East of TOWER BRIDGE, DOCKLANDS territory, North and South of the river

On the map:  the ST. KATHARINE DOCKS, immediately to the East of the TOWER, from where I suggest you begin the route that will take you in an Eastward direction following the North bank of the THAMES

The port: trade… money!

Before containerisation. Dockers and cranes

The Battle for DOCKLANDS video

You are going to explore the old fishing villages, which became port districts of the East End, along the river. Neighbourhoods that, once the PORT OF LONDON ceased operations, between the 60s and 80s, had to be redeveloped, rebuilt and old buildings restored and converted... And the DOCKLANDS were created.
The institution that led this task was the LONDON DOCKLANDS DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION, which enjoyed absolute jurisdiction over this huge area for about 20 years. Municipal governments regained their powers at the beginning of the 21st century.

This type of governmental body is being used in other parts of the U.K, and in London the LONDON OLYMPICS LEGACY COMPANY is now operative in and around the precinct of the OLYMPIC PARK.

All the main enclosed docks of the PORT OF LONDON before regeneration. This guide refers to those on the North bank of the THAMES.  Photo: D. HENDERSON

WHARVES. You have not seen the word WHARF spelled so many times!

More information about the Port of London and trade

Lon Mus Dock

Royal Mar Mus, Greenw

Tower Br

The THAMES PATH: Walking or cycling from the TOWER OF LONDON to POPLAR 

WAPPING

Walking Wapping riverfront 

To ST.KATHARINE DOCKS

If you find yourself at the TOWER OF LONDON, you are almost in WAPPING. You just have to leave the precinct of the firmer LIBERTY the TOWER (H.M. PALACE AND FORTRESS, used to be a LIBERTY, a separate jurisdiction, neither part of the City, nor part of any other Borough), through the arch that passes under TOWER BRIDGE. 
A little secret: as you are passing, to your left, a former guards room (now, a restaurant), and as the soldiers needed some sort of heating… that explains why, on top of the bridge you will see a lamp  post without the lamp. It is a chimney, in fact!.

After the arch, behind the ice cream van, you are going to find one the marks of  the boundaries of the LIBERTY OF THE TOWER. By the way, one day you might be able to watch the BEATING OF THE BOUNDS ceremony.

To your right, instead, the DEAD’S MAN HOLE was the quay officially designed to recover bodies found in the Thames.  
And now you are entering the LIBERTY OF ST.KATHARINE-BY-THE TOWER. Well, again, in the old times. Nowadays you are entering a different district, belonging to a different London Borough or municipality. Welcome to WAPPING, and to TOWER HAMLETS. Precisely, those hamlets which, in case of war,  had to contribute with men and arms to the defence of London, from the TOWER. 

You are now in ST. KATHARINE DOCKS. A closed, inland system of basins 2 in total)  and warehouses (as well as locks, bridges, cranes...) built in the 1820s, which allowed the necessary expansion and improvement of the port. IVORY HOUSE is the only surviving warehouse.
Nowadays, since 1977, the basins are host to leisure and historical ships and the warehouses which used to hold valuable cargos, have been converted into apartments and, as well, contemporary  housing  and offices have been built over the years . And an awful building, a hotel.

You will find a few restaurants and cafés on the North side of the basins . And, to the an east, the DICKENS INN pub, which looks like a real 16th coaching inn, as it was built with recycled ancient timbers.
This was the first chapter of the reinvention of the old docks… of the creation of the LONDON DOCKLANDS. Before the LDDC.
Opposite the hotel river façade, on the river front, you can drink and eat on the terraces. And enjoy two sculptures, GIRL WITH A DOLPHIN, by DAVID WYNNE and TIMEPIECE by WENDY TAYLOR(who has a workshop in BROMLEY-BY-BOW).

The DANISH CHURCH, in REGENT’S PARK

This place has its origins in the 12th century when QUEEN MATILDA founded a priory, ST.KATHARINE-BY-THE-TOWER, which remained here all these centuries (it even survived the DISSOLUTION OF THE MONASTERIES of Henry VIII, thanks to the patronage of all English and British Queens. CATHERINE OF ARAGON, even after her demise as a Queen was allowed to patronise the institution, but when CAROLINE, the repudiated wife of GEORGE IV died the King authorised the eviction).

