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Christopher Booth's avatar

There is so much in this essay. It is worth being on Substack for. And will be worth reading again. Not least for the writing, which has (dare I say it) such character. Thank you.

I was also a 55 bus traveller, getting off at Liverpool St, unhappy and sometimes hungover in one direction, angrily unhappy on the return journey.

Rolling hills, intermittent, rather than tall ones, are the line of sight where I am now. The character of this kind of landscape surely endures.

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Caroline Howard's avatar

Patina, texture and variation of colour are so important for the character of the city. I agree that the proliferation of glass and steel is dispiriting.

I loved your description of your DLR journey. The elevated sections are magical. There's a brilliant bit between West Silvertown and Pontoon Dock, from where you can glimpse the sugar refineries and derelict industrial sites which are less visible from the street.

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