The Number 330 Route

Wednesday 9 May 2012

We set off from Canning Town at 11.10.  The roadworks have been going ever since we began the project, though this time we thought we detected some progress, in that there were skilled craftsmen building a little yellow brick wall around one of the roundabouts.  This is one public work that will not be finished in time for the Olympics. (This world weary cynicism was brought on by the sight - on our earlier bus - of people planting geraniums and such all over the place around Stratford.  It reminded me of Count Potemkin ordering the painting of peasant hut facades when Catherine the Great visited the Crimea.  I gave Linda her weekly history lesson, she having thought that Potemkin was a warship, not to mention an Eisenstein film)

Now, where were we?  Oh, yes, leaving Canning Town bus station with a knowing laugh, since the bus stop said that our time to Wanstead Park would be 19 minutes.  The shops along the Barking Road  towards Plaistow were at first predominantly African and Caribbean.  We noted the Celia Hammond Animal Trust, where there seemed to be a bit of a queue to get animals neutered.

We were also pleased to see that Hitchcock's the undertakers still offers horse-drawn funerals.  As we moved into Plaistow, we came into an area of sumptuous sari and jewellery shops.  We were slightly puzzled that some were offering Eid bargains, since it's a long way to go to August.  We had time to admire the shops as the traffic was fairly slow along here as we reached Upton Park.

Although a bus stop is named for it the Greengates Pub is now all shuttered up.  We turned left along Green Street, at the Bobby Moore memorial, to pass West Ham's Football ground.  Who knows whether they will return to the Premiership after their playoff final in a few days time.  Back out onto the main road, we came past Upton Park Station, and then came to a halt as we met what appeared to be quite minor road works, but with four way traffic controls.  We sat for 10 minutes, which ensured that our journey time would not be as advertised!

Forest Gate Police Station is large and imposing looking, as is Emmanuel Church, surrounded by its green and pleasant church yard.

Both Linda and I were expecting to go a little further, not least because Wanstead Park has a slightly 'green and open' sound to it. One of the newish blocks of flats did indeed have a number of trees in pots as part of its roof garden.  But we drew to a halt in what we would certainly call Forest Gate, and realised that the railway bridge ahead of us was Wanstead Park Overground Station and then end of our trip.  It had taken ten minutes longer than the supposed time, all accounted for by the traffic hold ups of road works.

We were surprised - though delighted - that such a modest route should have double deckers.