Downriver - along the Thames from Purfleet to Grays (4K)
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- Опубліковано 24 жов 2020
- Downriver - a walk along the Thames from Purfleet to Grays
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This walk starts at Purfleet Station in Essex right on the edge of Greater London. We walk along the flood defence wall and beneath the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge / Dartford Crossing. The path takes us past Stone Ness Lighthouse where there are two WW2 pillboxes. The Proctor and Gamble chemical works stand on the banks of the Thames like Dracula’s Carfax Abbey. The walk ends at Grays.
Music
Dreaming in 432Hz by Unicorn Heads
Dream Escape by The Tides
Fortress Europe by Dan Bodan
Little Drunk, Quiet Floats by Puddle of Infinity
Nevada City by Huma-Huma
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John, I’m glad you went out too.
Sometimes; just sometimes, there’s a call, perhaps a primordial need, to hear the blustering wind; to experience it’s tug and pull. To give in to that strange desire to know once more the sting of certain rains, those that freely offer to cleanse the mind and exfoliate the fears of the sedentary soul.
Go safely onward.
My childhood was spent along this sea wall. Often venturing into the abandoned factories and jetties! Fond times.
Surprised you did not mention that Proctor and Gamble factory was featured in Four Weddings and a funeral and St Clements church just tucked behind is worth a visit built around 1100! I live in Grays and have never ventured beyond the Pillboxes! I will definitely be going a bit further next time. Many many thanks this is brilliant xx
Memories ! I lived in the area for nearly twenty five years, and often walked there, usually with the children. They are middle aged now but I sent them this vid, as we had many adventures. The sea wall was only just being built, so most of the walk was open. Grays, formerly quite a charming town, is now an absolute dump, but one thing has improved a lot. The graffiti is much better !
I believe you were looking into the remains of BPB paperboard. As a young project manager I oversaw the installation of a new phone system there in about 2006 and we were given a free run of the place - it was a amazing - it has its own power station, railway line running through it and the main mill was a few football pitches long and I remember it being like a giant set of the Crystal maze - hot spaces, cold spaces, lots of different smells and processes recycling paper into the stuff you use to cover walls in houses under the plaster. I believe you can see it in its final days in the episode of ‘I’m Alan partridge’ where his book ‘bouncing back’ is being recycled in a giant vat! The day we completed the install they announced the site was to close.
thanks for sharing that Alex - sounds amazing
Great area, London's wild frontier being slowly reclaimed by nature and concrete disappearing under layers of tags-really enjoyed it.
I grew up in tilbury 🙂 all still local to me ❤ thank you john you've have made me smile 🙂🙂
the real river Thames.. where only John would wander on such a damp day. Excellent.
Ive cycled down this route a few times and its an amazing experience. Taking the Thames path on the south side up to gravesend and the ferry across. Its quite surreal the mix of big industrial buildings whilst being surrounded by bushes, fields and overgrown hedges. Kind of gives an apocalyptic vibe. Passing under the QEII bridge was a weird experience, we went on a foggy day and so couldn't see it till it was towering above us creeping out of the fog.
You can catch nice sized Sea Bass all along there (fish it between 2 hours before high tide and 2 hours after).
*Go easy reeling them in, as they are powerful fish and can bend your hook straight (I'm not kidding)!
Thanks for another video John. 😊
thanks for the fishing tips Rottie - I saw quite a few people fishing from the old wharf at Grays
I did that walk about 10 years ago and like you I found it mesmerisingly otherworldly. I started from the Rainham train station, crossing the tracks and followed the route through the extensive marsh land and just kept pushing on not knowing what I’d find. It was a mild summer day but still the industrial edginess was intimidating and yet compelling and by the time I reached the Queen Elisabeth Bridge it was getting near dark and I was unsure how I was even going to get out of there. That was a time of 3G and Google maps took eons to download. Now I have to find your walks through the Dagenham docks, another area I found fascinating. Thanks as usual John, great walk!