In due course, a village (rather a SLUM) grew around it, until THOMAS TELFORD, the company's engineer, designed the docks and the architect PHILIP HARDWICK built the warehouses, in its place and that you now see and enjoy, as a marina. These DOCKS opened in 1828

The monastic community moved to REGENT'S PARK. But, now, the church of ST.KATHARINE there  has become the Danish church, since the institution, reformed, is located in LIMEHOUSE>>>>, again in the port area. You can visit it later on.

And, by the way, the poor slum dwellers were evicted and nobody heard about them anymore…

That round, domed building -the CORONARIUM- was, in fact, designed as a chapel, as attested by the plaque from 1977 (JUBILEE Year), when Queen Elizabeth II unveiled the converted docks. Now you can enjoy a nice drink there, in the AZIMUT CAFÉ . After your enjoying your cocktail you will find a large piece of acrylic on the wall of the hotel… This large lump was commissioned (and finally not used) by STANLEY KUBRICK for his film “2001 A SPACE ODYSSEY“.

The reason for erecting a modern chapel here was to commemorate that for centuries the priory church was located precisely in this site. 

Don't miss lVORY HOUSE either, the large pre-Victorian warehouse, supported by enormous cast iron columns, now with its restaurants and cafes. IVORY was one of the most valuable products kept here. In fact, if you leave the enclosure through the North gate (EAST SMITHFIELD) you will see the statues of two elephants on the gate pillars.

Carry on exploring the old docks: the LOCK is a working one, and on the old wall you will find a plaque explaining how a lock works. Another plaque commemorates the opening of new improvement works in 1988 by QUEEN BEATRIX OF THE NEDERLANDS. Remember 1688, when the DUTCH PRINCE, WILLIAM, and a STUART, MARY, became joint monarchs of England and Scotland. They had to sign the BILL OF RIGHTS, though, becoming thus the first monarchs who ruled with a limited power, in favour of Parliament. This episode, after the eviction of the absolutist and Catholic King JAMES II, was the GLORIOUS REVOLUTION. 1688: three centuries of peace between the Dutch and the English; can you imagine a military attack of England by the Dutch?. 

The LONDON DOCKS

Then you will continue walking along ST.KATHARINE'S WAY. And you will see old warehouses, new apartment blocks, imitating the shape of old warehouses and even social housing built by the LCC (MATILDA HOUSE).
An anecdote: the modern but traditionally-shaped building that you are  passing by , to your right, bearing the HMS PRESIDENT name on the plaque, is a "stone frigate" that houses a ROYAL NAVY reserve headquarters. A stone ship!... a ship! You still don't believe it. Well that's right, that's the name given by the Royal Navy to the buildings that have naval functions. HMS means HIS MAJESTY’S SHIP as in “HMS BELFAST”, the battle ship which you have probably already seen, moored on the South bank..

You are leaving the HERMITAGE BASIN, the small dock on the left, behind . You can see the high walls (remember the security reasons)  and the entrance of the former LONDON DOCKS precinct, and a building, with the emblem of the PORT OF LONDON AUTHORITY, which was a water pumping plant, with the function of maintaining the water level in the basins.

The LONDON DOCKS was a dock system originally built and operated  by a different, independent company, but later merged with the ST.KATHARINE DOCKS company. At one stage, the new company even owned the ROYAL GROUP OF DOCKS>>>> (in the LONDON BOROUGH OF NEWHAM>>>>).

Finally, all the private  companies were nationalised in 1909, forming the PORT OF LONDON AUTHORITY, at a time when the it was the largest and the most active in the world.
(in only a few years it would be overtaken as the largest port in the world by NEW YORK).

You still will see some launches  or other  vessels on the river belonging to the P.L.A., which still has jurisdiction over the tidal river.

By the way, the PLA is now based in GRAVESEND. And the main container port is the LONDON GATEWAY, in THURROCK, 30 miles East of CHARING CROSS.

