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Taken at Arne RSPB, Dorset on 7th August 2016 [Iolo Williams is a Welsh Wildlife TV Presenter & naturalist. He had presented many progammes but also appeared as a guest presenter in Springwatch during 2009, 2011, 2014, 2018 & 2019]
These days, in terms of maritime history and industrial archaeology, there is not much to see at the remaining East India Dock Basin. There were no information boards to inform visitors of some of the key events here. For example, in 1907 Shackleton's Nimrod departed the dock for the start of its expedition to the Antarctic.
One of the more unusual sights in the East India Dock was the surfacing of the Thermopylae, an experimental submarine that would have easily slotted into a Sci-Fi movie of the period. The dome on the prow contained listening and electronic sonar detection gear.
For us, there were no exciting sightings of fragments from Rocketship X-M, Supersonic Saucer or Space Master X-7. All we saw was mud, lots of mud, as the water level was extremely low. Trying to envisage the scene in the dock's heyday, it was rather pitiful.
The docks were constructed between 1803 and 1806 and were the third set of wet docks built on the Thames in the early 19th century. Founded in 1600, the East India Company shipped valuable goods from the East to the Thames. It was a rich, powerful and well-organised body using the largest ships that frequented the Port of London. At its height, the company accounted for half of the world's trade, particularly in commodities such as cotton, silk, indigo dye, salt, spices, saltpetre, tea, and opium. A legacy of the company is that it stimulated the growth of the British Empire. Depending on your political and ethical views, this had either a great or terrible impact on the lesser-developed world. Ports such as Bristol and Liverpool have acknowledged the darker side of their history but this is not so palpable in London's docklands.
Whilst tangible fragments of maritime history may be absent, the dock now has plenty of wildlife interest, with sights to cause thigh-rubbing by Chris Packham and Iolo Williams, the latter being particularly fond of wading birds.
Many plants on the shore of the northern edge of the basin are salt marsh species that have evolved to cope with the high levels of salt and regular inundation by water on the highest tides. This kind of habitat is very rare in south-east England, where most shores that would develop salt marsh have been heavily engineered to allow boats the access the land or to grant permission to building right up to the water's edge. The East India Dock Basin now enjoys a new lease of life as a wildlife sanctuary where Kingfishers can be seen, along with occasional Black Redstarts and nesting Common Terns. We witnessed a gang of herons in the trees, no doubt scoping for their next snack. We were quite excited by this as they did not give two hoots about us and sat in the trees, chilled out, ready for the next feeding session.
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Edward Williams, better known by his bardic name Iolo Morganwg, was an influential Welsh antiquarian, poet, collector, and literary forger. A stone plaque commemorating the life of Morganwg – also known as Edward Williams – in Primrose Hill.
The plaque, with the inscription “truth against the world”, was laid in Primrose Hill as a temporary installation during a summer solstice druid event. It marks the historic day in 1792 when Morganwg convened the first meeting of the Gorsedd of Bards of the Island of Britain. The Welsh cultural group is made up of prominent Welsh figures who have made a distinguished contribution to the nation’s language and culture.
They regard Morganwg’s Primrose Hill assembly as one of the most important points in Welsh history.