The World's End - walking with Iain Sinclair in Tilbury

[@COBBETT1215]

Dad, Mum and I used to visit Tilbury every summer in the late 50's and 60's, when I was a lad. We walked to Leytonstone railway station, got the train into Barking and thence the train to Tilbury. In those days the train went right down to the docks and had quite an imposing roofed concourse as befitted it's role as an arrival and departure point. We would picnic by the river, near Tilbury fort and The Worlds End pub. Dad loved ships and would spend all day watching them come and go. Back then you could also hire a rowing boat and skull around the water that adjoined the fort. I remember it being slightly polluted but it didn't stop me collecting Sticklebacks. In the early 2000's I took Dad back there a few years before he passed away. It had all changed by then. Entropy had truly set in. Tilbury always had a haunted, nostalgic feeling for me. Perhaps because it witnessed so many arrivals and departures. Those coming to start a new life, and perhaps more so, all the generations of departures. Out to the world and the Empire. I also recall reading somewhere that after the war, many left for a new life in Australia from Tilbury. Thanks for another wonderful evocative film. It stirred so many memories.

[@TermiteVideo]

Lovely stories John

[@COBBETT1215]

@@TermiteVideo That's very kind. Thank you!

[@RajSinghKhalsa]

My Dad came down that same Walkway in Tilbury around 1959, we still have the old wooden suitcase he brought with him with pasted stickers of every port he stopped off on before arriving in Britain

[@MultiMrPhill]

Wooden suitcase? Blimey, must've been heavy....

[@LoisDavidsonArt]

"The Bard of Leytonstone'... A fitting title and a deeply fascinating video, thanks John

[@BaronMichaelDeBlone1066]

That was my instant response to the great Mr. Sinclair's comment.

[@neilburns3614]

Iain Sinclair, for me, is one of the most important historians alive today. His carefully chosen words are inspiring. I watch everything I can he has done via this format.

[@jeff70white]

Watching already! I'm local to this video and often go by these locations. I love your enthusiasm and passion. It makes me want to get out and go for a walk. (Which I often do). Keep them coming.

[@mwoods96]

This was like watching someone in a trance the way Ian speaks

[@psr0459]

I love the way that Ian talks. For me, he encapsulates 'the butterfly effect' and shows never-ending strings that connects us all to our surroundings and to our past. What an interesting man.

[@morgandaniels9569]

What an absolute treat! Thank you. I recently took some students out to Tilbury at the end of a course on the history of London. In order to understand the city you have to get to grips with the estuary and surrounds: Tilbury is bleak, forgotten, yet it couldn't be more crucial to London's existence. The great Marxist photographer Allan Sekula did a lot of work on this theme in the 1990s, documenting sites of maritime labour so as to counter what he characterised as the popular forgetting of the sea. It's interesting to note that another of Iain Sinclair's spirit guides, Daniel Defoe, lived in Tilbury for a few years, losing a bunch of money in tiles. He described Tilbury Fort as 'the key of the river of Thames, and consequently the key of the city of London'.

[@lorree1]

My hometown. Left for art college '81, went back home '84, moved to London around '86. My folks stayed in Tilbury until around 2000. Memories of St. Mary's, catching newts over the ferry fields, sticklebacks in the moat. We had our spot to get over the moat at height of summer when water the lowest then squeezing through the fort railings and playing hide 'n' seek. Powder blue butterflies. Yarrow and fennel. Fishing with my dad, catching dab and eels, which he jellied. Riding my horse (known as 'punk on 'orse). Digging for old bottles and ceramics. Searching for clay pipes on the shore. Catching the ferry to Gravesend every day for my short stint of work in Customs and Excise. Oh, taking bottles back to the Anchor for a ha'penny or penny when little. Trips from the youth club to Walton-on-Naze. Sunday drives to Shoeburyness, Biggin Hill or over to Kent. Goldfish in the 'pond' at Coalhouse. My dad worked as security in the docks for Securicore at one point (Bata's before I was born) not unusual for him to drive home drunk after drinking on board ships on their last day. He knocked one of the pillars over on 'Hairpin Bridge' as called it. Once he came home with a big bruise after getting into a fight with a lorry driver 🤦‍♀ The 'junk' shop was great. A cornucopia of treasures. My mum bought a beautiful Victorian vase in there and some antique beads. I bought some animal horns which I still have. Over the moon to find a fossilised sea urchin where they were digging for the new sea wall. It was bittersweet to grow up there.