Thanks for sharing that memory 3dog - such a great landscape for walking
That was thrillingly strange and beautiful! I've done the stretch from Rainham to Purfleet, I had the idea you couldn't walk by the Dartford Bridge, glad to be proved wrong. Thanks for this John, I love your stuff, I don't get out nearly as often as I would like so glad to explore these places vicariously. You made a comment in your last video about the eco system of London, amazing that Epping Forest and this bit of the river are all interconnected.
Have you done a video on the Hoo Peninsula? You can get to the Western end of it by train to Gravesend of Lower Higham, you would need to drive to Allhallows/Isle of Grain unfortunately although there some's lovely footage of the old branch line that used to run out there:
ua-cam.com/video/EjIhBXz_pv4/v-deo.html
It's still within the purlieu of London but feels as wild as Dartmoor and you could can feel just as solitary.
Keep up the good work!
Great video, I live in Grays and often walk and cycle this route. Look forward to viewing more of your content!
The weather really compliments the mood.
was only there the other weekend on a cycle from Rainham to Basildon - such a haunting, otherworldly terrain that stretch, exemplified by the weather as well - hardly a single soul encountered along the way, trolleys sticking out of the mud like modern art pieces, standing under the dartford crossing certainly is awe inspiring - i found those three swings quite touching somehow as well. Certainly the side of the thames they don't want you to see, but its always there, clanking on - powering the nation. Thanks John
thanks for sharing that Fintan - really rewarding stretch of the river. Been a few years since I've walked the Tilbury stretch so looking forward to that next
Surreal landscape. Thanks John . Looking forward to Tilbury walk. Wonder if you plan to go as far as Coalhouse fort? Would pass former Bata shoes model estate on way to East Tilbury station.
Thank you John for cheering me up on a gloomy evening. Bob.
my pleasure Bob - glad you enjoyed the video
Thanks john when you ended the great walk you missed a very old pub on the banks in Grays forget the name of it but had a few pints in there many years back , Keep safe. Dave 👍
was it The Wharf Dave? It caught the eye - not sure if it's still open but there were lights on inside
The wharf never reopened after Lockdown
A beatiful brutal land.
Loving the videos John down in the Rainham and upwards area to Grays/Dartford. From around them areas myself. Would love to bump into you one day for a chat! Been with your channel for around a year or so now and have never regretted subscribing or watching your walking adventures! Brilliant 👍🏼
thanks very much - we're bound to bump into each other one day - I'll be back down there to walk from Tilbury and plenty more walks round that area planned
Great video John, I live in Grays and have down the walk a few times from Purfleet to Grays. I guess it is slightly dystopian especially you approach the P and G factory.
looks like the journey to the zone in Stalker. :)
Absolutely.
Fantastic jaunt along the Essex Riverside
5:20 - I just missed you John, had you walked passed at 1800 that would be me up that crane (RTG).....Like your videos, very interesting.
Rainy walks always heighten the sences my freind.
they certainly do - this was great for the soul
I'm on the Kent side, and in the day before RA got the better of me, we used to walk across the lovely wilderness of the Dartford Marshes, with its gunpowder remnants, pill boxes, the winding Creek, cows and huge mushrooms on the path! We used to get as far as the Littlbrook Power Station with its mighty chimney, now sadly demolished. I've often wondered at it was like on the other side of the river at Purfleet. Thanks for taking us on that walk, John.
My pleasure Nellie - reminds me I must return to your side of the river
Great video. I have been meaning to do this walk again having previously done it in 1974. It looks quite different from what I remember with a lot more fences and high walls. I remember going through the massive Thames Board Mills site which I assume is now long gone. The old church is worth a look although when I was there the adjoining land was being used as an unofficial traveller's site and I was immediately surrounded by 4/5 ferocious looking dogs but fortunately they didn't press home an attack. The Wharf was then a good old school riverside pub but I suspect that it has since been given a makeover.
