The Floating Church

Apparently, St Peter’s Church is the only floating church in London (perhaps the UK). It’s a barge which was sailed over from the Netherlands after a refit in 2003. It sits in the water in front of the Museum of London Docklands, the other side of Canary Wharf. By ‘the other side’ I mean if you drew a line with the centre at Canary Wharf DLR station, the flat is one way and this church the other. They claim it’s in the heart of Canary Wharf but I’m not sure I agree with the general location of the heart if this is truly the case.

Anyway, it’s quite unusual and I hoped it would be quite pretty. Actually, it just looks like a barge. I wanted to get a really good photo of it to blip but some Christian had parked his car right in front of it on the dock, making it impossible to get a decent shot. Pity as it was such a lovely morning for it. So, sadly, this will have to do.

St Peter's, the Floating Church, Canary Wharf

There’s a little more history of it here. More impressive is the Museum of London Docklands right opposite it which Mirinda and I are going to visit when we stay in town for our London holiday.

Also in front of the museum is a statue of this chap:

Robert Milligan

His name was Robert Milligan and he was a merchant and one of those responsible for the building of the West India Docks in 1802, so that lots of sugar, rum and coffee could safely arrive from the Caribbean. Apparently he was an amazing man but it seems he may have turned a blind eye to all the slavery that was going at the time. He also little cared for the dockers who worked for him. When the area was gentrified, there was some who called for his statue to be removed but it remains.

Of course, I’m not usually in Canary Wharf on a Monday but I was meeting BT at the flat again to get the Internet sorted. They said the engineer would be there between 1 – 6pm so, effectively, I spent the day up there. After a jolly fun wander around in the blue sky sunshine, I did Mirinda’s grocery shopping then went to the flat for the big sit-in.

The engineer turned up at 5:20pm. While I waited, I vac’d, attached Mirinda’s new electric blanket, had a good sweep and watched Prince Caspian which I’d forgotten and thoroughly enjoyed for the second time.

The engineer was a very pleasant chap, as my experience of BT engineers has proven time and time again, and came equipped with a load of impressive computer equipment. He tested and checked, stripped and rewired and, eventually, said the problem was probably at the exchange and would go off and check that instead. He left at about 6 and I wasn’t far behind him.

I was amazed at how crowded Canary Wharf Jubilee Line tube station is at this time of night. Extraordinarily thick queues waiting on the platform. People don’t even walk down the escalator. It was like being lowered into the depths of hell. I figured I was in for a long wait. I couldn’t have been more wrong. A train was filling up as I made my way down and by the time I was at the doors, another train pulled in and I hopped straight on. Granted it was very crowded (mostly with French business people) but the trip took the usual 20 minutes and I was onto the 6:30 train home at Waterloo. Again, this was very crowded but at least I had a seat.

I then received a call from BT to say that the engineer had finished and asking me if it was working. I told the operator (clearly another Indian) that I wasn’t there but would check later. She is ringing me again tomorrow to check. Then, a few hours later, the engineer called me (see, I said he was a nice chap) to say he’d checked the exchange but it needed a part replacing, which would happen tomorrow. You wonder sometimes why these people don’t communicate properly.

So, the up-shot is, it should be fixed for tomorrow. My fingers are firmly crossed. I have a busy week and do not want another day at the flat!