The Exploration Begins...

The Building Exploratory volunteers started exploring High Street 2012 over the summer. Read about Niamh’s experiences of High Street 2012 below, as she walked the length of the street taking photos of all the buildings for the Peoples' Favourite Buildings website (which you can access here!):

I began with the Whitechapel gallery and it was a good start. It really is a beautiful building and I noticed these panels above the doors on either side where it looks like the surface is flaking away.

The Royal London Hospital has stunning tile work on the front entrance. The Whitechapel Market is a feast for the eyes and ears between all the colours and sounds. The mosaics above the doors on the East London Mosque and Cultural Centre are beautiful.  All the buildings that surround The Ideas Store are reflected on its glass exterior and it makes a great photograph. The ships on either end of Trinity Green Almshouses and Chapel are very eye catching and quirky even though there are replicas. The originals are kept in the Museum of London. From here on the street becomes a lot quieter and there are less people and traffic.  It feels cooler too as there is more shade due to a lot more trees. The Queen Mary University Administrative Building has a very lush lawn; it made me want to have a picnic. Wickham’s Department store is so bizarre as it is broken in the middle by a closed shop but really interesting and forces you to look twice at it. Ocean Estate has a lot of scaffolding and the work seems to be moving at a quick pace. Genesis Cinema is a delightful little building. St Clements Hospital is now closed and unfortunately it’s difficult to see from the street as there are big trees hiding it away. The red gates however are very visible and enticing. Bow Road Police Station and Stables are a great contrast. The Police Station looks like any old police station until you turn the corner and see what used to be the housing quarters, a modern building that reminds me of a Spanish villa. The Former Town Hall has really interesting relief and I love that the end looks like a ship’s hull. Across the road is the Bow Bells Pub, a lovely shade of orange.

I finished with the Church of St Mary Stratford at Bow, and it was the perfect building to finish with. I love that it is hidden when in the street until you get to the gates and see a lovely long footpath leading to the front doors and an arch covered in greenery.