Nick Papadimitriou would have loved that walk, John. Kinda industrial 'wastelands'. An outlier's refuge. Love it.
for sure Neil - here's a video of when we went down to Tilbury in 2010/2011 for our radio show ua-cam.com/video/XD6vMPjEsqc/v-deo.html
I walked here a few months ago. There are very few access points, especially if coming by car. The path East from Purfleet heritage Centre is blocked off so you can't get on from there.
One entry is opposite Purfleet station ( some parking on road at weekends) . Another is though some forest from the Proctor & Gamble site, where there is also a car park, by S Clements church www.google.com/maps/@51.471985,0.2915821,192m/data=!3m1!1e3
Next East is Hedley Ave, but the entry to an industrial estate & no obvious parking nearby. Next along is the end of Argent St at South Stifford.
The freight terminal shown is fascinating to watch in action - lorries coming off the boat with containers stacked two high.
Thanks John. Dramatic landscape. Dramatic sky. And dramatic sounds! I imagine that area is no stranger to mudlarkers. Must be a lot of history buried in that mud.
I reckon you're right Ian - you certainly get people picking through the historic landfill site at Tilbury
Another great video and many thanks for posting. I rode this route in March but left the Thames at the Proctor and Gamble plant where there's an old church directly in front of the factory which features in 'Four weddings and a funeral '
I love this part of the world and will definitely ride it again once the weather gets a bit better.
Thanks for sharing
Thanks artdecoy - I was wondering where the Four Weddings Church was - I couldn't see it from the other side of the sea wall
@@JohnRogersWalks There's a small wooded area by the wall and it's the other side of that.
John, like someone else has mentioned you should have crossed over the wall at P&G and had a look at S Clements church - quite at odds with the buildings that dwarf it, - also a monument/mass grave to boy sailors drowned when a training ship sunk in the early 1900's - the 'mother of all pylons' are the tallest in the country, taking 400KV across to Kent
I really should have gone for a look at that church Jim - I was too fixated on the river
I’ve researched those pylons too Jim! Quite impressive structures. A base jumper died some years back when he jumped from the one on the Kent side!!!
@@JohnRogersWalks do it John. I've been out of the area for 30 yrs but took my mum back maybe 5 yrs ago to look at the church. I was a pageboy there in the early 70s... It's dwarfed by proctors but has a tale to tell.
Great channel John - I'm a newbie and love it 👌
I've walked from the Thames flood barrier to Erith on the South bank and felt intimidated by the brutal industrial landscape and people hanging around there but, like you, glad to have completed it and seen another side of London
Splendid - simply splendid
thanks Martin
Superb. Definitely my kind of walk, all those industrial structures. Reminds me of my early childhood in Sheffield, 30 odd years ago.
A quite remarkable film John with an atmosphere so thick you could cut it with a knife. It is the sort of walk that I have done with an unsettling narrative and for that reason is absolutely fascinating. A great watch, thank you!
A couple of times I expected to see Ringo Starr plodding along the river. Amazing to see the industry tourists never see. Thank you, John.
thanks for watching Rob
What a magnificent document these walks are John. If you could upload seven a week I could watch seven. Nobody else captures the essence of these places like you do. I share totally your love of the liminal, of the interstices, the edge lands. Thank you sincerely for bringing me with you on these wonderful walks.
thanks so much for that gillywild
A pleasure to share your walk today viewing sites close up having driven passed many a time What treasures I missed the joys of a happy wanderer
SMILES 👍🏴👌
One of your best John. Epic industrial ugly beauty. If this resonates folks, John's colleague Rachel Lichtenstein has written a phenomenal book on this area and wider water, Estuary.
Yikes, I had considered cycling this route. I'll pack light for all the lifting up and down steps. Wonderfully bleak and even more so in contrast with the amazing artworks on the sea wall.
Such a dramatic landscape and so enjoyable thankyou John
What a wonderful walk. It's amazing how you highlight the beauty and spirituality of even the harshest of industrial environments. This was a great moment of zen.
