YOUR 2012

YOUR 2012

A team of hosts from Museum of London Docklands has been making regular visits to the Olympic Park at Stratford, photographing the construction work and nearby regeneration projects. This exhibition, curated by the hosts, presents just some of the hundreds of photographs taken over the course of a year. Every picture was taken from a publicly accessible location. We hope the images inspire others to explore the area that will soon host the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. For more news and images, please visit our exhibition blog:
www.mymuseumoflondon.org.uk/blogs/blog/category/your-2012

Exhibition credits Host content team: Brian Grover, Jack Hutchinson, Rachel Kirby, Matt Martin, David Matthews, Donald Mullis, Kathryn Stevenson, Peter Strafford Project manager: Liz Scott Design: nortonallison Family activity trail: Tina Corri Archive images supplied by: Newham Heritage and Archive Service, Port of London Authority Archive, John Skinner (www.defunctspeedway.com), Tony Furby Special thanks to: John Smith, John Joyce, Annette Day, Frazer Swift, Alex Werner

UNDER CONSTRUCTION
The London 2012 Games have triggered a series of construction projects rejuvenating the economy and landscape of east London. The engineering achievements on the site are just as spectacular as the sporting feats that will take place there.

Olympic Stadium seen from the View Tube, 10/02/10

Olympic Stadium seen from above the Greenway, 10/02/10

Construction of access road west of the site, 10/02/10

Aquatic Centre seen from the View Tube, 10/02/10

London Concrete works, 10/02/10

London Concrete works, 10/02/10

London Concrete works, 10/02/10

The Greenway west of the Olympic Stadium, 10/02/10

Museum of London archaeologists at a dig on Stratford High Street, 17/03/10

Digger on the Olympic site, 17/03/10

Crane on the Olympic site, 21/10/10

Tiny truck, big construction site, 02/06/10

Soil cleaning area looking southeast to Canary Wharf, 02/06/10

Security fence along the northern edge of the site, 30/06/10

Olympic Stadium seen across the River Lea, 07/09/10

Entrance to the Olympic Stadium seen from inside coach, 19/09/10

Olympic Stadium interior seen from inside coach, 19/09/10

Aquatic Centre under construction, 19/09/10

Aquatic Centre viewed across the River Lea, 19/09/10

Velodrome nearing completion, 19/09/10

Basketball Arena, 19/09/10

Westfield Shopping Centre under construction, 10/11/10

Aquatic Centre seen from Carpenters Road, 21/10/10

Ruckold Road Bridge near Hackney Marshes, 10/11/10

Construction of the Arcelormittal Orbit seen from the Greenway, 24/02/11

Construction of the Arcelormittal Orbit seen from the Greenway, 24/02/11, 27/04/11 and 14/05/11

Aquatic Centre seen from Carpenters Road, 07/03/11

Digger in front of the London 2012 Media Centre, 25/03/11

Ruckold Road Bridge at Hackney Marshes, 25/03/11

Velodrome seen from the A106, 25/03/11

Access road to eastern side of construction site, 25/03/11

Railway construction site at Pudding Mill Lane, 15/04/11

Construction of access road on west of site, 16/05/11

ENVIRONMENT

Redevelopment for 2012 is turning 280 hectares of former brownfield industrial land in east London into the largest new urban park in England for over 150 years. It will also revitalise the area by clearing up the surrounding canals and the River Lea, as well as encouraging green transport links.

Landscaping near the soil cleaning area, 10/02/10

Ducks on the canal, 10/02/10

The Lea near Old Ford Lock, 10/02/10

Lock keepers house near Marshgate, 17/03/10

Canalside graffiti, 17/03/10

Tyre dump on Stratford High Street, 17/03/10

Near the tyre dump on Stratford High Street, 17/03/10

Tyre dump on Stratford High Street, 17/03/10

Olympic Stadium seen above established trees, 02/06/10

Old Ford Lock, 02/06/10

Finishing touches to the edge of the Greenway, 30/06/10

Unfinished landscaping beside the Greenway, 30/06/10

Sign at Old Ford Lock, 30/06/10

The Greenway, 30/06/10

View of Olympic Stadium from River Lea, 30/06/10

Nesting boxes at Channelsea Island, 14/09/10

Residential area by the River Lea, 30/06/10

Low tide on the River Lea, 29/07/10

Temporarily blocked path beside the River Lea, 29/07/10

Part of the sewer system at Channelsea Island, 29/07/10

River Lea seen from Ruckold Road, 29/07/10

River consultant measuring water depth by Bow Back River, 14/09/10

An algae-ridden waterway near the Olympic Stadium, 25/08/10

Cleaning up the Bow Back River, 14/09/10

Cleaning up the Bow Back River, 14/09/10

Cleaning up the Bow Back River, 21/10/10

Low tide on the River Lea, 26/01/11

Construction waste at Channelsea Island, 26/01/11

New architecture reflected in a waterway at the Olympic Site, 26/01/11

Waterway at Old Ford, 26/01/11

Springtime at the edge of the Greenway, 07/03/11

The river by Marshgate Lane, 15/04/11

Low tide on the River Lea, 28/04/11

IMPACT

The London 2012 Games aim to deliver lasting benefits to the area. However, the redevelopment has inevitably inconvenienced some local people and displaced others. There are tight security restrictions around the site. When the barriers come down and all is revealed, what will be the long-term effect on this part of east London?

