Plaistow & East Ham

The aim of this blog is to convey life and uncover the many hidden aspects of life in the east end from the period buildings and houses to the shops and green spaces in the areas of Bow, Stratford, Plaistow, Upton Park, East Ham and Beckton.

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There really are some spectacular views from the top of the hill in Beckton. Dubbed, 'Beckton Heights', a once fully functioning dry ski slope, the hill has now fully grown over with pathways and shrubbery. At the the top there are some unexpected Studio Ghibli style coloured pillars and a small viewing platform offering a huge scope across London where you can see The Shard, The Gherkin, The Walkie Talkie building aswell as a few others. It really is well worth a visit, it's just a shame Newham Council hasn't made more of this great feature.

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The Millennium Mills @ Victoria Dock is a breathtakingly huge piece of industrial architecture. The building has been disused since the early 80s when it was once home to good manufacturer Rank Hovis Mcdougall.

Now having been granted a £12 million funding by The Mayor of London it’s currently undergoing renovation having the interior structure removed and ridding the site of asbestos.

It’s part of a £3.5 billion project to transform Silvertown and The Royal Docks to create 3,000 new homes and 20,000 jobs.

Boris Johnson said: “The restoration of this great industrial monolith is another vital ingredient in the regeneration of London’s historic Royal Docks. "We want to return this site to its former glory, supporting business and enterprise and breathing new life into an area of the capital that has been dormant for decades.”

The intended conversion of the mill will be complete by 2017.

[plaistowandeastham]

The Tower Gallery @ Memorial Community Church Bell Tower on Barking Road is an impressive looking building built in1922. Currently showing ‘LONG LIVE THE FLESH’ by the first year students of Camberwell UAL open til the 7th May.

[houseandtowners]

The Millennium Mills development given go-ahead

Three thousand new homes will be created on the site of the old Millennium Mills after planning permission for the development was approved last night.

Newham London has given the nod for construction work to begin on the 62-acre Silvertown site, which will also feature two million square foot of office space and three million sq ft of brand experience space.

When complete, the area will also include a new school, a health centre, restaurants and shops. 

It will be delivered by the Silvertown Partnership consortium, and chief executive Simon Webster said he was “delighted to receive the go-ahead”.He added: “This part of London is now destined to be a creative hub for our Capital, offering a new, easily accessible location for innovative businesses, as well as housing for Londoners and amazing new brand experiences to attract visitors from the UK and abroad.“It is a much-needed scheme for this part of London, creating opportunities for new employment and long term benefits for the local economy.”The first phase of the development is expected to be finished by 2018, in time for Crossrail’s arrival at the nearby Custom House station.It will see the former flour mill brought back to life with businesses occupying 450,000 sq ft of floor space.The Mayor of Newham, Sir Robin Wales, said: “This scheme builds on our commitment to further enhancing the quality of life for our residents and the opportunities available to them through developing the arc of opportunity spanning the Royal Docks, Stratford and Canning Town.”Work to remove asbestos from Millennium Mills began earlier this year following a £12million grant from the Department for Communities and Local Government. -  Newham Recorder

The Silvertown Partnership, a consortium of developers Chelsfield Properties, First Base and Macquarie Capital with managing director Simon Webster

http://www.firstbase.com/the-silvertown/

http://houseandtowners.tumblr.com/

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Nice light with the trees blossoming around the back streets of Upton Park.

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The Greenway cuts right through The Olympic Park which is a quick 10 minute ride from my home in Plaistow.