[@jamesianbarber]

the walk between fort to fort is one of my favourites

[@trailingarm63]

Very interesting. I've sailed out of Tilbury with hazardous goods on my van (you can't travel on ordinary ferries with hazardous). The area does feel like the end of the world, like it's been abandoned. But you can also sense its burden of history. Liverpool felt the same way in the 1980s before the city bounced back. So did the Isle of Dogs for that matter. Iain is a curious old cove, talk about living in the shadow of Empire: if it wasn't for his wife and his rats he could disappear entirely into Conradian myth & legend. Speaking of Conrad, I would have thought Nostromo would be a lot closer to Arthur Sinclair's Peruvian adventure than Heart of Darkness. I ploughed through his canon for my degree forty years ago. He was actually my favourite writer of that era and has stayed with me ever since. Nice one, John, you've put me back on Nostalgia Avenue!

[@Sojourner1]

Excellent presentation, as always, production values and the content of course - all fabulous.

[@L.zombie858]

😇❤💛💚🙏 thank you. My daughter lives here. You can feel the history when you walk by the old docks

[@howdymartin6258]

John - such a fascinating place Tilbury is and The World's End was a real highlight as Great Expectations is one of my favourite books.... a joy!

[@patjackson8649]

‘Another wave crash over you, It puts you in a spell on a cold place you know well, It pulls you out to sea, under the lights at Tilbury… In a tide end town everyone hallucinating on you, But a northern whale wouldn’t leave until all England’s tears are gone.’ ‘Northern Whale’, The Good, the Bad, and the Queen, 2006 Written by a Leytonstone boy. So again, magically, things come full circle and a song gets me to click on this fascinating video. Thanks very much, John and Iain.

[@DagenhamGilly]

Back in the 70s when I was in my Teens I used to go fishing in Tilbury Fort moat for eels and the we used to go to a place called Tilbury Wall which must have flattened out a bit, where the rubbish tip you mentioned where those short piers are. We used to catch Dabs and the odd Flounder ..tasted a bit muddy though. I have not been there since as I now live in Australia...where I seemed my own adventure seeking Gold and Riches. Iam now 62...Thank for another great Walking Vlog John.

[@JohnRogersWalks]

thanks for sharing those memories Gilly - hope all is well in Australia, special place for me

[@MultiMrPhill]

20yrs ago, When I lived in Bermondsey, a Gas Man came to fix my Boiler. That's it, that's my Story. No! Wait!! This Gas Technician was Very Serious, & I wondered if something was up. I was chatting away & offered him a cup of Tea, & he started to open up. He said he lived in Tilbury, I'd never been there before, so asked him about it. He said he liked Fishing there, & regularly caught decent sized Plaice! I couldn't believe it, as I thought it was the River Thames, & therefore Fresh Water. We continued chatting, & then he dropped the Bomb: he was Fishing there recently when a Man walked up close by, carrying a Tool Box. At a steady pace, no nerves, he put the Tool Box down & proceeded to tie those Straps that Builders use. Without saying a word, he was up on his feet & jumped into the Thames, having tied himself to the Tool Box. The Gas Technician said it all happened so quickly, & the poor Man sank beneath the water. He was never found. What awful Torment & Suffering was this poor Man going through... I have never forgotten this story.

[@terryflynn1956]

Great film John thank you for sharing this . Ian is so interesting and someone I would like to know more about . Tilbury is such a haunting atmospheric place. You can feel the Maritime History seeping through along the Thames . Magical ! 😊👏👍

[@morriganwitch]

Addicted to the edge of entropy tho the tide has to turn . Thank you John and Ian xxx

[@justinleslie1]

I’ve done the walk from Tilbury Town to East Tilbury via the river’s edge. I remember watching a power station being dismantled and a surprising number of horses. The World’s End is a great name for a pub on London’s outer outer rim.