To SHADWELL: “Inside” the WESTERN DOCK.                                     Or along the THAMES PATH

Map, ornamental channel 

The simplest way is carrying on the THAMES PATH, but I have a possible detour for you, taking you more directly to SHADWELL:

If you enter the HERMITAGE BASIN  (admire the sculpture ROPE CIRCLE, by WENDY ANN TAYLOR) and continue straight, then to the left, you will go down the stairs to the current water level of an ornamental canal. Believe you me, you are INSIDE  of what used to be a huge dock, the WESTERN BASIN  —you can see the granite edge of it and the mooring bollards. You can see,as well, the water lever marks under the modern bridge —  and if you follow the ornamental canal you will get to the SHADWELL BASIN>>>> (after crossing another former basin, the EASTERN DOCK, that has been converted into the SHADWELL WOOD).  At the first bend, you will see on your right the site where the lock was located (stairs and a BUST OF JOHN RENNIE, engineer of the LONDON DOCKS) and, after the second bend, the TOBACCO DOCK, the old warehouses which became  a  (failed) shopping centre,  in the 80s and 90s, and, nowadays, creative workshops and events space>>>>. The two replica ships were intended as a children’s playing grounds.

Now, as you can see, the whole area around here is mostly residential, including the site of  former basin which has been filled in.

However, the North half of the WESTERN BASIN, became the site, between the 1980s and the 2000s of the editorial offices and the printing presses of NEWS INTERNATIONAL (now, NEWS UK, based in BERMONDSEY, beside the SHARD. What was known as “FORTRESS WAPPING”,  of infamous souvenir. The former printing and editorial complex has become a luxury residential quarter.

SHADWELL BASSIN is 5 min. away, after the TOBACCO DOCK.

If you decide to follow the THAMES PATH, alongside the streets and, sometimes, right on the river embankment, the HERMITAGE MEMORIAL GARDENS offer good views towards BUTLERS WHARF, the converted warehouse complex on the South bank, in the district of BERMONDSEY. Visit it, if you can, you will find good restaurants and cafés along SHAD THAMES.

In the GARDENS , the frame of the dove  is the MEMORIAL TO THE EAST END VICTIMS OF THE BLITZ. The East End of London was one of the worst bombed areas during the BLITZ,  because the of its key factories and its port.
Look at the moored boats. Precisely in this small "floating town" lived JO COX, a British parliamentarian, who was murdered in 2016.

Alongside WAPPING LANE, after WAPPING  LONDON OVERGROUND STA

The former lock, on the site where you are now

TOWN OF RAMSGATE PH. The oldest waterside  inn?

You keep going East, sometimes right along the embankment, if you wish and if allowed. You will see another WENDY ANN TAYLOR  artwork. A good fish restaurant, SMITH’S.

This is  the HIGH STREET of WAPPING. A few decades ago, this must have been a very busy place. 100 years 36 or so taverns and  inns lined the street, and other types of entertainment for sailors, and shops, especially sailors’ victualers, and other trades to seafaring. And lodging houses. Already in the 16th c. JOHN STOW, the historian, described it as a continual street, or a “filthy strait passage, with alleys of small tenements or cottages”. And, according to PEPYS, the seamen living or staying here caused some disturbances… PEPYS explains everything about life in London in his DIARY, but the truth is that he was in these port areas in business, as he held hight office in the ADMIRALTY. 
Anyway, this was like a village, where boatbuilders, sailmakers and other trades related were predominant.

You will also pass, WAPPING PIER. Now, you see some charming, private gardens, belonging to the Georgian houses that you see (built c.1811], which were occupied, during the 19th c. by officials of the LONDON DOCKS COMPANY.
Instead of gardens, 100 years ago you would have seen how merchant ships negotiated a lock that cut off the street  (a bridge was in place, of course) allowing merchant ships to enter the LONDON DOCKS. First, the WAPPING BASIN, then the WESTERN DOCK (you see the site of the lock entrance, on the other side, if you walk the shortcut related above, marked by a flight of stairs and a bust of John RENNIE).

By the way, JOHN LENNON lived for a while in one of the houses and the BEATLES used the place for one of their photo-shots.

