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Wharf Life Feb 8-22, 2023 wharf-life.com
virtual viewpoint by Chris Ezekiel
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Years the South Dock Bridge should last if properly maintained
Bridge designer Hector Beade-Pereda of Knight Architects grew up wanting to create crossings – he is leading the team that is designing the South Dock Bridge
Chris enjoys a well-earned glass of fizz in the “spa” at Waitrose in Canary Wharf
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ince Waitrose in Canary Wharf opened, more than 20 years ago, I’ve always been baffled by its wine bar. On many occasions, as I went about my grocery shopping, I would wonder why on earth people would want to combine the drudgery of picking up their spuds and toothpaste with a glass or two of wine. I was especially perplexed considering the abundance of lovely bars in such close proximity. But it’s remained consistently busy and the penny finally dropped the other day. It was a few days after my wife and newborn son arrived home from the hospital. Having a 19-month-old as well, we suddenly realised we were in a pretty exclusive club – two under two. A few days into our lovely chaotic Chris’ sons: new life, a trip to Matthew with Waitrose suddenly felt quite exciting. his new brother With a spring in my step I put on my noise cancelling headphones, some relaxing music and the experience felt completely different to normal – more like a trip to a health spa. Oblivious to the mundanities of my shopping trip I suddenly stumbled upon the bar. And that’s when realisation dawned. I was in my personal spa, and the idea of a glass of Champagne amid the shoppers made perfect sense. I was just about to indulge when I remembered I was going for a run later, so I resisted. But I’m counting down the days until my next spa trip for that glass of fizz. It made me realise that, although I wouldn’t change the chaos of being in the two under two club for the world, that we all need a regular trip to our own personal spas to recharge our batteries. When my wife calls, I’ll just say: “I’m still in Waitrose.” Chris Ezekiel is founder and CEO of customer engagement solutions specialist Creative Virtual based at West India Quay’s Cannon Workshops Scan this code for more information about Creative Virtual or follow @creativevirtual and @chrisezekiel on Twitter
One of the things that came out of the original consultation was that the bridge should pay tribute to the area’s past, so we thought quite a lot about that Hector Beade-Pereda, Knight Architects