Saturday, June 20th 2026 – 11.00 am – 3.30 pm
Led by Alvin Cheng and Sasala Wickramasinghe
In June, we head east to sketch one of London’s most distinctive pieces of engineering: the Thames Barrier.
Completed in 1984, the Thames Barrier was built to protect the critical infrastructre of Central London from tidal flooding. Spanning just over half a kilometre of the River Thames between Silvertown and New Charlton, its ten movable gates can be raised as high as a 5-storey building. The barrier remains one of the largest movable flood barriers in the world and is a defining structural feature of London’s modern river landscape.
The Thames Barrier Park opened in 2000 and covers 17 acres of a former pretochemical acid-works site. A 6-foot layer of crushed concrete was used to cover the contaminated ground before new soil was added on top to create the park. One of the most eye-catching features of the park is the ‘Green Dock’, a 130 foot long sunken garden running diagonally through the park that is intended as a reminder of the site’s dockland heritage. The ‘Green Dock’ provides a wind protected microclimate for a variety of plants and wildlife.
The surrounding area offers an interesting contrast of subjects. Alongside the Barrier itself are working river views, docklands infrastructure, modern housing developments, the parks, industrial architecture and broad views across the Thames. Once dominated by docks, factories and shipbuilding, this stretch of East London continues to evolve while retaining strong connections to its industrial and maritime past.
Key Times and Meeting Points
11 am – Outside Pontoon Dock DLR Station
N Woolwich Rd, London E16 2SB
What3Words – ///create.slime.composers
1 pm – Meet in the pavilion by the river
3.30 pm – Same place, in the pavilion, for the second throwdown and group photo.
Afterwards – let’s meet in The Windjammer (25 Admiralty Ave, London E16 2PN) for a drink and chat.
Sketching Opportunities
Practical Information
Transport
Tube – closest tube station is Pontoon Dock on the Dockland Light Railway (DLR).
Buses – Routes 129, 241 and 330 towards Canning Town or Rayal Wharf stop outside Pontoon Dock station.
Toilets
Public toilets are available in the With Milk cafe in the park
Food and drink
With Milk is a lovely glass-fronted cafe with decking and seating outside facing the park. If you want to venture further, then there are plenty of cafe’s and restaurants dotted around the nearby Corinthian Square.
