m lucky to live on the knee of the Rhein in Basel. We have small manually steered passenger Rheinfahren here to transport people from one side of the Rhein to the other for a small fare. I often take the St Alban Wild Maa ferry from Grossbasel to Kleinbasel (it translates from Basel Deutsch as Wild Man). There is something very magical about the short trip across the water, I never tire of it despite having lived here for 6 years.

By: Saba

Saba — Thu, 11 Aug 2022 20:21:00 +0000

Fabulous! Thank you.

By: gkbowood

gkbowood — Thu, 11 Aug 2022 16:52:10 +0000

I especially like the picture of the view into the pub- it looks like you caught a moment in time from long ago!

By: Adele Lester

Adele Lester — Thu, 11 Aug 2022 13:39:02 +0000

How many of our ancestors must have arrived by boat and were dropped off at various points along the Thames and used those stairs! Wonderful post.

By: Lynda Bailey

Lynda Bailey — Thu, 11 Aug 2022 10:18:32 +0000

These are wonderfully atmospheric photos of watermen’s stairs. I had only seen the more open ones on the south bank before walking from Tower Bridge to Greenwich a few days ago. The narrow alleyways between blackened brick buildings looked forbidding – but also enticing! An instant transfer to (an imagined) Victorian times. Thank you.

By: Milo

Milo — Thu, 11 Aug 2022 09:56:38 +0000

Great piece. You hit the nail on its head by describing the feeling as being like you’re backstage at a theatre.
And then you walk, heart in mouth, down one of the alleys towards the river and…

By: Mathilde Grange

Mathilde Grange — Thu, 11 Aug 2022 09:28:51 +0000

You are right, it is like visiting another time. Unknown and not even imagined parts of London…
Thank you.

By: achim

achim — Thu, 11 Aug 2022 07:50:06 +0000

Fascinating story!

Love & Peace
ACHIM

By: Pauline

Pauline — Thu, 11 Aug 2022 05:57:25 +0000

Such atmospheric photos. Thank you.