[@другПараферналия]

Great opportunity to see and listen Iain Sinklair. Psychogeography is always the action. Thank you

[@robbojax2025]

Different from the normal walk but just as interesting and enjoyable.

[@MF-fg3cg]

I used to go to tibury ferry with my dad 40 years ago on that bridge as my dad used to look after the ferry (the boat was called the Edith) from Harwich, where we lived and it was managed from. (where you walked last week) . The ferry has to operate by some ancient royal decree, but was struggling due to the Dartford tunnel. I remember standing on the concourse of the still operating but near abandonned Tilbury Riverside. Very evocative films for me the last two weeks thanks.

[@mitchellgiffard1978]

Very tranquil walk & interesting to see this about Tilbury as I live in rainham keep them coming john.

[@IrrationalRecreation]

I'm not a religious person but I definitely feel and appreciate what might be regarded as a kind of spiritualism afforded by understanding of people, place and time and sensing the interconnectedness of all things. Call it psychogeography, tracing discordian synchronicity or just a knowledge of local history in a global context but it is both fascinating and stimulating. As John says "You can walk the same landscapes again and again and again with different people, and who you walk with shapes the way you see it.” Thank-you, Iain and John.

[@ukfatman1169]

Fascinating video John. Thank you. I did a short KZbin video on the Tilbury to Gravesend Ferry terminal which was used in the movie Wonderwoman a couple of years back. Great area to walk around, really feel the history

[@LauraAgustinNA]

I've done that Tilbury walk, but found Sinclair's emphasis on colonial histories very moving. Since I'm currently reading his London Overground perhaps it was easier to get inside his head. Thank you, John.

[@1Electricmoon]

Great video John!! 😃 In my early 20’s I use to spend a lot of time down at the Coalhouse Fort. I was very fascinated by the Bata building, didn’t know much about it back then, I do vaguely remember the workers leaving the building. Saw when it was closed down and later when it was converted to flats.

[@monkeytrousers6180]

Excellent video John...very enjoyable...looking forward to Iain's new book...tell him do audiobook...got nice soothing voice.

[@briancox144]

What a fantastic film Roger and Iain riveting stuff made my Sunday evening more enjoyable thank you for sharing a beautiful video

[@indepthcardetailing2254]

Walking around Coalhouse Fort and driving past the Bata factory. One of my favourites.

[@jonasranson7677]

Grew up in Tilbury from 1974-1977... brother born here in ‘76... fascinating to see both yours & Ian’s take and connections to it. Grandfather worked at the docks here after the war. Many memories of taking the ferry over to Gravesend with my mother. Also went to school in Chadwell St Mary nearby. Thankyou both for your explorations and stories...

[@rosswebster7877]

I always love your walks with Iain Sinclair! It’s really fascinating how much British and global history all intersect here at Tilbury and in the life of Joseph Konrad.

[@peterspencer396]

Another good one John! Always fascinating!

[@philburdett]

Fascinating to hear Iain's usual wondrous connections & juxtapositions he observes at a place I used to go to in order to write myriad poems & lyrics, the dockside of Tilbury always seemed heavy with history & this walk has added a new layer to my appreciation. Great stuff, as ever, sir! Looking forward to his new book immensely...

[@lesliegprice6652]

Dear John great video thank you so much, nice to see Ian Sinclair too, I hope you and your family are well,I missed not having a video last week but I totally understand, it's Summer, your very busy and I know you have to earn a crust, anyway take care I hope to see you back soon wherever that may be ......💖💖💖

[@MRoderick89]

Where I live it's full of shipping containers and wind turbines. Another great video John thank you 👍

[@andrewwood9635]

Very evocative. We walked from Tilbury Town to the Fort and the Wold's End about three years ago. There is something fascinating about these lost lands of south Essex, we have visited and walked around Tilbury, Grays, Purfleet, Canvey Island, Basildon, Shoeburyness etc, so few people understand why we would go to these little-visited places, great to see others who appreciate their mystique and atmosphere

[@sandrasmith3207]

Another great Essex walk. Thanks👍

[@gparry42]

Wonderful! Again ! Thanks John.

[@paularnold4440]

Great video. My old area and Iain Sinclair.....a treat!

