Miss Elaineous: July 2025

Monday, 21 July 2025

YOUTUBE WOOLWICH FERRY & FOOT TUNNEL VLOG NOW LIVE!

My Woolwich Ferry & Foot Tunnel YouTube vlog is now live- come for a journey across and under the River Thames.

Link:-

Despite living in London for 30 years, I've never had cause to utilise the Woolwich Ferry and Foot Tunnel until recently. I've been through its sister, the Greenwich Foot Tunnel, several times, but this tunnel was a new experience for me!

A ferry has operated here since 1308, although there has been a connection across the Thames since the Norman Conquest. The service carries both pedestrians and vehicles. This free service has been in place since 1889; after bridge tolls were abolished. Apparently, tolls for this service cannot be levied- that would involve changing an 1885 Act of parliament. The modern ferries in use were introduced in 2018; one is named after local singer Dame Vera Lynn, and the other is named after Ben Woollacott, a Woolwich Ferry deckhand who sadly died in a mooring accident in 2011.

I then did the same journey but underground via the Woolwich Foot Tunnel, which is open 24 hours a day, and the ferry and tunnel have both featured on screen. It's very dank down there- quite welcoming on a hot day! Come and take a walk in my shoes and we'll go through the experience together...

If you like your information in word form (and I will always claim to be a writer before anything else!) then I've blogged about it as well:-

https://elainerockett.blogspot.com/2025/07/miss-elaineous-utilises-woolwich-ferry.html

Remember to like and subscribe, and don't forget to follow this blog as well!

TTFN

The Miss Elaineous

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Tuesday, 8 July 2025

YOUTUBE GRANT MUSEUM OF ZOOLOGY VLOG LIVE!

My Grant Museum of Zoology YouTube vlog is now live- come and see some truly fascinating skeletons and specimens.

Link:-

https://youtu.be/cVOPDvspDXQ

The Grant Museum of Zoology and Comparative Anatomy is one of the oldest natural history collections in the UK, and is a collection of zoological specimens and dissection material established by Scottish anatomist and zoologist Robert Edmund Grant, for use by students. Open to the public since 1996, it contains 68,000 specimens.

The atmosphere inside the museum is quiet, musty and reeks of old buildings; yet has an underlying smell that's not quite savoury. Mind you, you kind of expect specimens in formaldehyde (and I don't suppose that glass can contain every last drop of dead animal) to smell of something other than Chanel No. 5! I don't think this museum is one for those with a delicate disposition or a weak stomach!

The museum is famous for its jar of moles, and also contains a rare Quagga skeleton- the front of this animal had zebra-like brown and white stripes, but the hindquarters were plain brown.

Come and take a walk in my shoes and I'll show you these plus a Guitarfish; primates which look like they're part of a band; Andy Warhol-esque skeletons of mice in jars and a Penis Worm (that would appeal to mucky little me!) I'll also show you the Micrarium, where tiny specimens are displayed. These include beetles, a whole squid and legs of fleas showing muscles. Yes, really!

If you like your information in word form (and I will always claim to be a writer before anything else!) then I've blogged about it as well:-

https://elainerockett.blogspot.com/2020/04/miss-elaineous-visits-grant-museum-of.html

Remember to like and subscribe, and don't forget to follow this blog as well!

TTFN

The Miss Elaineous

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Tuesday, 1 July 2025

MISS ELAINEOUS VISITS WOOLWICH FERRY AND FOOT TUNNEL...

Despite living in London for 30 years, I've never had cause to utilise the Woolwich Ferry and Foot Tunnel- until this week! I've been through its sister, the Greenwich Foot Tunnel (which sits further west) several times, but this tunnel was a new experience for me.

Here I am at the North Woolwich (London Borough of Newham) side. In the distance is the Thames Barrier, finished in 1982 and officially opened in 1984.

Looking south across the Thames from the port, and here you can see both ferries. These modern ferries were introduced in 2018, and the one we travelled on is named after local singer Dame Vera Lynn. The other is named after Ben Woollacott, a Woolwich Ferry deckhand who sadly died in a mooring accident in 2011.

Another Thames Barrier shot. A ferry has operated here since 1308, although there has been a connection across the Thames since the Norman Conquest.

The ferry terminal. The service carries both pedestrians and vehicles. This free service has been in place since 1889; after bridge tolls were abolished.

There are 67 seats on board and the ferry remains popular due to a lack of nearby bridges.

Around two million passengers use the ferry every year, and the service connects the North and South Circular roads.

On the outside deck, gawping east. I always love being near water and I love my city!💓

Staring south over to our destination- the Woolwich (Royal Borough of Greenwich) side of the Thames.

The ferry can carry heavy goods vehicles, although there are height and weight restrictions. Here you can see Portaloos on top of a truck!

The doorway back to the passenger lounge, with the operations deck above.

An interesting pier jutting out eastwards, and this working river is always a source of interest to me.

The Thames Barrier operates when needed- its purpose, to protect the floodplain of Greater London from storm surges and extremely high tides.

Our exit off the ferry, and access into the terminal, being lowered into place...

Staring north and we passed the Ben Woollacott ferry, which was docking. The ferries run every 15 minutes, and the crossing takes around 15 minutes

I assume the jutting up bit of wood is for mooring. Apparently, tolls for this service cannot be levied- that would involve changing an 1885 Act of parliament.

On terra firma; in Woolwich...

We took the Woolwich Foot Tunnel back. It is open 24 hours a day, and here is the south entrance, tucked away behind the Waterfront Leisure Centre...

The ferry and tunnel have featured on screen as well, and I was reminded of 1986 BBC children's TV drama Running Scared. Adapted from a novel by Bernard Ashley, it features Paula as our main character, whose life is put seriously at risk as she and the local gangland leader search for the same piece of evidence that could put him in jail. The theme tune was Kate Bush's haunting single, Running Up That Hill.

The series also brought London's Sikh community to the screen (something that hadn't really been done before) via Paula's relationship with her best friend, Narinder

I found the series on YouTube and binged watched it in one evening! It's as excellent as ever, and features a few actors who went on to star in (new soap opera at the time) EastEnders- these include Tony Caunter (Roy), Mark Monero (Steve) and Rani Singh (Sufia).