The Way to the Sea | Caroline Crampton | Granta

Excerpt

The Way to the Sea

Caroline Crampton

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As one of the key entrances and exits to England, the estuary has been pivotal to London's economic fortunes and in defining its place in the world. It has also been the entry point for immigrants for generations, yet it has an ambivalent relationship with newcomers, and UKIP’s popularity in the area is on the rise. As Caroline navigates the waters of the estuary, she also seeks out its stories: empty warehouses and arsenals; shipwrecks still inhabited by the ghosts of the drowned; vast Victorian pumping stations which continue to carry away the capital's sewage; beacons used for centuries to guide boats through its dark and murky waterways; and the estuary's wildlife and shifting tidal moods. The following is an excerpt from The Way to the Sea by Caroline Crampton.

Caroline Crampton

Caroline Crampton is a writer and editor who contributes regularly to the Guardian, the Mail on Sunday and the New Humanist. She has appeared as a broadcaster on Newsnight, Sky News and BBC Radio 4.

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