[@CthulhuInc]

i always watch your videos at least twice, john - as i've previously stated, there's always so much to take in - and i usually watch those with iain thrice 😊

[@ianmaddams9577]

The passion and enthusiasm that Iain speaks with is captivating. Thanks to both of you for this walk always brilliant viewing 👍🏻

[@magnetsplace]

Thank you both for visiting the village. The cafe was already re-purposed as a shoe shop by 1986, an outlet for the products made in the factory on the opposite side of the road. The cinema had ceased showing films but was in used as a community centre with various activities on offer on different nights of the week, indoors bowling and badminton evenings, and could be booked for private functions, wedding receptions. Down by the fort, you could walk along the path surrounding the moat of the fort and the edge of the Thames would be a few feet away. As the tides turned, you could experience the riptide watching it get closer and closer to you racing along the shore before you would jump up to avoid the overspill of water onto the bank, but since the intense dredging started, this enjoyment has been taken away and the Thames is now a mere hint in the distance, far from the original shore and now unreachable for anyone to enjoy due to the soft silts being desposited, unable to safely support walking on the surface. The forever on-going quarrying between the hotel and the fort means that the Thames can no longer been seen by residence on the estate due to the growing mounds of spoil produced. I am glad I got to enjoy this when it was accessible, but future generations never will.

[@gurneymcbuzzin]

It's a town not a village.

[@redfordgrange3507]

That was excellent. Thanks to you both.

[@davewalker5706]

Another great one John, a spot well visited by me, I think I did a photo shoot there not that long ago, but I see from this that there is more work for me to do there, around the town, have pretty thoroughly explored the Thames path all the way from Rainham Marshes right down to Shoeburyness. So much more to explore that way

[@musehic1953]

Another entertaining an interesting walk.

[@hikingdenbiking6245]

Best way to end the weekend, With another great video.

[@candiceb8925]

Welcome to my home town ❤ I didn't live far from the station! Great video 🙌

[@alexwells6876]

How strange is this, I was looking at Tilbury on Maps only the other day cause i'd heard about the Gravesend police training centre nearby that's a simulated high street, it's where they practice situations like riots etc. The first thing i saw when zoomed into street view was The World's End which i thought was really cool, and then it was immediately added to my list of places to walk after exploring the maps a bit and also seeing the fort and the marine works. It crossed my mind and i thought to myself, "i wonder if John has walked here", then this. Weird how we get these little coincidences that connect people together.

[@whollyspokes3645]

Cycled past their last week they were practicing riot control , so i stopped and watched as rocks were chucked about and lots of shouting .... Training for whats coming ....

[@alexwells6876]

@@whollyspokes3645 Yeah, i'd imagine it's getting a lot of use at the moment with how things are going.

[@paulfletcher1900]

Interesting video as always I grew up in Tilbury now live in East Tilbury worked at the BATA factory and remember scavenging on the landfill for old bottles etc.would love to meet you if you come down again

[@whollyspokes3645]

I lived in East Tilbury remember the shoe factory , and the original bottle dump , had some great abandoned gravel pits , which we used to frequent often ....

[@philipreddaway6410]

Fantastic John/Iain - great stuff!

[@Phill3467]

Looking forward to this many thanks John .

[@JohnRogersWalks]

hope you enjoy it Vladd

[@johnclarke9498]

Now that was worth watching 👍 Thank you

[@biddylisduff]

Interesting hearing how Iain worked at Chobham Farm as the change to Containers began, became London International Freight Terminal (LIFT). I lived next to it off Temple Mills Lane. I know Tilbury well, visited "The World's End" pub as a child with the extended family, after a run around Tilbury Fort and the parklands. So pleased it is well preserved, very atmospheric, especially at night! Love spotting it in the John Mills "Great Expectations" - black and white version. Have Dickens connection through my surname, Spendiff. It's a small place near Cooling, Kent. (Isle of Grain). The churchyard in "Great Expectations" is based on the church at Cooling, with ancient Yews and multiple child graves, where Pip is grieving in the novel. My family name was a bit of a mystery till we found this place - I believe a Spen is a marsh, seen it in Yorkshire too. Family mainly from Faversham. Back to the film! Growing up in Essex, the connecting theme seems to be gnarled Pollarded Oaks as ancient Field Boundaries and Mud! Either wet, sucking Clay or dust thrown up grassy banks by HGV wheels! So sad to see the concrete and metal detritus just left behind, old tyres, broken glass - so ugly and polluting! Fascinating insights, I'm a big Joseph Conrad fan, love his introduction to "Heart of Darkness" describing the wait for the tide to turn, and the old Sea Dogs listening to a tale.. Thanks both for a very good film!

