London's Waterways

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17290
Pratt, Derek
Book
9781408110744
Adlard Coles
2010
160
1
N21
Missing
Review Date: 
19/05/2010

Price: £19.99 Book Review Cover

Derek Pratt is a photographer and writer with a special interest in Britain’s inland waterways.  He has been building his photographic library over some 45 years, and his monthly feature in Canal Boat magazine is always illustrated with his own pictures.  Many of us will have received our first introduction to London’s waterways through his pocket-sized London’s Canals, first published in the ‘Shire Album’ series in 1977 and still in print. His latest book is anything but pocket sized, being 10 inches square.  London’s Waterways is Derek’s third book to be published by Adlard Coles and the large format does justice to his splendid photography. The book is laid-out in a consistent fashion.  On one side of each double-page spread is a single photograph.  On the other side is the accompanying text, together with two or three smaller pictures. Of the book’s 150 pages, around half are devoted to the River Thames.  Also covered, as would be expected, are the Regent’s Canal, the Grand Union and the Lee Navigation. Here too are tantalising ‘taster’ images of the Brent, Wandle, Roding, Crane, Tyburn, Westbourne, Neckinger and Fleet, together with the New River. All the expected landmarks are included – the Tower of London and the Old Royal Naval College, Camden Lock and Little Venice, not to mention Limehouse Basin!  But there are also plenty of charming surprises and unusual camera angles, and the accompanying text is interesting and informative.  Who knew that the Tyburn can be seen flowing through the basement of a shop in Mayfair?! There is just one statement which must be challenged.  Derek says that Limehouse “remained active into the 1960s but despite the construction of a new tidal lock it closed to shipping in 1970.”  In fact, the ‘new tidal lock’ was not built until 1988-89, inside the chamber of the 1869 ‘New’ Ship Lock, and it was the 1989 lock that gave Limehouse its new lease of life! This is not intended to be a book you can take with you on days out exploring London’s Waterways but it is one which will give you much pleasure before, after, or, for the truly lazy, instead of, seeing them for yourself.  

Jeremy Batch

 

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