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Hartslock Drive, LONDON, SE2 9UT

Four towers by South Mere, the largest of the lakes, Thamesmead's most striking features. This was the first part of Thamesmead, originally conceived by the Greater London Council as a new town with a population up to 100,000, dating from 1967-72. A mixture of towers with elevated walkways and maisonettes and flats beyond. Even though the population has yet to reach 50,000, today, the unrelenting expanses of tired concrete and brick are hard to take. Lest we judge the original planners too harshly, Pevsner remarks that, "Thamesmead today bears little resemblance to the ideal community visualized by its begetters".

Southmere was the first artificial lake to be created in Thamesmead. This is the view from the Green Chain Walk looking across the lake on a wintry sunset. The tower blocks are part of the original 1970s Thamesmead and are in Hartslock Drive.

The Green Chain Walk though Thamesmead is here seen as it approaches the lake at Southmere. One of the ubiquitous Thamesmead tower blocks can be seen on the left. Because of fears over flooding from the Thames as much of this area is below high tide level, the first parts of Thamesmead as here were built with all living accommodation at first floor level or above.

This superb show of wild flowers are mostly those which would formerly be found in corn fields. They were seen in the first half of June alongside the Green Chain Walk on Thamesmead between Abbey Road and Southmere. This is just as Southmere is approached. Apart from poppies, cornflowers, corncockles, corn marigolds and ox-eye daisies were prominent.

High rise flats overlooking South Mere in Thamesmead, in south east London.

Southmere was the first artificial lake to be created in Thamesmead. This is the view from the Green Chain Walk looking across the lake to a wintry sunset. The tower blocks on the left are part of the original 1970s Thamesmead and are in Hartslock Drive.

Sunset over Southmere Lake with the flats in shadow