Pages

15 January 2008

WW - Stone barges, Rainham

This week's entry for the Tuesday and Wednesday edition of Wordless Wednesday.

If you head down to the Thames at Rainham you will see a number of abandoned concrete near the Tilda rice premises. The barges played their part in history. They originally formed part of the mulberry harbours built to support the allied invasion of Normandy. In 1953 they were used to shore up river defences following the great floods of 1953. Now they are rotting away but provide excellent nesting sites for birds.

73 comments:

  1. Anonymous9:39 am

    Very interesting...great shot.

    ReplyDelete
  2. a good catch! mine's up too.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Fascinating bit of history! And a very interesting, atmospheric shot.
    Hope you feel better soon...
    Hope you've got your Lemsip Max handy?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Ghost barges ... love the look of this shot! Happy WW Tuesday and hope you are feeling better soonly!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Fascinating history. I shall look out for them when I visit Thames.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thanks for the heads up re the links on WW I have reposted them and they are working now :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. That's interesting, James. It's poetic too--that these wartime tools are the site of bird nests. Nature finds a use for everything.

    ReplyDelete
  8. That is very interesting, indeed! They also provide an excellent photo op for a creative mind!

    Hope you are feeling better...SOON!!!

    ReplyDelete
  9. I hope to walk the trail along the Thames in the future. I love to pick up history in our travels. Have a wonderful week...

    ReplyDelete
  10. it's been a while since i've been over here..i love this picture. thanks for sharing. happy ww.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Anonymous4:30 pm

    It's a great shot, but you are one heck of a photographer. drive to the lake

    ReplyDelete
  12. Gorgeous Jams. I really like the effect you played with here.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Very interesting post. It's sad to hear that they are rotting but at least the birds have a nesting place ;) Happy WW.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Anonymous5:30 pm

    It's an interesting piece of history, thanks for sharing. Happy WW. Thanks for dropping by.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Looks like a postcard.

    Glad you are feeling better.

    ReplyDelete
  16. What a beautiful shot.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Thanks for visiting everyone!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Anonymous7:47 pm

    Wow, I'm glad they are now homes to birds, rather than used in warfare. Happy WW! Beautiful shot.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Anonymous7:49 pm

    Those are intriguing, I take it they floated. We have one in Galveston, it was a lot bigger than yours.
    Happy WW/WT!
    ..

    ReplyDelete
  20. Anonymous7:59 pm

    Isn't that interesting? They "seem" completely useless on the surface but when you consider the birds that nest there, this has got to be something of a blessing. Happy WW.

    ReplyDelete
  21. And you have captured them in a beautiful way!

    ReplyDelete
  22. Anonymous8:39 pm

    I love shots like this that include a bit of history! Happy WW!

    www.mamapj.com

    ReplyDelete
  23. Anonymous8:48 pm

    I really love this one Jams. One of your best so far.

    ReplyDelete
  24. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Another really cool shot!

    ReplyDelete
  26. There are so many components of history. These without context would mean nothing. Interesting.

    ReplyDelete
  27. How lonely and haunting and brave all at the same time. Very thought-provoking.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Anonymous11:32 pm

    It may be wordless but the way it looks it speaks for itself.
    Mine is up too.

    ReplyDelete
  29. Anonymous12:13 am

    Great picture. It's kinda sad that something that used to be so important just has to sit and rot now.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Anonymous1:31 am

    Thanks for the brief information. I like your shot... and it think it will make a great picture in the history text book (=

    Have fun!

    ReplyDelete
  31. I had no idea. It was a scary time in history (WWII). I would bet the floods were no picnic either. Very well done. Have a great WW. :)

    ReplyDelete
  32. Great shot...I love the rustic look. Happy WW.

    ReplyDelete
  33. great shot! kinda creepy tho. happy WW!

    ReplyDelete
  34. Sad in a way...but at least they're there for the birds ;)

    [mine's up -- the wednesday edition, that is :)]

    ReplyDelete
  35. They've been saving invasions, floods and now birds. They're amazing.

