Recently our Senior BEEs older
people’s group had the opportunity to visit the soon to be transformed historic
Goodsyard site at Bishopsgate in Shoreditch. The site straddles the London
Boroughs of Hackney and Tower Hamlets, and has been derelict since the 1960s.
Kitted out in steel-capped boots,
high-vis vests and hardhats, the Senior BEEs were treated to a tour of the
site, which spans over four hectares in area and is abundantly rich in history
(embedded in the buildings, materials and textures it holds).
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| Photo Courtesy of Soundings |
Coordinated by Soundings, public
engagement organisation, and with the developer Hammerson, the tour first took
the Senior BEEs under the Braithwaite viaduct with its arches and barrel vaults
along to Brick Lane at one end of the site.
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| Photo Courtesy of Soundings |
This part of the tour
uncovered a disused swimming pool and hydraulic lift, along with old
cobblestones and brickwork creating cavernous spaces currently concealed from
the eyes of passers-by.
The evocative setting stimulated memories of past and
present which were shared between group members through animated conversation.
The tour then took the group
above the traffic along an elevated section, revealing an unexpected expanse
of urban countryside - again currently not visible at street level.
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| Photo Courtesy of Soundings |
This plateau of urban wilderness
will be landscaped in similar vein to the New York High Line, transforming it
into a raised public park. The blue skies and summer sunshine made for
wonderful views, providing the BEEs with new perspectives of familiar buildings.
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| Photo Courtesy of Soundings |
In an area, indeed a city,
that is rapidly changing, the site has not escaped controversy, and
regeneration plans continue to be developed. For our Senior BEEs, the tour
provided a unique opportunity to explore a part of London's industrial heritage. It also served as a celebration of people
and place by highlighting the importance of voicing and sharing memories past
and present in order to help shape the future hopefully for the greater good.
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| Photo Courtesy of Soundings |
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