# The Thames Pageant.....



## WereBo (Apr 5, 2008)

I took a wander down to Greenwich yesterday, to watch the dispersal after the 'Queen's Diamond Jubilee *Thames Pageant*', over 1,000 boats in a flotilla not seen for over 350 years on the Thames.

It was a dismal grey day but the rain managed to hold off until the 1st boat appeared round the bend from Tower Bridge, then it poured down....

This pano shows the view from London to the Cutty Sark Gardens, in Greenwich (One of the few shots not full of peoples heads and/or umbrollies....







)











The Gloriana....











The Sea Cadets flying the flags of the Commonwealth (or what's left of it ), disappearing in the distance....











Mrs WereBo's finger...... (The 'joys' of photography :wink











The diagonal streaks is the rain.....










Venetian Gondoliers.....


----------



## Old Rich (May 31, 2007)

Nice photos . . I watched it on TV . . what is the steel frame in photo #3 ?. . I saw it yesterday as well and could not place it


----------



## WereBo (Apr 5, 2008)

Despite the cold and downpours, the atmosphere was amazing, with everyone cheering and waving...











Boats, rain, people and low clouds (+ raindrops on the lens :nonono....











Once the boats passed Tower Bridge, they officially ended their part in the festival, so a lot of the 'Man-powered' craft had a well-earned break at the Poplar Rowing Club bar....











HSL 102 built in 1936, she is one of only 22 100-Class High Speed Launches that were used by the RAF to rescue World War II airmen from the seas.





















After the last boats went past, we decided to have a hot mug of tea to warm up and by the time we left the cafe, the rain had stopped enough to walk home and dry ourselves out as we were totally drenched through. Even my camera had water dripping out of it (and it was still working heroically







) so I removed the batteries, SD-card and the various little covers and flaps and left it on top of the fridge to dry out. This afternoon I tested it and everything is still working perfectly


----------



## WereBo (Apr 5, 2008)

Old Rich said:


> Nice photos . . I watched it on TV . . what is the steel frame in photo #3 ?. . I saw it yesterday as well and could not place it


It's what we call a 'Gasometer', a telescopic storage tank for natural gas (not petrol :wink that supplies the local area....

How it works, thanks to 'cgksheff'.... :grin:

Gasometer image by cgksheff on Photobucket


----------



## Old Rich (May 31, 2007)

Has it always been there? For some reason it jumped out at me when I saw it


----------



## WereBo (Apr 5, 2008)

I don't know when it was originally built, but it's been there as long as I can remember :grin: - A lot were built during Victorian times


----------



## Old Rich (May 31, 2007)

Funny how you can see something for the first time that was there all along . . I do that all the time


----------



## WereBo (Apr 5, 2008)

Slightly off-topic but I gotta admit, you piqued my curiosity as to where it actually is so I had a wander round on Google-Earth. I found it very close to the 'O2' Arena, A.K.A. 'The Dome' at Greenwich Peninsula (The huge domed tent that James Bond slid down at the beginning of 'The World Is Not Enough :grin.

Here's another pic I snapped of it last year, when I visited the 'Museum of Rock' at The Dome.... It was chucking it down with rain then, too


----------



## DonaldG (Aug 23, 2007)

Smashing Jubilee set WB. I was thinking of you and wondering if you got some shots... Well done - I wish we had been there with you...


----------



## WereBo (Apr 5, 2008)

Thanks Donald, but you'd have needed your waterproofs, just for your camera :grin:

I was rather disappointed and annoyed though cos, when we tried to find out what was available up-river, we were informed everywhere was by ticket only and sold out! 

Walking down to Greenwich, we met various tourists from around the globe who were visiting, and they informed us that all the places they tried to see the pageant, they were told it's private property and asked to move on. Even Battersea park (a public open park) was closed off for ticket-holders only







- When they tried the embankments, it was too crowded to see anything at all apart from a sea of heads 12+ deep - Still, I suppose they had to pay for it all somehow... :sigh:


----------

