The Winchester

The loops created by the river and road network winding through the industrial areas in East London separate small swatches of land almost equally shared by run down warehouses and disused land, light industrial space and new construction, eagarly cracking on for the forthcoming Olympics. Sat on a patch between some new-build apartments and the A11 is the St Andrews development.

Situated close enough to both Canary Wharf and the Olympic site, this area of East London is awash with new developments eagerly pushing on to complete by July. When the games start,  900,000 visitors will ‘invade’ London, hopefully allowing the city to go some way towards recouperating some of the cool 12bn that has apparently been spent on this sporting event.

The nearby 150 Stratford High St is well secured in a well lit area, guarded by dogs and men. We scouted out the site one evening and just as we were prepared to have a go at it, a guard walked around the corner. Plan B was this satisfying crane, sat far higher than any of the buildings currently on site, and higher than anything close by.

The exposure felt on this crane was unreal – Once you’re 3 stories up, there’s nothing protecting you from the vision of any casual observer, and any police car driving by sets in an uneasiness that is only lifted once they shoot down the road and past the site.

Although most cranes are very similar, this one appeared to be of an older construction,different in design to many that I’ve been up before. it felt flimsy, if anything, but as ever, it’s worth reminding yourself that they’re built to lift far heavier objects than human bodies.

Thanks to Keitei for the tip off.