Afterwards, the WAPPING OLD STAIRS, lead down to the river (and, according to legend, were used by  some of the convicts who were transported to Australia, in order to board the waiting ship).

Normally, stairs were in place to give WATERMEN access to the river.

And then, a fantastic, really historical pub: the TOWN OF RAMSGATE (whose cellars, down under,  following  London lore, housed some those  waiting to be transported).

After your beer, and your fish & chips, you can go down the stairs if the river is at low tide, and maybe you will find a contemporary MUDLARK. Now, you have just learned a London’s English word. A scavenger of the river, in search of lost treasures. Only that mudlarks were here in search of lumps of coal, or other objects discarded from the ships that would help to their survival.

Almost opposite the pub, the firmer churchyard and the Church of ST. JOHN’S WAPPING and the old charitable BLUE COAT school, both built in the 18th century, and now converted into apartments On SCANDRETT ST, little further on, the former TURK’S HEAD pub has become BISTRO BARDOT.

You will see a few converted  huge Victorian warehouses. Look up: OLIVER’S WHARF was the place where CHER, the American singer and actress bought an apartment in the 1990s, when the London DOCKLANDS where becoming a sought after place. By the way, the word WHARF is everywhere. And the name of each one. A WHARF is the place, the building, where goods are loaded and unloaded, always on the banks of a watercourse or the sea ... which is why some linguists claim that it is an acronym (Ware Housing At River  Front).

The blue colour of the modern building you are now passing reveals that it is the pier of the MARINE POLICING  UNIT of the METROPOLITAN POLICE.
Further ahead, note the headquarters of the MARINE POLICE, founded in 1798, more than 20 years before the METROPOLITAN POLICE, of which it currently forms a unit. You will find the MUSEUM there. By the way, the METROPOLITAN POLICE MUSEUM is in SIDCUP. If you decide to visit it, do not miss OLD BEXLEY. including HALL PLACE and the RED HOUSE.

The bridges or walkways that you see, over the street, allowed the cargoes unloaded from the ships to be transported by porters in order to be stored in a second line of warehouses... Try to go and visit the SHAD THAMES ones, in BERMONDSEY.

You will also pass a small garden.. the alleged place where the EXECUTION DOCK was located (that is, the gallows, the scaffold,   intended  for seafarers or those condemned for crimes related to trade and seafaring, who, according to tradition, were kept hanging on the shore of the THAMES for three consecutive tides. Of course, the actual site must have been on the shore, the embankment is more recent).

If you continue along the main street, WAPPING HIGH ST., you will pass a pub that is not old at all (although the building is, as it used to be a warehouse), the CAPTAIN KID PH. You will like it. It sells only beers brewed in TADCASTER, YORKSHIRE, by SAMUEL SMITH’S  OLD BREWERY. Such Captain Kid, was a 18th c. seafarer that  had as his mission that of "cleansing" the Caribbean seas of pirates but... he himself became one of them. And he ended up hanged.

If you continue walking a little further you will reach the WAPPING OVERGROUND Station.
The station is an historical one. Or rather, it is the TUNNEL through which the trains go along, which crosses the THAMES here. The THAMES TUNNEL is considered the first in the world that crosses under a navigable river. It was opened to the public in 1843, after more than 20 years of works, and a few accidents and casualties . It takes you (on the LONDON OVERGROUND) to ROTHERHITHE (another old fishing village that I recommend you to visit, on your way to/from GREENWICH). There you will find the BRUNEL MUSEUM, dedicated to the tunnel and the eminent engineers who bear that name.
The father, was monarchist, who fled Revolutionary France and, after spending a period in NEW YORK, working there in building projects for the local authorities, and becoming an American citizen, then settled here in England (he was married to an English woman) and devised the first technology that allowed tunnels to be excavated without removing the ground from the surface (here, the river). And his very young son, ISAMBARD KINGDOM, helped him out in this project and, later in his life, would  become  the most brilliant and renowned engineer of his age, designing railways, bridges, ships>>>>.

