29 May 2010

Quirky London 17 of 20: The Old Kent Road tank

Where is it?Between Page's Walk and Mandela Way, off the northern end of Old Kent Road, on a triangular patch of grass.

What's quirky about it? It's a real T-34 tank. Part of the fleet used to crush rebellion in Prague in 1968, it was bought and installed by a local property developer in frustration at his not getting planning permission to build on it. The gun turret, it's said, points to the council offices. It gets regularly resprayed. (There was also a Follower-of-Banksy mural behind it on our visit, though maybe a follower-of-Robbo has sprayed over it by now.)

Why bike there? Cyclists who have just had another close call with a lorry may well feel that a tank would be a more appropriate way to travel the Old Kent Road.


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2 comments:

  1. Nice background story. It's only a "tank"!

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  2. > "Cyclists who have just had another close call with a lorry may well feel that a tank would be a more appropriate way to travel the Old Kent Road."

    I'd second that. In fact, by tank is the only way to travel along the Old Kent Road!

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