Security fences along the Greenway, 10/02/10

Restricted access to a waterside path, 10/02/10

Being Proud (a work in progress), 10/02/10

Rerouted path at Pudding Mill Lane, 10/02/10

Rerouted pedestrian access, 10/02/10

Development on Stratford High Street, 17/03/10

Art project at the View Tube, 02/06/10

Caf at the View Tube constructed out of reused cargo containers, 02/06/10

Childrens art project at the View Tube, 02/06/10

The View Tube, 02/06/10

Security fence along the Greenway, 02/06/10

The Greenway seen from the View Tube, 02/06/10

The View Tube in early summer, 30/06/10

Street art by the River Lea, 30/06/10

Restricted access to the Olympic site, 30/06/10

Restricted access along the River Lea, 29/07/10

Booked groups start to visit the site, 04/08/10

Olympic site map by the Greenway, 04/08/10

Pithy comments by Stratford locals, 04/08/10

Stratford High Street, 21/10/10

Traffic congestion near the Velodrome, 10/11/10

Hoarding for what will be a disabled coach park, East Marsh, 10/11/10

Awaiting the arrival of the Ruckold Road Bridge, 10/11/10

Construction of the Stratford City development, 10/11/10

Along the Greenway from the View Tube, 07/03/10

A tour group at the View Tube, 15/04/11

View from Carpenters Road, 15/04/11

Olympic Stadium seen from a pathway leading to the View Tube, 10/02/10

Razor wire on fencing by the Olympic site, 27/04/11

A fence by the Greenway, 27/04/11

A new DLR station under construction at Stratford High Street, 27/04/11

Temporary fencing coiled up on the Greenway near Abbey Mills Pumping Station, 28/04/11

ARCHIVE

The Olympic venues are not the first occupants of the Stratford site. Over the years this former marshland by the River Lea has been home to a wide range of industries and businesses, especially those relating to transport and storage. It was also a leisure area that was greatly valued by Londoners.

A-Z map of Hackney Wick and Stratford (detail, 1993)

Football pitches at Hackney Marshes (1963)

Photograph from The Topical Times Football Book 1963-64 D.C. Thompson & Co., Ltd.

Outside Hackney Stadium (1988)

Photo: John Skinner, www.defunctspeedway.co.uk

The Metropolitan Police motorcycle display team at Hackney Stadium (late 1970s)

Photo: Tony Furby

The Royal Corps of Signals motorcycle display team at Hackney Stadium (late 1970s)

Photo: Tony Furby

A Hackney Imps junior display team member at Hackney Stadium (1970s)

Photo: Tony Furby

Speedway riders Tom Farndon and George Wilks at Hackney Stadium (1935)

Photo: John Skinner, www.defunctspeedway.co.uk

Speedway riders Wal Morton and Colin McKee at Hackney Stadium (1963)

Photo: John Skinner, www.defunctspeedway.co.uk

Photo: John Skinner, www.defunctspeedway.co.uk

Speedway rider Colin Pratt at Hackney Stadium (1970)

Speedway rider Garry Middleton at Hackney Stadium (1969)

Photo: John Skinner, www.defunctspeedway.co.uk

Manor Garden Allotments (2007)

London (Stratford) International Freight Terminal (1970s)

Photo: Courtesy Newham Heritage and Archive Service

London (Stratford) International Freight Terminal (1970s)

Photo: Courtesy Newham Heritage and Archive Service

Cold stores (aerial view, 1970s)

Photo: Courtesy Newham Heritage and Archive Service

Cold stores (1970s)

Photo: Courtesy Newham Heritage and Archive Service

The Port newspaper reporting picketing at Chobham Farm Container Terminal (1972)

Source: The Port

The Port newspaper reporting picketing at Chobham Farm Container Terminal (1972)

Source: The Port

Source: The Port

If youve enjoyed this exhibition and would like to learn more about the Olympic Park or the areas history, you may find these websites useful: British Waterways for the history of the River Lea: www.britishwaterways.co.uk/olympics/history Defunct Speedway Tracks John Skinners website detailing old speedway venues such as Hackney Stadium: www.defunctspeedway.co.uk The Hackney Society for the local history of Hackney, including the Hackney Wick side of the Olympic Park: www.hackneysociety.org London 2012 the official website for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games: www.london2012.com London Borough of Newham Library Service for access to the boroughs archives: www.newham.gov.uk/entertainmentandleisure/libraries London Wildlife Trust for projects bringing nature back to the Lee Valley: www.wildlondon.org.uk Londons Olympic Waterscape an online documentary made in 2010 by geography students at Royal Holloway University of London: vimeo.com/12349415 Museum of London Archaeology for information about the Museums archaeological work, including excavations at the Olympic site: www.museumoflondonarchaeology.org.uk The View Tube for views of the Olympic Park, educational facilities, art projects and a good caf: www.theviewtube.co.uk