I love your walks in London! I actually used to know your sister Cathy I was a member of Making art work. I think I actually met you once too! It is a strangely small world! :)
what a lovely co-incidence. I did come down to Maidstone for a few of the Making Art Work events so we probably did meet at some point
Hi John,
If you turn up the side of the Procter and Gamble factory there is a little 9th Century Saxon Church which the soap factory almost encloses on 3 sides. Many years ago while working on the Power Station that is now long gone I was asked to clear the cemetery of vegetation for Procters. The little Church appeared in the film Four Weddings and a Funeral, though the footage gives no idea that this ancient Church is nearly enclosed by the massive factory with huge slab like walls. It nestles almost behind the Ikea warehouse store in Thurrock. Smashing film and very enjoyable. Thanks for uploading.
Fantastic walk John, fighting against the elements. Believe it or not, the Royal Opera House now has a costume and sets facility in Purfleet, situated in the High House Production Park, on the ridge overlooking the QE2 bridge. It’s surrounded by Grade II listed farm buildings and beautiful converted barns. They’ve created a programme to reflect projects from the Royal Opera House and create new innovative events tailored for local communities and residents. I had some involvement there last year in my activities as a film extra. Quite a contrast to the industrial landscape that the area is known for. I lived in a block of flats over looking the Estuary in Grays as a child, between 1972 and 1976.
Thanks John..Brrrrr what a grim walk..it made me put my heating on lol
Watching this again. This week is going to be a tough one for many here in the US. I think I’m going to have to do a rewatch of some of my favorites. So nice to escape. Thank you.
All the best Lisa - brighter days ahead
Hi John, facinating video. I was in the choir at the opening of the qe2 bridge, right in front of the Queen, pouring with rain but it was a fun day and glad I was part of it.. I still have the newspaper cutting.
This territory was all completely new to me. A unique walk.
Lost for words, unless I can reclaim 'awesome' and return it to an older meaning - inspiring dread and wonder, especially wonder.
well put Rob
Thanks John,We really enjoyed that walk i used to get off at Grays to go an old girlfriends at chadwell St Mary !
I ride my mountain bike from barking to grays and back quite a few times along the Thames path👍
Thank you John for capturing such eerie passage ways and pathways in that intricate industrial conglomerate of the Thames Isis.
I like the way you show so much passion and interest in the small things, we need more people like you!
I found this walk soothing and relaxing. Thanks John👍
Done this walk yesterday John,loved it,thanks for the video.....which opened my eyes to this place of the Thames.
great stuff Gary
Another amazing walk John. I think I've mentioned it before, but the section of the London Loop between Rainham and Purfleet along the Thames is a fantastic walk.
Amazing John. I've often walked the south side and it certainly does have an energy - even in a storm!
Drove over the dartford bridge many times, was great to see the walk underneath and what an amazing bridge it is. 😊
Great walk, Loved the bridge from the river, More urban river walks please
What a treat, thanks so much John! Every frame inspired me, time to get the paint and paper out again methinks ;-) But first I'll watch it again!
thanks Lois - loved the painting you did of the riverscape
Great walk John
thanks Patricia
Epic just epic as usual. You were able to combine ambience music, brilliant narration and footage. Turned a gloomy day into something so interesting , When I fly into London I will do the Epping walk.
What a fantastic walk. Perfect weather for it too! I love these industrial areas - so many interesting things to see even if not the prettiest.
Really enjoyed watching this again today! I find the land where it meets the river to be so captivating. Also I marvel that the access is so easy, it's available for anyone to walk. We would have fences and barriers.
That was a great walk. Felt a bit edgy in places. Very interesting,
That was wonderful. Thank you John.
Truly fantastic walk and cinematography. Really atmospheric and emotive. thanks so much.
Driven over the Dartford crossing many times so fascinating to see you walk beneath it . Another amazing walk John.
Thanks Steve
You do take us to the loveliest of places!
Impressive landscape - like a massive industrial sculpture garden.
It's almost overwhelming Mariana
Beautiful.
John, You helped me out of a real down day, Were still on a 25km lockdown so it is a bit hard for me to get out & about, but this is the next best thing. Cheers John
Glad I could get you outside Dave
Another fantastic and interesting video John! There is definitely something haunting about that walk.
