Having walked the section of the River Brent between Wembley Park and Stonebridge (see previous blog), I decided to continue in Patrick Keiller's footsteps from Stonebridge to the back of the stadium.
Allotments are situated next to the foot of the bridge backing on to the expansive rail tracks. I walked up the old iron bridge which has basically not changed since his 1981 'Stonebridge Park' short film apart from perhaps some of the graffiti.
Once I reached the top of the bridge, I noticed the view to the stadium has changed. Patrick Keiller looked over the playing fields at the old Wembley stadium which looked majestic in the film. Now you can just see one side of the stadium, apartment buildings block the rest of the view. The Wembley arch floats over the buildings offering a focal point on what feels like a strange iron clad, rattling pilgrimage to the national stadium.
My stroll continued down the bridge steps and following the long alley to the back of the flats. In the overgrown walkway, Wembley Brook flows quietly past and joins the River Brent adding a nice touch of tranquility.