Brunel's system was improved, in the1890s, by the engineer JAMES HENRY GREATHEAD (Statue by the ROYAL EXCHANGE, in the CITY), which allowed the construction of the DEEP LEVEL lines of the London Underground, well… what we should call the TUBE. More recently, in the 2000s, the excavation system used to build CROSSRAIL (technical name for the ELIZABETH LINE) is no other than an evolution of the BRUNEL method.

The THAMES TUNNEL became an authentic touristic attraction, for lack of a better use. As road access was not build, it lost its original purpose. Until the railway company bought it.

Beside the station, the D3 bus takes you to (or brings you here from) WHITECHAPEL and BETHNAL GREEN, or to/from CANARY WHARF, and the 100 bus from/to  ST.PAUL'S CATHEDRAL (and very close to the TOWER), or to SHADWELL stations (DLR and the OVERGROUND)>>>>.

And, beside the station, you can have a lovely coffee in URBAN BARISTAS.

Of course, your aim is following the THAMES PATH. But….                 Why not a circular tour of WAPPING?.
First, along WAPPING LANE

Alongside WAPPING LANE, you will find some cafes, pubs and restaurants. I love the CINNAMON.

To your left, at the end of the WAPPING GREEN, the pub is the TURNER’S OLD STAR which, it seems,  had been owned by the great painter TURNER, while leading a secret life here, far away of the limelight of fame. His mistress,  Mrs. BOOTH must have been in charge.

Not far away, in REARDON ST., you are going to find the forbidding walls that enclosed the LONDON DOCKS, and the site where CAPTAIN BLIGHT lived. He had sailed with CAPTAIN COOK and with the eminent botanist JOSEPH BANKS.  Why happened that infamous mutiny?.

Afterwards, along the LANE,  ST.PETER'S CHURCH, LONDON DOCKS. Notice that "MASS" is announced; that is it, this is an ANGLO-CATHOLIC MISSION; an ANGLICAN church, yes, but belonging to a branch that brings it closer to CATHOLICISM. The plaque outside honours the vicar WAINRIGHT, and, inside the courtyard, another to rector LOWDER.

LOWDER founded the ST.GEORGE’S MISSION, in 1856, and this parish, in 1866, becoming a vicar. The mission became ST.PETER’S MISSION, since then. 
WAINWRIGHT was vicar here for 49 years, until the 1920s.

They provided, apart  from spiritual care, schools, cheap canteens, clubs for boys… in an extremely  deprived area.

Nearby you will find access to the TOBACCO DOCK, that linked the Western and the Eastern Docks. Sometimes you can visit the former warehouses (1811, and where wool, wines and spirits, and tobacco were unloaded); in the 80s, until the mid-90s, they were converted into a shopping centre (it failed; by the way, the ships you see are replicas intended as a children's play area) and currently it is a centre  for creative industries and place for special events. You can join the path along the  <<<>ornamental canal, to SHADWELL BASIN>>>>.

On the right, RAINE STREET; the building to the right is the old school created thanks to the legacy of HENRY RAINE, the WAPPING brewer. You admire the typical statues that denote its use as a charitable school, set up  in the 17th century. This school still exists, currently based in <<<<BETHNAL GREEN, next to VICTORIA PARK.

If you follow WAPPING LANE to the end you reach ST.GEORGE'S-ON-THE-EAST, a HAWKSMOOR church (one of the 3 he designed in  the EAST END) and CABLE STREET.

Before you cross, though, on your left, PENNINGTON STREET, with its long row of converted warehouses (the rear of the TOBACCO DOCKS and others) part of the former LONDON DOCKS complex.

This unbuilt plot has had some archeological excavations made recently:  a Roman bikini was found here, inside the remains of baths and other buildings.

Alongside WAPPING LANE, you will find some cafes, pubs and restaurants. I love the CINNAMON.

To your left, at the end of the WAPPING GREEN, the pub is the TURNER’S OLD STAR which, it seems,  had been owned by the great painter TURNER, while leading a secret life here, far away of the limelight of fame. His mistress,  Mrs. BOOTH must have been in charge.