What an amazing walk, thanks so much for sharing it with us. I’d like to say it was ‘nice’, but in reality it was gloomy, grim, and desolate. That Proctor and Gamble processing plant is downright creepy, it was almost a relief to see you make it safely to Grays!
The whole landscape reminded me of the film ‘Eraserhead’.
John spends a rainy windy Saturday afternoon along the industrial Thames - 'so you don't have to'®
John this walk felt so special. Dramatic, almost cinematic. Have a nice week!! All the best from Argentina
thanks Fiona all the way over there in Argentina. Yes there's something epic about that landscape
Fascinating video John, thanks so much for sharing.
I like the way the walk started out, with slightly threatening dingy walls an gates that looked like they had endless possibilities....to go nowhere interesting. What a great build-up! Yesterday, i drove over our local version of th Queen Elizabeth Bridge, the 12-lane wide Port Mann Bridge. While its cable-stayed design is beautiful, and the sweep of the deck aesthetic, the sheer size of the bridge almost overcomes the powerful presence of the might Fraser below it.
The Thames shoreline likewise has a familiar look to the Fraser, with its wild areas, and bizarre industrial punctualtions. The contrasts you present are so evocative, and the views of roses and brambles and flowering weeds gives a sense of wonder at the way nature pushes back at the huge man-made structures.
Your videos eloquently capture and communicate your environment and history--so well that some threads and themes are truly universal.
Thank you so much for all your inspiring work, its wonderful to have the ability to appreciate that which is on your doorstep .
This is the sort of day I love. The video reminds me, though, as interesting a landscape is, its greatest value is its companionable guide.
I enjoy your narrated walks , and I often wonder about the music that accompanies your films , I know this particular part of the river very well and often walk it myself,, keep up the good work John Rogers 🙏🏻👍
Thanks Daniel. A list of the music is in the video description- it’s all from the UA-cam Audio Library
@@JohnRogersWalks Thankyou very much 🙏🏻👍
Really appreciated the shots of hips & autumn leaves & yellow Mullein etc. Thankyou John.
Wonderful, I think you earned a can or two of Stella great work
Thanks Raj - I had some tea and cake before sinking a couple of pints
Great one , John.........You will have to keep us updated on the new lock down you folks are under, Thanks .Merv .....BC .....Canada
Thanks Merv - certainly keep you updated on the lockdown, I’ll keep walking and uploading videos
Thank you so very much.We love your walks the good , bad and the ugly
Nice one johnny👍👍👍
Epic little walk, that sort of landscape is often the most beautiful,thanks for taking us with you.
You need grey depressing weather like that to fully enjoy the bleak, dystopian landscape of that walk.
Thank you John we are moving to near this area soon . We hope to be inspired by your travels xxx
you're in for some wonderful skies - it's a rich territory
@@JohnRogersWalks thank you we decided to move back in
Partly through your journeys , originally from
Kent , just inspired me back home , husband happy ! Xxx
Superb so much old jetties pipelines etc...
Nice bleak but atmospheric one this! Something very cool about that whole area.
Wow, John, what an incredible walk! So happy the mood struck for you to head downriver. Thanks for showing us this amazing place where so many different flows converge.
good walk brings back memories of when I worked in perfleet look forward to the next walk
Another good one, sir! Love that area, so desolate & bleak...
feeling rather chilly watching that, air con on, Grey sky the sound of the wind and of course a few ice cold Beers, another great video..
One of my favorites from you John. Amazingly dramatic.
thanks Mouxbar
awesome video.. you have my feet itching! i was last down there when i was doing the loop and took some small diversions.. such a wonderful area and what atmospheric weather you had!
thank you for posting this great walk.
My pleasure Clive glad you enjoyed it
Just, stunning. Thank you.
Great Walking Tour! Enjoyed it and Very interesting :) 👍👍 Thank you for sharing!
thanks for watching Walk Around