'Fascinatingly different' and 'A Wapping weekend' were just two of the compliments heard as 'good byes' were said on Sunday afternoon at the end of our Two Fair Plaits weekend in London.

Thirty six members had signed up, but an advance guard of just twelve met up on Friday evening in the bar of Camden's Holiday Inn. This proved to be an ideal venue - a quiet comfortable retreat, yet only a short walk from the noise and bustle of the High Street. Although many places tend to be lively on Friday nights, Camden might well claim to be the liveliest of all. The party goers were, to put it tactfully, 'refreshingly uninhibited' but everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and we were able to find our meeting point for the following day.

Punctually at 9 am on Saturday the complete party met up at Camden Lock and boarded our converted narrow-boat, Water Ouzel. Our very knowledgeable guide introduced himself and gave us some preliminary information to start what became a fascinating running commentary throughout. The water level at Limehouse Basin was 86 feet below our present level and we would be negotiating 12 locks to reach it, in addition to passing through the 960-yard Islington tunnel. During the trip we were told of days when coal was the principal fuel that sustained London's commercial development and transport from the hub of a railway goods yard was all horse-drawn. Another memorable sight pointed out was the former Gainsborough film studios building. Intermixed with all this were some 21st century developments, including a new over bridge carrying the Channel Tunnel railway line from St Pancras.

At our destination, there was much interest in an interpretive display board showing Limehouse Basin as it was in the late 1920s. It was probably little changed when Two Fair Plaits was written, but the scene today is very different. Pleasure craft have replaced working boats, the Canary Wharf complex dominates the skyline and bright red Docklands Light Railway trains glide past in the nearer background. Almost the only point of reference with yesteryear is the tower of St Anne's Church which featured in the story. Unusually, it flies the Royal Navy's white ensign from its tower; this is because it was once a navigational marker for shipping.

Limehouse station was the starting point for Sunday's docklands walk along the north bank of the Thames to Wapping, led by Ray and Claire Longman. This was where much of the Two Fair Plaits adventure was set, but due to Second World War bombing, subsequent redevelopment, and the containerisation of ship's cargos, little now remains. We did see Crane Steps that Ray believed to be the most likely inspiration for the steps described in the book, and everyone descended them to the foreshore. Unfortunately, we never met an attractive girl with black bobbed hair, a bright red beret - and a badly cut foot!

We did finish the weekend in fine style though. In Come to London, Saville himself wrote: 'Now we are in dockland ... see if you can spot the famous pub called The Prospect of Whitby ... Parts of this inn are over 600 years old, and ... I went there some years ago and used it as a scene in one of my adventure stories'. Needless to say, the adventure story was Two Fair Plaits and we went there too!

 

Photo's of the trip

Boarding Water Ouzel at Sturts Lock

On board Water Ouzel.

Limehouse Basin and Canary Wharf

Victoria at Crane Steps

The Prospect of Whitby from the Thames foreshore