Not far away, in REARDON ST., you are going to find the forbidding walls that enclosed the LONDON DOCKS, and the site where CAPTAIN BLIGHT lived. He had sailed with CAPTAIN COOK and with the eminent botanist JOSEPH BANKS.  Why happened that infamous mutiny?.

Afterwards, along the LANE,  ST.PETER'S CHURCH, LONDON DOCKS. Notice that "MASS" is announced; that is it, this is an ANGLO-CATHOLIC MISSION; an ANGLICAN church, yes, but belonging to a branch that brings it closer to CATHOLICISM. The plaque outside honours the vicar WAINRIGHT, and, inside the courtyard, another to rector LOWDER.

LOWDER founded the ST.GEORGE’S MISSION, in 1856, and this parish, in 1866, becoming a vicar. The mission became ST.PETER’S MISSION, since then. 
WAINWRIGHT was vicar here for 49 years, until the 1920s.

They provided, apart  from spiritual care, schools, cheap canteens, clubs for boys… in an extremely  deprived area.

Nearby you will find access to the TOBACCO DOCK, that linked the Western and the Eastern Docks. Sometimes you can visit the former warehouses (1811, and where wool, wines and spirits, and tobacco were unloaded); in the 80s, until the mid-90s, they were converted into a shopping centre (it failed; by the way, the ships you see are replicas intended as a children's play area) and currently it is a centre  for creative industries and place for special events. You can join the path along the  <<<>ornamental canal, to SHADWELL BASIN>>>>.

On the right, RAINE STREET; the building to the right is the old school created thanks to the legacy of HENRY RAINE, the WAPPING brewer. You admire the typical statues that denote its use as a charitable school, set up  in the 17th century. This school still exists, currently based in <<<<BETHNAL GREEN, next to VICTORIA PARK.

If you follow WAPPING LANE to the end you reach ST.GEORGE'S-ON-THE-EAST, a HAWKSMOOR church (one of the 3 he designed in  the EAST END) and CABLE STREET.

Before you cross, though, on your left, PENNINGTON STREET, with its long row of converted warehouses (the rear of the TOBACCO DOCKS and others) part of the former LONDON DOCKS complex.

This unbuilt plot has had some archeological excavations made recently:  a Roman bikini was found here, inside the remains of baths and other buildings.

ST.GEORGE’S-IN-THE EAST and CABLE STREET

Observe the church well, now that you can see a little bit of it. It has lost its roof because the interior was totally gutted by fire bombs during the BLITZ, and then it was rebuilt with a new modern construction inside the 18th c. stone shell.
In the churchyard, note the TOMBSTONE  OF RAINE, the brewer.

Another thing to be appreciated of this church is how distinctive is. HAWKSMOOR was an original, “different” architect. Admire the 160ft “pepper pot” tower. You might have seen, CHISTCHURCH SPITALFIEDS, already. Maybe you will discover, later on,  ST.ANNE’S, LIMEHOUSE…

ST.GEORGE’S is one of the churches built after the New Churches Act, 1711. English Protestantism had to be propagated amongst the newly arrived French refugees. Then came the Irish, the Jews, and the Bengalis. No chance to fish a big congregation…

Note the former MORTUARY, with a RIPPER connection (the body of ELIZABETH STRIDE, who was killed nearby, was brought here) . Afterwards, it became a natural sciences museum (by the LCC).

ST.GEORGE’S-IN-THE-EAST parish church gave name to the administrative district where you now are. No wonder that, in CABLE STREET, you are going to find the, first, VESTRY, then, TOWN HALL  of ST.GEORGE’S.  

The first part of the building that you are going to see is the west wall (the library that used to be here was destroyed): a magnificent mural that depicts, in a modern way, an important chapter of London’s history. October of 1936: the DOCKERS, and other workers and inhabitants of the riverside areas,  British dockers and many Irish, joined the struggle of the local JEWISH community, threatened and intimidated,  by the hordes of marchers of the BRITISH UNION OF FASCISTS (led by OSWALD MOSLEY) and having to contend as well with the condescending  role of the police. The BATTLE OF CABLE STREET.

