THE LAST DITCH An Englishman returned after twenty years abroad blogs about liberty in Britain
Day 4 on the Thames Path - Putney Bridge to Vauxhall Bridge
Day 6 on the Thames Path: Tower Bridge to Canary Wharf – Mission accomplished

Day 5 on the Thames Path: Vauxhall Bridge to Tower Bridge

This is one of the shortest sections of my planned walk, but richest in photo-opportunities. From the MI6 Building to the Houses of Parliament, Lambeth Palace, the more famous bridges, City Hall and (more poignant to me) the various buildings I worked on when I was a young property lawyer.

My then firm was neither one of the genteel Inns operations handling aristocratic estates nor one of the corporate City outfits where "dirt lawyers" are looked down on. Our reputation was on the aggressive side (snobs were known to call us "spivs") but I believe it was the best place to learn the ways of the racy, exciting real estate business that is still (even after almost a decade of retirement) the world where I feel most comfortable. It was my experience at that firm that made me feel far more a real estate person than a lawyer.

I wouldn't bore you with the details of old deals even if professional ethics permitted, but I remembered them fondly today in all their long-forgotten details. There is one building featured in today's photographs which has such complicated subterranean boundaries that I'd bet I am still the only person who fully understands them. I remember the reaction of HM Land Registry when I suggested to them that they could only be properly represented by a hologram.

There's a life lesson that I reflected on today though in how little all those things we agonised and fought about matter now. I missed key moments of my daughters' lives to deal with issues the people fighting over them have long forgotten. I hope my daughters are wiser than I was when their time comes.

The walk barely needs describing. The most casual visitor to London will recognise most of the landmarks featured so the captions to the photographs will suffice. If you can't name a prominently-featured building, then I took a fee for legal advice in relation to it!  The photographs are to be found here and I hope you enjoy looking at them as much as I enjoyed making them.

Comments

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JuliaM

London Bridge to Tower Bridge is my favourite part. When visiting the Christmas Market I often go to Tower Hill, walk to London Bridge along the Thames path, then cross over and do the Market before returning to Tower Hill.

I'm really going to miss it this year.

Andrew

I was very interested in this part of your walk as,many years ago, I used to walk some of this, albeit onthe north side of the river, to and from work. Actually from St George's Square to Temple. How things have changed since those days!

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