Stratford then and now

THEN AND NOW

Stratford. A former no go area has been transformed beyond all recognition.
I found this picture really fascinating on the right side of the image it shows the old greenway, the image has been blurred and contrasted with the image of new olympic park. so we therefore see the past on the right and the present on left of image, In one.

FRIDGE MOUNTAIN

Before the olympics, Stratford fridge mountain was believed to be the most iconic eyesores. From my research the fridge mountain was believed to be the biggest collection of discarded white goods in Europe. The fridge mountain was believed to be up to 20ft high, and was the first thing removed from Stratford, when reconstruction started taking place.

WATERWORKS RIVER 

I still cant figure out why they have crayons in the river. But it is definitely better than seeing wet, muddy tyres and it could now been seen as art. The waterworks river is an artificial channel, it was windened to 100 feet (30.5 m) in the 1930s, as part of a project to prevent flooding in Stratford.
The river forms the border between the London Aquatics centre on one bank and the olympic stadium on the other.

STRATFORD MARSH

Stratford’s Zaha Hadid-designed aquatics centre was one of last summer’s biggest architectural talking points, and now that the protruding grandstands have been removed and sold, the whale-like structure looks more impressive than ever. Fancy taking a dip in the pool where Michael Phelps bagged four gold medals last summer? Afraid you’ll have to wait – the post-Games refit isn’t slated to finish until mid-2014. (taken from timeout london)

LOG CABIN PUB

After two and a half centuries as the Yorkshire Grey, this former pub on Stratford High Street lasted just five years after it became the Log Cabin in 2000. With the Olympic bid in the bag, developers seized the opportunity and it became The Westbridge, a four-star boutique hotel. Looks fancy, but don't expect a jar of pickled eggs behind the bar.

References

Time Out London,. 'Stratford: Then And Now'. N.p., 2015. Web. 26 Mar. 2015.

Wikipedia,. 'Waterworks River'. N.p., 2015. Web. 26 Mar. 2015.

All images were taken by Rob Greig, David Clack and Dave Poultney  

BY KEVIN KLUDJE