[@72thewho]

Another excellent video John 👍

[@GeorgeChoy]

Brilliant narration, didn't realize Tilbury has such a rich history. Thanks to you and Ian.

[@Ben_Mdws]

Thank you for this John - the way Iain’s mind works is fascinating. Hope you had a good break.

[@JohnRogersWalks]

thanks Ben - got a great walk for the weekend

[@juliewilliams9441]

Thank you both for a very interesting video 👍🏼

[@rickwills4281]

Excellent episode!!

[@mamnisel4815]

Most interesting walk atound Tilbury with Ian Sinclair John.I remember reading Heart of Darkness years ago and will most certainly start to read some of Ian's books befire I miss out.Great walk as ever!!!

[@ivanhockenhull2604]

Studied Heart Of Darkness for my degree. This was a superb odyssey, John. I know that he would hate it...Ian Sinclair is a National Treasure. You are not far behind either, John. 🇯🇪

[@mohammedsalikurrahman6704]

What a story ! Wonderful , Thanks a lot.

[@davidshearer8793]

Wow, what an adventure! I couldn’t help but think, as a boy from north of the River, that the images of Gravesend were of a different country. And the references to Conrad - I remember as a boy discovering the stories of Conrad which captivated me, especially as English was not Conrad’s native tongue. Time well spent.

[@johnmatheson4490]

this is just amazing the last hold out

[@Ange1166]

that was a great walk Iain has a wealth of knowledge could listen to him for hours

[@paulm.7422]

Another great walk, John!

[@JohnRogersWalks]

thanks Paul

[@tomgirldouble3249]

Wow that was fantastic, Ian made sense too, hope his wife makes a full recovery soon though, thoroughly enjoyed thanks John & Ian 😊💙

[@herewegowalks3588]

Great walk as always

[@lionelmarytravels6003]

Thanks John. Iain is a very interesting chap. So many stories to tell.

[@howarddavies9932]

Another cracking video walk tour - I Sinclair is a real original and has that knack for bringing the seemingly mundane and decrepit alive with the past and a sense of place - thanks to John R for playing second fiddle to bring us another gem.

[@ashleysgaze]

Looking forward to reading Iain's new book, John! The story of dispossessed Scots (highlanders & others), moving across the globe, seeking riches and/or the establishment of a new life for themselves and their loved ones, yet in the process instigating and/or enacting deadly acts of violence - continuing an infernal cycle of dispossession - towards local indigenous communities/groups is a powerful and distressing one, especially in the context of Victoria’s dark colonial past, where I live. I recommend Don Watson’s, ‘Caledonia Australis’ for an examination into the role of Scottish Highlanders on the Australian frontier. Altogether, a deeply insightful walk - many, many, thanks for making this one!

[@damedavidfrith55]

A beautiful ramble ty

[@ralphwinter6421]

Fantastic John, cheers mate..

[@JohnRogersWalks]

Cheers Ralph

[@markszawlowski867]

Quite astonishing history told by a modern day oracle. What an absolute treat.

[@suecondon1685]

I went out with a bloke from Tilbury Town for a while. That was 'interesting'... Tilbury epitomises the term 'Edgeland' in every way. The Irish Club was fun... where Carling was coming out of the Guinness pump and everyone was completely blotto. The Anchor and the legendary Calcutta Club were closed down, as were most of the shops. Vast pockets of wasteland dotted with scruffy horses between tower blocks and estates, hemmed in by the A13 and the Thames. The World's End was lovely. There's nowhere quite like it. By the way, hailing from Canvey Island, the evidence is strong that the Lobster Smack on Canvey Island , which used to be called the World's End was the one referred to in Great Expectations. Wonderful, thank you, I loved this.

