Barkantine Practice

Westferry Circus

South Quay · 0.6 miles

Westferry Circus is a road interchange and public space in Canary Wharf estate in London, and contains a two-level road interchange. There are two roundabouts, one above the other. It was designed by Laurie Olin. In this context, a circus, from the Latin word meaning "circle", is a round open space at a street junction.

King Edward Memorial Park Foreshore

Ratcliffe · 1.2 miles

Set on the northern bank of the River Thames in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, the foreshore of King Edward Memorial Park lies close to Ratcliffe and is managed by Thames Water. Covering 3.3 hectares, the site ranks among the larger parks in the borough and carries a Green Flag Award for its standards and biodiversity. Visitors can follow the Thames Path as it runs through the park, use the wheelchair-accessible paths and public toilets, and enjoy a range of facilities including a bandstand, waterfront benches, a children’s play area, a bowling green, an all-weather football pitch and tennis courts. The ground has historic links to the early 16th century, when Sir Hugh Willoughby launched an expedition for the Northeast Passage from the present location; a stone and plaque near the former Rotherhithe Rotunda mark that event. Later, the area hosted the Shadwell Fish Market from 1885 before being converted into a public space. After a planning committee reported on the scheme in 1911, the park was formally opened on 24 June 1922 by King George V and Queen Mary as a memorial to King Edward VII. It now serves the surrounding districts of Shadwell, Wapping, Stepney, Ratcliff and Limehouse, providing a venue for school sports days, religious festivals and everyday recreation.

Brunel Museum

Rotherhithe · 1.2 miles

Located in Rotherhithe, Southwark, the former Brunel Engine House now houses the Brunel Museum, a small history museum set within the original infrastructure of the Thames Tunnel. The brick engine house and adjoining tunnel shaft were designed by Sir Marc Isambard Brunel as part of the world’s first underwater tunnel, which opened in 1843. Between 1825 and 1843 the building functioned as a boiler house, powering steam-driven pumps that removed water from the tunnel. From 1961 the structure has displayed information about the tunnel’s construction and the wider work of Marc and Isambard Kingdom Brunel, including a model of the patented tunnelling shield and artefacts from the tunnel’s later use as a pedestrian link between Rotherhithe and Wapping. The chimney and engine house received Grade II listing in 1974, were stabilised by a charitable trust in 1975 and restored in 1979. In 2006 the site was renamed Brunel Museum and its exhibition was expanded with a mural on the shaft and bench-seating incorporating bridge models. A roof garden created in 2012 now hosts a cocktail bar, while the shaft itself has been refurbished for events and occasional tours. The museum participates in the annual Open House Weekend and runs a programme of walks, school-holiday activities and both in-person and online tours. Admission is subject to a charge, and wheelchair access is limited. Opening times are published on the museum’s listing, and the nearest town is Rotherhithe. Facilities were upgraded during major works in 2007, adding a café and improved toilets, and further refurbishment of the shaft in 2016 introduced a freestanding staircase to improve visitor access while preserving the historic brick walls.

Old Royal Naval College

Greenwich Town Centre · 1.2 miles

The complex that dominates the Greenwich riverside forms the architectural centrepiece of Maritime Greenwich, a UNESCO World Heritage Site recognised for its universal value. Set on the north bank of the River Thames opposite Greenwich Town Centre, the ensemble of Grade I-listed buildings is fully step-free, allowing wheelchair users to move around the site without barriers. Originally the location of a Tudor palace, the area was redeveloped from 1696 to 1712 as the Royal Hospital for Seamen, a design credited to Christopher Wren who incorporated the earlier Queen’s House into a long axial layout toward the river. After the hospital’s closure in 1869 the structures served as the Royal Naval College from 1873 until the navy vacated the premises in 1998. Management passed to the Greenwich Foundation, which opened the grounds, the chapel, the Painted Hall and a visitor centre to the public in 2002. Admission is free each day, and guided tours are offered at no charge. Highlights include the early-18th-century Painted Hall, decorated by Sir James Thornhill, the historic chapel where a Sunday service takes place at 11:00, and the Nelson Room displaying a replica statue and related memorabilia. The site also accommodates coffee shops, bars and restaurants within the historic fabric, and it hosts concerts, business meetings and cultural events in the Painted Hall. University departments and music colleges lease parts of the complex, while film crews regularly use the grounds for productions. All facilities are accessible without steps, making the Old Royal Naval College a practical destination for visitors, students and locals alike.

King's Stairs Gardens

Rotherhithe · 1.2 miles

Riverside walks and historic memorials give King’s Stairs Gardens a distinct character along the Thames in Bermondsey, just opposite Southwark Park and a short distance from Rotherhithe. The park is bounded to the north by the river and to the south by Jamaica Road (A200), offering views across the water and a direct link to the riverside promenade created in the early 1960s. Within the green space, stone markers commemorate the Silver, Golden and Diamond Jubilees of Queen Elizabeth II, the first unveiled by Her Majesty in 1977 and later additions presented by the Earl and Countess of Wessex. The site originated from post-war planning when the London County Council declared Bermondsey a reconstruction area in July 1947 and endorsed a riverside park in early 1948. After a series of objections and a compulsory-purchase order approved in September 1954, a design for the riverside walk was approved in 1960 and opened in November 1962, with the name King’s Stairs Gardens officially adopted the following January. Subsequent phases added grassy areas in the 1960s and, after a reassessment by the Greater London Council in 1968, three further green-space extensions were completed by 1982, establishing the layout that remains today. Protection of the area has been reinforced over recent years. A local campaign in 2010 persuaded Thames Water to abandon plans that would have affected the park, and the London Borough of Southwark granted village-green status in March 2012 under the Commons Act 2006. Fields in Trust added its own safeguard in 2013, and together with the nearby Edward III manor house the garden forms part of Southwark Council’s Edward III’s Rotherhithe Conservation Area.

Painted Hall

Greenwich Town Centre · 1.2 miles

The Painted Hall forms a striking interior within the Old Royal Naval College, a collection of Grade I-listed buildings that dominate the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site on the River Thames, close to Greenwich town centre. Designed by Sir Christopher Wren as part of the Royal Hospital for Seamen founded in the 1690s, the hall sits opposite the historic Queen’s House and benefits from the long axial view that links the palace-era structures to the river. The hall’s most notable feature is its extensive decorative scheme, executed between 1707 and 1726 by Sir James Thornhill. The baroque frescoes cover the walls and ceiling, illustrating allegorical scenes that celebrate Britain’s naval power. Visitors can also view the adjoining chapel, the undercroft, and the surrounding grounds, all managed by the Greenwich Foundation for the Old Royal Naval College. Access is step-free, and the site publishes its opening times on the official listing; a charge applies for admission. Guided tours are available, and the complex includes coffee shops, bars and restaurants housed within the historic fabric, providing refreshments without leaving the precinct. Since the foundation took over in 1997, the former naval training establishment has been repurposed for cultural events, concerts and film productions, while remaining open to the public on a daily basis. The combination of historic architecture, Thornhill’s artwork and the river-front setting makes the Painted Hall a distinctive attraction within Greenwich.