Boats, birds, and buildings that caught my eye on a Saturday morning walk along Lambeth Reach in June.
Boats
Gabriel Franks was the first British police officer to die on duty when he was hit by a bullet during the Wapping Coal Riot in October 1798. His name lives on in GABRIEL FRANKS III. She is a TARGA 32 launch and part of the Metropolitan Marine Policing Unit fleet of Fast Patrol Vessels.
Fire Rescue boat ERRINGTON is named after Harry Errington, who was awarded the George Cross in World War II for his exceptional bravery during the Blitz when he rescued two badly injured firefighter colleagues from the basement of a burning building. See the history of Lambeth River station here and also my piece about a special trip with ERRINGTON’s firefighting crew.
There are four RNLI Lifeboats Stations on the tidal Thames: Gravesend; Tower; Chiswick; and Teddington, set up after the 1989 Marchioness disaster.
HEARN MEDICINE CHEST is based at Tower RNLI.
One of Cory’s fleet of tugs towing barges of waste downstream to their recycling centre. The company specialises in “safe, clean, and sustainable ways of managing recyclable and non-recyclable waste in London and the South East”. These black and white tugs towing their yellow waste containers are a familiar sight along this stretch of the Thames.
Uber Boat by Thames Clippers has a fleet of twenty-one vessels. STORM, SKY, and STAR have been there from the beginning when the company was founded by Sean Collins and Alan Wood, on May 24, 1999. My photos of the fleet in two 2021 articles, show the boats both pre-Covid, when their livery was the MBNA blue and white, and post-Covid when their livery changed to the Uber black and white.
Some of Thames Party Boats’ fleet at their mooring near Lambeth Bridge. M.V. HURLINGHAM was awaiting dry docking and M.V. CLIFTON CASTLE is taking her place in the fleet for the moment.
Owned by Colliers Launches the CONNAUGHT is one of the most elegant pleasure boats operating on the Thames. Built in 1911, she has been cruising between Westminster and Hampton Court for over 100 years.
PENTLAND VENTURE now owned by London Party Boats Ltd., came down to London in May 2025 from Caithness, having served as a ferry between John O’Groats and Orkney each summer from 1987 until 2023. She will have a new lease of life here as a Thames party boat.
The TAMESIS DOCK bar is a converted 1930s Dutch barge serving drinks, food and live music, all with wonderful views of the River Thames and famous London landmarks.
Birds
Our walk took us to Riverside Gardens right by Vauxhall Bridge where number of pigeons were lazing around on the grass steps. Occasionally something upsets them and they sweep up together in a dusty cloud before settling back but once they’re still, you can see the immense variety of the individuals among them. Their history and association with London is explored in an article by the London Museum, which has a pigeon and “a gold poo splat” as their new logo. Their reasoning: “Pigeons are all over London, a place where the grit and the glitter have existed side by side for millennia”.
Escape from the shore
The highlight of our walk was the adventure of these Egyptian goslings, difficult to see on the debris-laden foreshore but once spotted, it was clear that with a strong flood tide sweeping in they wouldn’t be able to stay where they were. And we remained fixed to the spot to see how they would manage.
One of the parents is watching the water carefully as the goslings, disturbed by a wave start to move around.
Buildings
The muddle of new buildings in Vauxhall, some of which look as if they are about to fly away, are fighting for a river view as they crowd the south bank of the Thames…
… and among them is the striking home of the British Secret Intelligence Service, MI6, the Vauxhall Cross building, completed in 1994. Designed by Sir Terry Farrell, it was originally planned as a commercial set-up but approved of and bought by the Government in 1988, adapted from then for its new purpose. Among secret modifications and additions, “the building incorporates specially designed doors and 25 different types of glass. It was officially opened by Queen Elizabeth II in July 1994.” *
Much derided by some critics at the time it was built, its difference and eye-catching character stand out among the drab conformity of its neighbours along this stretch of the Albert Embankment. There’s no secret as to its purpose, and it has even featured as the headquarters of MI6 in no less than five Bond films.
The MI6 building, true to Sir Terry Farrell’s interpretation of Post Modern Architecture, reflects a variety of styles. Phil Baker writes in The Building Centre, 1931 – 2021: ” His typical building style was post-modernist, exuberant and playful”, and the building echoes elements of “industrial modernist architecture such as Bankside and Battersea Power Stations, and Mayan and Aztec religious temples.” The Art Deco style lamps and benches, and the circular colonnade along the path in front of the building at the end, add to its exuberance.
Of course there is much more to see and to discuss on this part of Lambeth Reach apart from these random sitings, and, if you’re interested, you could look at some of the sources cited for my Thames21 guided walk on May 26th.
Further Information
Tower RNLI, some history, 2021.
*History of the Secret Intelligence Service.
The: SIS/MI6 Building by Phil Baker.