    ReplyDelete
  36. What an interesting history lesson!
    I appreciate the starkness of the shot.
    ~~~Blessings~~~

    ReplyDelete
  37. It's good to know that. Lovely shot!
    Happy WW!

    ReplyDelete
  38. Anonymous6:10 am

    Thanks for an interesting photo, and a little history lesson, too.

    ReplyDelete
  39. Great photo, jams. There's a concrete vessel off the coast of Galveston Island, about the same vintage (I think), never completed because the war ended. Somewhere I have pics including a photo of the monument marker sign in Seawolf Park; I'll try to remember to dig those up.

    ReplyDelete
  40. Anonymous7:39 am

    cool shot, and love the photo treatment! amazing ...
    Happy WW!

    ReplyDelete
  41. love the perspective and your photo treatment!
    such a beautiful photo ... it speaks volumes! :)
    Happy WW!

    ReplyDelete
  42. Looking at this I regret that I haven't visited this corner when I went to London very often.
    We had a storm here yesterday with 100 km/h windspeed ! Was awful. Fortunately no victims !

    ReplyDelete
  43. All power to the birds.

    ReplyDelete
  44. Amazing shot! Almost a tangible texture to this shot. Thanks for your visit.

    ReplyDelete
  45. It's interesting! Sad though that it's left to rot there.

    ReplyDelete
  46. I am glad the birds get to use them. That photo makes me feel a little bit melancholy.

    ReplyDelete
  47. Incredible photo! Thanks for providing some of the background behind it. :)

    ReplyDelete
  48. Anonymous12:01 pm

    Fantastic photo!

    Happy WW!

    -cheh

    http://moderately-confused.com/

    ReplyDelete
  49. I thought about you yesterday when I listened to the radio. Did you know that this singer named Newton Faulkner does a cover of 'Teardrops' that you and the not wife love so much? It's wretched. :(

    Interesting picture! I've heard of getting stoned on a boat but never about stone boats.

    ReplyDelete
  50. Your comment yesterday on my blog made both Millie and me giggle.

    ReplyDelete
  51. great photos and thanks for the history lesson!!!

    Check out mine flowers!!!

    ReplyDelete
  52. Wonderful shot and story, jams. The Boston story is another story I never heard before - Death by Molasses...not a bed way to go! Ha! :)

    ReplyDelete
  53. Interesting background behind the picture. Thanks for sharing it.

    ReplyDelete
  54. Anonymous3:18 pm

    Great pic - and a fascinating piece of British heritage. Happy WW!

    ReplyDelete
  55. Beautiful picture.

    ReplyDelete
  56. That's quite a shot, very moody. Sad, too - boats should move.

    ReplyDelete
  57. Anonymous6:27 pm

    What a great shot. How did you get the color? I love to fidget with pictures, so I am wondering.

    Happy WW Jams

    ReplyDelete
  58. What a cool picture and history lesson! Happy WW =)

    ReplyDelete
  59. great shot!! i love the sepia tone of this photo too.That very interesting..Happy WW!
    mine's here

    ReplyDelete
  60. That's a good word for it. Rotten.
    And the picture really shows it and I actually feel a little sad... Good capture!

    Happy WW,
    Tina

    ReplyDelete
  61. Oh very interesting - both the photo and the explanation... Happy WW! :)

    ReplyDelete
  62. Wow, that is really interesting. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  63. Very intersting photo and story behind it. It has a very sad feel to it for me.

    ReplyDelete
  64. I have no idea what it is...thanks for the info. Great shots.

    Mine is up at 4Seasonsofmylife. Hope you can visit me too. Have a great WW.

    ReplyDelete
  65. Anonymous9:40 pm

    brilliant choice for today's wordless!

    happy ww!

    ReplyDelete
  66. I once took a boat down the Thames from Greenwich Pier to Westminster. I saw a few barges then:)

    ReplyDelete
  67. Fantastic photo! I love it!

    ReplyDelete
  68. Intersting information and a lovely photo!

    Livin' With Me

    ReplyDelete
  69. The photo felt so sad to me, especially after learning about the role of the boats in history. But reading that they help nesting birds, makes it upbeat. It is a beautiful photo.

    ReplyDelete