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:

Anonymous said...

Very interesting...great shot.

Pretty Life Online said...

a good catch! mine's up too.

MammaMayMiller said...

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

Susan Demeter said...

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

eastcoastlife said...

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

Susan Demeter said...

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

SandyCarlson said...

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

Katya said...

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

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

ellen b. said...

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...

aubreyannie said...

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

Anonymous said...

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

Jenn in Holland said...

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

Liz said...

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

Anonymous said...

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

Le Butterfly said...

Looks like a postcard.

Glad you are feeling better.

Stacie said...

What a beautiful shot.

jams o donnell said...

Thanks for visiting everyone!

Anonymous said...

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

Anonymous said...

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

Anonymous said...

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.

L.L. Barkat said...

And you have captured them in a beautiful way!

Anonymous said...

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

www.mamapj.com

Anonymous said...

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

Test said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Cynthia said...

Another really cool shot!

Colin Campbell said...

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

tammi said...

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

Cheerio said...

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

Anonymous said...

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

Anonymous said...

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!

Sandee said...

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. :)

Lori said...

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

etteY said...

great shot! kinda creepy tho. happy WW!

Unknown said...

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

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

Julia Phillips Smith said...

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

Amazing Gracie said...

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

HartofDixie said...

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

Anonymous said...

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

Steve Bates said...

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.

Anonymous said...

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

maiylah said...

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

Gattina said...

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 !

James Higham said...

All power to the birds.

jams o donnell said...

Thanks everyone!

A Free Man said...

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

Sreisaat said...

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

Daisy said...

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

Dragonheart, Merlin, Devi, and Chloe said...

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

Anonymous said...

Fantastic photo!

Happy WW!

-cheh

http://moderately-confused.com/

elasticwaistbandlady said...

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.

elasticwaistbandlady said...

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

chartao said...

great photos and thanks for the history lesson!!!

Check out mine flowers!!!

maryt/theteach said...

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! :)

Heart of Rachel said...

Interesting background behind the picture. Thanks for sharing it.

Anonymous said...

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

Qtpies7 said...

Beautiful picture.

Dragonstar said...

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

Anonymous said...

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

Happy WW Jams

Cinnamon Girl said...

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

Rebecca said...

Happy WW :-)

**"Liza"** said...

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

Tina said...

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

jams o donnell said...

Thanks everyone

Deb said...

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

catsynth said...

Wow, that is really interesting. Thanks for sharing.

Queen of My Domain said...

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

Mommy Lutchi said...

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.

Anonymous said...

brilliant choice for today's wordless!

happy ww!

The Lone Beader® said...

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

Misty DawnS said...

Fantastic photo! I love it!

♥.Trish.♥ Drumboys said...

interesting and details.

Melanie said...

Intersting information and a lovely photo!

Livin' With Me

Andree said...

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.