River Thames, view upstream from temporary Hungerford Bridge, Westminster, 1979

            River Thames, view upstream from temporary Hungerford Bridge, Westminster, 1979
19x-23: River Thames, Tattershall Castle, paddle steamer, houses of Parliament, Westminster Bridge

Another unusual view at the time from a temporary footbridge hung on the upstream side of Hungerford Rail bridge while the normal downstream crossing was being rebuilt.

At left is County Hall, still then the home of London local government before the GLC was abolished for annoying Mrs Thatcher, and the then recently built blocky St Thomas's Hospital North Wing (1975), much criticised at the time by MPs from across the river, and beyond its more elegant older buildings on the 'Pavillion principle' as recommended by Florence Nightingale from 1868.

At right, the Millbank Tower, one of London's earliest skyscrapers when built for Vickers in 1963, at 387 ft, actually 72 ft higher than Big Ben's Clock Tower, rather closer to the camera.  

But the most interesting feature to me is the moored paddle steamer, Tattershall Castle, built in 1934 for the Humber Ferry from Hull to New Holland. Retired from service there and sold in 1972, she was refitted at Immingham and towed to London in 1975, and was when I took this picture and until 1981 a floating art gallery, the Embankment Gallery. 

She was then bought by a brewery group and refitted in the Medway before returning to the Thames as a floating pub and restaurant. Since then she has undergone several further refurbishments, in 1988, 2003 in Great Yarmouth, and most recently, in 2015 back in Hull. Sadly she lost her paddle wheels in Yarmouth though still has her original triple expansion steam reciprocating engine on display to interested customers.

Taken on: January 1, 1979

Tags:

London

black and white

Westminster

River Thames

Tattershall Castle

paddle steamer

houses of Parliament

Westminster Bridge

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Sets appears in: • 1979 London • Westminster - Black and White

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