The CABLE STREET INN is a boutique B&B.  Read the old pub signs. It used to be a MEUX pub; that brewery was called, as well,  the HORSESHOE BREWERY (sited in the WEST END, on the corner of TOTTENHAM COURT ROAD and NEW OXFORD STREET). This factory became infamous thanks to  a huge flood of beer that happened in 1807…

The SHADWELL OVERGROUND station and DLR stations are 200 m. away, to the East, along CABLE STREET.  A SBDS is opposite.  

Also, you are going to find the WATNEY MARKET, plus stores and cafés (and another SBDS).

Bus 100 takes you to ST.PAUL’S CATHEDRAL, or close to the TOWER.

And, finally, back towards the CITY or to WHITECHAPEL 

Once you enjoyed the mural and the church, I suggest you to continue the following  route towards the CITY:

Amongst the row of well preserved Georgian houses,  note HAWKSMOOR MEWS (modern development on the rear) and the plaque in memory of HANNA BILLIG.  Then, after, the former CROWN AND DOLPHIN  pub you will cross CANNON STREET ROAD (strange name, CANNON ST. being a main road in the CITY), and enter the COUNCIL ESTATE along CROWDER ST., then turn right along SWEDENBORG GARDENS (on the site of PRINCE’S SQ.)

Finally you will get to WELLCLOSE SQUARE, a square that in fact only survives in part,  due to  urban changes after WW2.

In the 18th century, in WELLCLOSE SQUARE lived the SWEDISH theologian and mystic EMMANUEL SWEDENBORG, and also the DANISH LEGATE (ambassador). And a numerous Scandinavian colony, indication that the area was quite prosperous in the 18th c. but then turned  into a SLUM, and was finally demolished in the 1960s. The ST.SAVIOURS & ST.CROSS MISSION CHAPEL (1874) occupies the site of the DANISH CHURCH.

SWEDENBORG was buried in the SWEDISH CHURCH, sited in PRINCE’S SQ. After its destruction, his rests were  transferred to Sweden, although his skull was lost.

Finally, you will exit alongside a passage to the North West and will be able  get a drink in the bar of WILTON’S MUSIC HALL, in GRACES ALLEY. A Victorian MUSIC HALL, unique in London, recently restored, where musical shows, pantomimes, and others are performed and some films like CHAPLIN have been shot.

In ENSIGN ST. on the site of the buildings to your left,  used to be a theatre, the ROYAL BRUNSWICK  On the site of it they built a SAILORS’ HOME (Architect PHILIP HARDWICK). You are looking at its rear front. Now they are part of WOMBAT’S HOSTEL, of which you can see the modern façade and entrance on DOCK ST.

That theatre, by the way, stood here only for a few days, as it collapsed shortly after the opening. The only reminders of its existence are the BOLLARDS along the pavement. Can you see the monogram “RBT” inscribed on them?.

In DOCK ST, as well, a plaque commemorating the BATTLE OF CABLE STREET, the  ST.PAUL’S church is now a nursery,  and on the corner, the ROYAL PHARMACEUTICAL SOCIETY has a small collection of objects related to their trade. If you cross over EAST SMITHFIELD you are going to will see more closely the new development of the former LONDON DOCKS precinct.

After GRACES ALLEY, ENSIGN ST. and DOCK ST. you will walk again CABLE ST.

Note that you are going to find some eateries (the CROWN & SEVEN STARS -see the façade: the old name is made clear- has become THE ARTFUL DODGER pub, and there is also a Filipino restaurant) and the JACK THE RIPPER MUSEUM. On the front of the house, you will see the plaques of one of the suspects (GEORGE CHAPMAN)  and one of the victims (ELIZABETH STRIDE, remember the mortuary?), both with a slim connection with the area). The museum had as a founding goal to vindicate the plight of the women of the East End, some of whom were pushed to prostitution due to the social conditions of extreme poverty, but it has been criticised for ending up celebrating the infamous character. 

Number 4 CABLE STREET is were CHARLES HENRY HARROD set up his first small grocery business, in 1834, which would develop into the mammoth department store called… I know, I know, you do not believe me!.

CABLE STREET is thus called due to the seafaring tradition of the area:  ship cables were made here, and a unit of length of rope hemp used was  a cable (a tenth of a mile).

