London, United Kingdom
N/A
Good for kids
Wheelchair-accessible entrance
Genuine and historic. Somehow became a survivor. Easily overlooked.
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This ferryman’s seat is hundreds of years old and still as good as new. But that's no surprise. I’ve walked past it many times, and I’ve never once seen a ferryman sitting on it. But why is that? First of all, it’s made from flint, an extremely hard, sharp rock, perfect for axes and arrow heads, but not so perfect for sitting on. If you've ever sat on an arrow head, you’ll know what I mean. It’s also tilted forward. When you need to rest or maybe take a nap, you’ll want a nice reclining chair that evenly distributes your weight and provides good support for your head, back and shoulders. If by some miracle, you fell asleep on this seat, you’d tumble forward and knock yourself unconscious on the cobbles. And finally it’s in the wrong place. A responsible ferryman would want to keep an eye on his ferry, but this seat is set back from the river, down a side street, and eight miles away from the closest ferry in Woolwich. That’s a sixteen mile round trip just to sit on a sharp rock, only to get back to work five hours later, and find some thieving ‘erbert has had it away with your boat. But on the positive side, it's old, and historical bits of leftover London are always good.
Good history
Genuine resting place for 18th century Thames ferry men
Small, unassuming yet historic. Find it and imagine.
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