One of my favourite spots to head to on my daily trundles is the statue of General Woolfe in Greenwich Park. It is situated by the famous observatory, at the top of quite a large hill overlooking Greenwich, the Thames and north London beyond. Sitting by the statue, you get truly incredible views across the metropolis, with the Isle of Dogs right in front of you, the Dome/O2 to your right, and Central London to your left. I was up there earlier today; as usual for a pleasant Spring afternoon, the Park was thronging with tourists.

Looking at the statue, I began to reflect: what changes must it have seen? According to it’s engraving, the statue was a gift from the people of Canada, given to London in 1930. It has thus stood in that spot for well over ninety years. Of course, I’m not implying that I think statues can actually see, but if it could, Woolfe would have witnessed London changing and evolving dramatically. For example, in 1930 Canary Wharf, which the statue seems to look directly at, was still a major shipping harbour. There was no forrest of skyscrapers, but the place would have been bustling with ships. Of course, the O2 wouldn’t have existed and North Greenwich would have been lined with terraced houses. London would just have been spread flat before it, full of factories, mills and steam engines, utterly different to the sprawling metropolis, full of all kinds of weirdly-shaped buildings you see from that hill today.

It makes you reflect on just how quickly cities like London change. Indeed, it has changed dramatically even in the thirteen years I have lived here. You have to wonder: if the statue is still standing in a hundred years’ time, what might it be looking at?