“Why the fuck, he asked himself, as he limped towards Mile End Park the following morning, was he, the senior partner and founder of the firm, having to stake out a protest march on a hot Saturday morning, when he had three employees and a knackered leg?” (Lethal White, Chapter 22)
Mile End Park is a large linear park built over industrial land that was devastated by a WWII bombing. Today you can enjoy an array of items and activities here, including the Art Pavilion, a climbing wall, children’s playground, a wide variety of wild life, and much more. Most people who visit are likely to have a better time here than Strike did. For more information or to plan a fun day out, click here.
Chapter 22 finds a very grumpy Strike on his way to Mile End Park to an anti-missile protest in which Jimmy Knight’s group CORE is participating. Robin, Hutchins and Barclay were all unavailable to take the job due to family obligations, leaving Strike as the one to do it. Strike is ill suited for the job, with a sore leg and having previously met Jimmy and Flick. While wearing a Guy Fawkes mask to conceal himself from his targets, Strike struggles as his “fake foot always found grass one of the most difficult surfaces to navigate.”
Google Maps
The protesters continue their march onto Roman Road, which is easier on Strike’s prosthesis, and the march finally ends at The Bow Quarter in Fairfield Road. Strike struggles to keep up with Jimmy and Flick while listening to their conversation. Below is the most likely route Strike traveled that day. One and a half miles on a swollen and knackered leg doesn’t do much to improve his mood.
Feel like organizing a protest at Mile End Park? Find it on the map below.