[@JohnRogersWalks]

thanks for those memories Sue

[@Theoobovril]

Great to see Ian Sinclair along with you, John; Ian is so interesting when narrating/commentating....a cracking video, John, very much enjoyed.

[@JohnRogersWalks]

thanks Theo - always a massive pleasure to walk with Iain

[@Theoobovril]

@@JohnRogersWalks John, with Iain along with you, on one of your videos, then we know we are in for a classic.

[@JTTW1455]

Fascinating history lesson thank you.

[@alspurs1990]

Great vid. Been tilbury few times and shocks me how deprived a town it is. No pubs and shocking town centre. Is packed with history and hopefully it will one day improve

[@sonicfactory-uk]

Fascinating! Thanks.

[@carltaylor6452]

I worked for a few months in a white goods/junk shop on Dock Road, Tilbury in 1981. I wonder if it could be the same place Iain found a copy of In Tropical Lands? It was run by a man called Pete, and may even have been called 'Pete's'. I have memories, too, of days at the Bata factory in the mid-70s - we used to attend the 999 fairs that were organised there. Likewise, Coalhouse Fort was a regular weekend destination, for picnics by the boating lake. A few years' ago I went back to Tilbury and took the ferry over to Gravesend, for no reason really other than that I was pleased to see that it was still running ....

[@drummerdem50]

always a great day out with Iain.

[@The3Kosmos3]

I enjoyed these truly metaphysical landscapes.

[@grandmasterbeats9732]

Hey John another majestic walk with SIn Clair I wanted to wish you a great Sunday and to let you know that my Sax Player Adrian Northover also is fully aware and knows of Ian Sin Clair and now you too.

[@ChrisWoutdoors]

Absolutely brilliant.... Nice ..ATB Chris.

[@Mistydazzle]

Certainly glad that Iain’s daughter delved deeper into the connections of their family history! In the family tree, we also have Scotsmen who sailed to Ceylon during the mid-1800’s to establish plantations. Descendants of those now live in Australia.

[@Tom_J23]

Cheers for video John!!

[@JohnRogersWalks]

Thanks Tom

[@roymeadway3592]

Fantastic walk

[@williamsdaf]

Two London greats in one video. Thank you Iain and John.

[@JohnRogersWalks]

Thanks very much David

[@julierogers1155]

"Who you walk with shapes the way you see it."

[@AndyKing1963]

Great stuff, thanks, John & Iain. I can't wait to read his new book which I already got an advanced copy of, but it'll have to wait until I've finished Will Self's 'Psycho Geography Too' first

[@daveconyard8946]

Thank you Both Brilliant Full of Memories and ghosts', for those Good people that came Here in those times . Keep Safe All,

[@samsungw200]

The bard of Leytonstone...what a title you should take that one :-) great video as always thank you John

[@thfccfht]

lonely landscapes, skeletons of the past...can hear the anguish, very well described.

[@mattclark7634]

The Essex Chef, that whole building when i was little was the Batas shoe shop, use sell all the reject shoes cheap for locals. i grown up in Tilbury and my aunt use live in East Tilbury, half my family worked for Batas at some point inc me

[@TimothyHalkowski]

Amazing - Iain Sinclair is a treasure.

[@rinosphere]

Thankyou, great stuff.

[@JohnRogersWalks]

Cheers Rino

[@jimkay2728]

Conrad also lived just outside Luton at Someries Castle, overlooking the River Lea

[@highpath4776]

Wasn't Michael Bentine's Father involved with the Pacific War, being part of the Peruvian (Navy?). When Michael volunteered for WW2 service in England the authorities were uncertain which side Peruvian nationals (as Mike was) should be considered as being on !

[@terryvialls6512]

My favourite escape, I often walk from coal house fort to tilbury fort And I live in Stanford Le Hope and My house is in Victoria road! Can you tel me what number Conrad lived at? I’m very interested Regards to you both A fantastic film thank you.

[@john80c]

Studied Heart of Darkness as part of my degree-a harrowing book. All I ever knew about Tilbury was the boat chase in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade was filmed in Tilbury Docks pretending to be Venice.