Some wobbles on the cobbles cycling down Balaam Street this afternoon 1/3

Statue of world champion boxer, Teddy Baldock, born in Poplar, stolen from Langdon Park Baldock, known as the "Pride of Poplar", became Britain's youngest ever world boxing champion at the age of 19 when he won the bantamweight title in 1927 1/3 www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Tonight's trip to see Rob Newman at Wilton's Music Hall 🔹Awaiting train at Poplar DLR. The Moon & Saturn are supposed to be in conjunction tonight, but London light pollution said "no" 🔹No pics allowed of acts, so here's an empty stage 🔹Balfron Tower at night 🔹 A Fox ... almost

Tower Hamlets council thwarted in bid to axe low-traffic zones (LTZ) Local campaigners Save Our Safer Streets (Soss) took legal action to stop LBTH removing LTZs Judges found LBTH failed to reconsult residents, breaching Local Implementation Plan duties www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Keep Council housing in-house! Large‑scale council housing organised-crime-linked fraud in LBBD, involving hundreds of homes LBBD says the investigation concerns only homes managed by B&D Reside, its private housing co., not its main council housing stock www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Crows, Canary Wharf and extreme window cleaners this morning from Glenkerry House

A belated Happy New Year! Wishing you all a happy and co-operative 2026

From Glenkerry today - radio transmitter and / or receiver thingy - I realised I don't know what this block is... I'll find out - another pic of Canary Wharf with the trees out of the way

Thanks to some brutal pollarding this morning, those of us on the lower decks have a rare clear view towards Canary Wharf I'll dig out an old photo later and to a before / after of the skyline. There have been some big changes in the past 30 years

Yet another sunset photo

A few more from my latest film roll... I've been putting together maps showing the history of the Brownfield Estate. Not much (if anything) pre-war survives. But the adjoining Teviot Estate still has some dotted around.

More bus depot dev from this morning...

We will celebrate 48 years of the shop this year, thank all of you who have made this possible.

Tonight's sunset over the City

Happy New Year! Wishing you all a happy and co-operative 2026

Glenkerry residents report that the Balfron Tower falcons are out and about I think I spotted one swooping over Carradale House, but by the time I got my camera, it was nowhere to be seen. Got some nice pics of the Moon over Carradale House though

Interesting and informative video by ELTA (East London Textile Arts) as part of Newham Heritage Month (@newhamheritage.bsky.social) How to turn embroideries into digitally printed fabric designs www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9Xi...

A century of the Brownfield Estate (as it's now known) From 1860 to 1960 - not much happens until 1940, but by 1960, there's not much left This ignores the new A12 and new builds gradually filling the gaps... coming soon!

The partial destruction of our estate by WWII bombs

I didn't realise how much bomb damage there was to our estate and nearby 1. Before 2. Bomb strike locations 3. Bomb damage boundary 4. After These maps put together from this excellent resource: www.layersoflondon.org/map/overlays...

I haven't cross-referenced these with more recent lost pubs yet, but here are the locations of the Brownfield* Estate pubs in 1867 *The road that is now Brownfield St. was then called Green Field St., so maybe the estate was called the Greenfield Estate in 1867.

🔹My geranium well into its teens, still flowering all year round 🔹The 2 Trafalgar Way development skybridge 🔹Ditto. It's about the only thing I could say I like about it, and I'm reluctant to even say that. 🔹Two crows

The bus garage development looming large through every ginnel, road and opening

Food banks set to face winter surge www.towerhamlets.gov.uk/News_events/...

Today's wander in the late afternoon sunshine got me wondering - where (and when) is the best Poplar equivalent of Manhattan Henge?

Another interesting geographical point (in both senses) is “the three norths”^, which has just left the English shores It would have been nice if it had actually intersected with the Greenwich meridian at some point, but we can’t have everything! ^see below for explanation 1/2

The planning application has now been approved (despite my objection!). 535 homes to be demolished, 1,928 new homes built, works to take ~15 years 74% of the new estate will be private. Social rent numbers are not clear - could be as low as 14 units

Is London Borough of Tower Hamlets (LBTH) being singled out? This is about housing, not the council overall as the opening paragraph implies And of the 35 local authorities that have so far received a 2025 grading, most are C3 (like LBTH) or worse 1/2 www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

How did the UK housing crisis get so bad? All governments since 1979 have fed the housing crisis: RTB, under-building, reliance on private sector, financialisation, and weak tenant protections www.youtube.com/watch?v=kx0J...

OK, definitely final batch. On the way back from ... Trinity Buoy Wharf through the Aberfeldy Estate. The 'town centre' road actually showing some signs of life

And finally (mabye...) Trinity Buoy Wharf itself 1/2

We're nearly there - these of the Millennium Dome were taken from just down the road from Trinity Buoy Wharf

Still on my way to Trinity Buoy Wharf today... here's some of City Island, the new home of the English National Ballet

Some of Balfron Tower on my way to Trinity Buoy Wharf today 1/2

It was nice to be able to walk down the middle of the traffic-free A13 on my way to Trinity Buoy Wharf today thanks to the gas company digging up the road

From today's Trinity Buoy Wharf wander - the Docklands Central Travelodge (East India Dock Estate)

Poplar rainbow just now

Today's housing cartoon, by @mrlovenstein.bsky.social www.instagram.com/p/DRuhAcGDU4...

Merry Christmas!

Leven Road bus depot development and some plastic pollution at the bottom of Andrew Street

RIP Billy Bonds www.bbc.co.uk/sport/footba...

The Banksy Corner building work finally starting about 13 years after "The Sir John Franklin" was demolished The lifestyle you ordered might be made available for a short time at the right price... Also, a sad day for Bill Posters (the middle two pics are not mine, obv...)

What colours should I use for the sky and ground? It doesn't help that I'm colour blind 🙁

Still haven't finished corridor windows and vents, but looking at background colours...

RIP Jimmy Cliff - was lucky to be reminded of some of his great songs last month

South-east London private HMO tenants left with no loo for 58 days win rent back www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

And finally the miscellaneous batch 🔹St Ives Place passage to the (Lea) riverside walk 🔹The DPD warehouse from that walk 🔹New building on William Murdoch Road 🔹2 Trafalgar Way development from William Murdoch Road 1/4

Next batch, Balfron Tower and Carradale House 🔹Carradale House 🔹Some graffiti I can only half claim to obey 🔹Balfron Tower from near Leven Road 🔹Canary Wharf towers lurking behind Balfron Tower

Took the "big camera" out today to take advantage of the clear sunny (and cold) day Mostly to get some photos of the current state of play of the Leven Road development, but first here are some of today's selfies Maybe we could start calling ourselves 'riverside apartments?'