Barking Park – Barking Abbey Walk – 19.09.2010

This was a relatively short walk, but it was taken to get back into the “swing of things”! Having rested from long walking for roughly a month, we decided to start on a short walk just to get those muscles back into action!

We were taking a stroll in Barking Park – what would have been a “classic” Victorian Park.   The park had been established in the late 1890’s for recreational purposes – evidence of the old water fountain is still available! A small but intriguing park to walk nevertheless.   The first odd and now derelict building that is found in the park, was the Barking Lido. As with many Lidos (Cliftonville Lido being an example) it has suffered the similar fate of being closed down and sadly the buildings have been left – with nature to take it’s place.  The pool apparently had been opened in 1931 and was closed by 1988, 😦

**2013 Update – Renovation of the park is complete.**
**I have revisited the site since they have finished the renovations and the old Lido is now a “Splash Park” and no longer a pool, however, they have left the old fountains intact**

Walking away from the Lido, the park is lucky to have a boating lake, which at some point had its own Paddle Steamer!   However, there were no sign of any boats on the lake on this day.  Just birds…

From 2010 – 19.09.2010 – Barking Park – Barking Abbey Walk

Walking on from the lake, we walked past the small railway.  Sadly I didn’t get to have a go on it though! Shame – it looked fun.    We didn’t stay much longer in the park, mainly due to the fact there was a huge fair there – the park was not exactly the most restful place after all!

Our short walk then took us an unusual route through the town centre – past a giant piece of public art.   Having seen this once or twice before, I had not paid much attention as to what the actual artist was the structure is known as “The Catch”.  I have discovered this design was to reflect Barking’s fishing industry – way back from it’s Saxon heritage.   Indeed it very much a public piece of art since children from a local school were involved making there own fish!

From 2010 – 19.09.2010 – Barking Park – Barking Abbey Walk

The route then continued into the Town centre and into a modern development, which I cannot say I am particularly keen on – urban and very enclosed – not a single open space in sight – but perhaps that is just my opinion. I was very shocked however to discover an old Wall 1862? – well looked a lot older than that – but that is was the date says! But I have yet to find out any more details! (I particularly liked the Ram statuette at the top of the wall!)

Moving on from the Strange Wall, we walked onto Barking Abbey – or what remained of Barking Abbey.  Having found Lesnes Abbey previously which had been part of the dissolution of the monasteries by Henry VIII this Abbey had suffered a similar fate.  The Abbey had been founded in 1215 and Captain Cook himself – the discoverer of Australia, Hawaii and Newfoundland – had married here.    One of the remaining items from the Abbey is the Curfew Tower – sadly not many records of the Abbey still exist so it will be difficult to discover more!

It was at this point the weather turned on us so we decided to finish our short walk here.  We picked up on the route from Barking Abbey when walking the Roding Valley way!

All the photos for this short walk are…

2010 – 19.09.2010 – Barking Park – Barking Abbey Walk

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