Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Olympics #2


For public information: no go areas in London during the games


Central London
Hyde Park (about a third of park)
St James’s Park (about half of park)
Kensington Gardens (about a fifth of park; you will be able to buy admission to ‘Russia House’)
The Mall (total closure)
Horse Guards Parade (total closure)
Clarence House (total closure)
Somerset House (part)
Inner Temple (gardens, some other areas)
Tower of London and Tower Wharf (closures have already occurred)
Banqueting House (some days)
National Portrait Gallery (one gallery)
21 London theatres will close for at least part of Games because of collapse in tourist numbers
Hamilton Place and side streets in Mayfair (total closure)
Westminster Bridge (one way only)
Constitution Hill (no motors)
Birdcage Walk (no motors)
Park Lane (Zil lane)
Marble Arch (Zil lane)
Victoria Embankment (Zil lane)
Upper Thames Street (Zil lane)
Lower Thames Street (Zil lane)
Tower Hill (Zil lane)
Euston Road (Zil lane)
Marylebone Road (Zil lane)
Westway Flyover (Zil lane)
Knightsbridge (Zil lane)
Brompton Road (Zil lane)
Cromwell Road (Zil lane)
Cumberland Gate (Zil lane)
Park Road (Zil lane)
Gloucester Place (Zil lane)
Baker Street (Zil lane)
Millbank (Zil lane)
Vauxhall Bridge (Zil lane)
Kingsway (Zil lane)
Great George Street (no motors)
Horse Guards Road
Arundel Street (no motors)
Temple Place (no motors)
Russell Square
Woburn Place (Zil lane)
Southampton Row (Zil lane)
Bedford Place
Malet Street
Montague Place
Montague Street

East London
River Lea Towpath (Hackney Wick to Bow) (total closure)
Greenway (Hackney Wick to Stratford High St) (total closure)
Museum in Docklands (total closure)
Pudding Mill Lane DLR station (total closure)
East Marsh (total closure)
Wanstead Flats (part closure for police base)
Victoria Park (part closure for ‘cycling hub,’ live site)
Westfield Stratford (car parks and bus station; whole centre will close at 3pm on 27 July)
The Highway (Zil lane)
Limehouse Link (Zil lane)
Butcher Row (Zil lane)
East India Dock Road (Zil lane)
Blackwall Tunnel northern approach (Zil lane)
East Cross Route/ Lea Interchange/ A12 (Zil lane)
Stratford High Street (Zil lane)
Leyton Road (no motors)

South London
Greenwich Park (near-total closure)
Royal Observatory (total closure)
Greenwich Planetarium (total closure)
Blackheath (part closure)
The O2 (largely closed)
Woolwich Common (largely closed)
Oxleas Meadows (missile site)
National Maritime Museum (reduced hours; Queen’s House and some galleries totally closed)
Royal Naval College (reduced hours; Painted Hall closed some days)
Cutty Sark (reduced hours)
Cutty Sark DLR station (closed on some dates)
Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum (total closure)
Blackwall Tunnel southern approach (Zil lane)
Shooters Hill Road (Zil lane)
Charlton Way (no motors)
Greenwich Town Centre (Creek Road and Greenwich High Road one-way)
Ha Ha Road (total closure)
Repository Road (total daytime closure)

North London
North Circular Road (Zil lanes Hangar Lane- Stonebridge Park and around Neasden)
Alexandra Palace (building, ice rink, Palm Court, terraces all closed, but public will be able to buy admission to Dutch Olympic house)

West London
Talgarth Road (Zil lane)
Hammersmith Flyover (Zil lane)
A4/ M4 (Zil lane)
A40 (Zil lane)
Various road closures throughout SW London on days of cycle races

9 comments:

The Bones said...

Well it certainly puts the London to Brighton cycle race in perspective.

Delia said...

According to a letter in 'The Week', things even worse for people in Weymouth. Curfew for driving in and out of town and searches if you do. Sea walled or fenced off. Little businesses that rely on season to make money are really struggling.

Pedant said...

Father Ray, I hope you haven't contravened the regulations by displaying the Olympic rings on your personal blog. I am sure you have cleared this with the appropriate authorities.

pelerin said...

I wonder why part of the National Portrait Gallery will be closed? What sport can they possibly do in there?

Physiocrat said...

Isn't that what they call lock down?

I thought the Olympics was going to earn tens of billions of pounds for "Britain" and create a national feel-good sensation. Silly me.

Would have done better to have processed a relic of Thomas a Becket round the country. By the way, has the parish still got it or is it Fr Mark's?

Fr Ray Blake said...

The only relic of at SMM of St Thomas here belongs to me personally.

Physiocrat said...

Fr Elvins' came from Rome. Henry VIII was determined that there should be no relic of this saint but around 1300 relics were donated to the Papal Legate and a French abbot on a state visit to England. Perhaps you could relate the story some time.

As you know, Fr Elvins' ancestor was one of the four knights.

Gigi said...

As suspected, these "Games" are going to have a huge impat on the daily lives and livelihoods of more people than they may subsequently benefit... I see a large part of South London is being affected, which is where I was born and raised. I miss Greenwich Park a lot; apart from that, they could leave some of the area closed...!

pelerin said...

I have to admit that most sports leave me cold. Hated every aspect at school and took great delight in giving away my tennis racket and lacrosse stick upon leaving. A punishment there used to be to miss 'Games' and stay in to read a book. Consequently I quite relished these 'punishments' especially in winter and being a chatterbox they were not difficult to acquire!!

The Games have not even opened officially yet and so far there have been several embarrassing incidents including getting the wrong flag for one of the Koreas. The Culture Secretary nearly brained someone when his hand bell flew off into the crowd. And I have just watched an interview with a family from the States who came for an event described as 'unticketed'. They understood that meant open to all whereas in Olympic speak it meant 'closed to all.'

Gigi is correct. One of my sons had to go to London on business on Wednesday and when he went to take a short cut across one of the Parks found that he was unable to do so. Luckily he is keen on sport so did not complain too much.

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