The last stretch the street is called ROYAL MINT STREET. The high  yellow brick walls that you are going to see soon enclose the Georgian buildings that housed the ROYAL MINT, where British coinage was made until 1967.  The complex became offices and homes, remaining in ownership of the CROWN ESTATE. Later on, the freehold changed hands (GEORGE SOROS became owner). In recent years, the  P.R. of CHINA has acquired the freehold to construct here its new embassy in the UK. This move has been mired in controversy.

The precinct of the MINT contains some archeological remains of CISTERCIAN ABBEY of ST.MARY GRACES, or the EASTMINSTER. 

By the former  MINT you are especially near <<<<ST.KATHARINE DOCKS and the TOWER OF LONDON.

Now, you are visiting WHITECHAPEL

Once here  you are very close to <<<<the WHITECHAPEL HIGH STREET: why not following EAST and NORTH TENTER STREET (tenters were used to extend the silk clothes issued from the HUGUENOTS’ looms), then ST.MARK’S and GREAT ALIE STREETS. Note the former EASTERN DISPENSARY, at the crossing. And in GREAT ALIE STREET, the GERMAN LUTHERAN CHURCH and SCHOOL.  There was a sizeable German community in this area, and they had brought with them new trades, like sugar baking. That happened in the 18th in the wake of the ascension to throne of GEORGE I, the first HANOVERIAN KING. The English partners of the newly arrived entrepreneurs simply translated the word ZUCKERBÄKER.

Not far away, as German CATHOLICS were as well occupied in the same trade, their church still stands, although rebuilt after the SECOND WW,  very close to ALTAB ALI PARK.

Admire the huge pieces of street art in GOODMAN’S FIELDS contemporary development. 

Definitely, you can join now other routes, and see the attractions in SPITALFIELDS and WHITECHAPEL.

More info about the WAPPING and ST.GEORGE’S

ST.GEORGE’S-IN-THE EAST HISTORY. The church and the area.

And that was WAPPING

SHADWELL

On the map, the PROSPECT OF WHITBY pub and, a little to the North, SHADWELL BASIN

To the PROSPECT OF WHITBY PH

Video Shad Dock

If you read the maps you will find out that this area is called, administratively, RATCLIFF. But what could be identified as a village disappeared with the great development of the docks during the Victorian era. Nobody remembers it. A stretch of the main road was called RATCLIFF HIGHWAY. Now it is, simply, THE HIGHWAY. However, in popular folklore a dark event that happened here  in 1812 is still alive, THE RATCLIFF HIGHWAY MURDERS. The man convicted as a murderer killer himself in prison. Following tradition he was buried somewhere underneath the crossroads opposite <<<<the CROWN & DOLPHIN pub, with a wooden cross stabbed on his heart… A body was found a few decades later…

You can continue along the THAMES PATH after the PROSPECT OF WHITBY, for good views.  You will cross the former LOCK, and leave behind the OUTDOOR ACTIVITY CENTRE (you see kids canoeing  or playing other sports).  Note the plaque: a drill hall was here.
Then, a narrow passage leads you to the KING EDWARD VII MEMORIAL PARK.  A 20th c. park, a little over 100 years old,  landscaped on the site of rows of slummy houses, factories and even a fish market.  

As in many other parts of London, has been improved and expanded thanks to the works of the new SUPERSEWER, the THAMES TIDEWAY TUNNEL. A huge engineering job: a tunnel of around 20 km. has been dug underneath the bed of the river, linking with the original BAZALGETTE’s  1860s sewer network (and the building of the EMBANKMENTS in CENTRAL LONDON) and thus ensuring that, definitively, the THAMES becomes a clean river. A as result of the works, a few new gardens have been created, in all of those points in London where they have effected that link.

You pass by the SHADWELL STAIRS.

The ventilation shaft of the ROTHERHITHE road TUNNEL (1908) is signalled by the round brick  construction, which has a twin, on the South bank of the river, in ROTHERHITHE. Originally, these shaft had incorporated steps that gave access for pedestrians to use tunnel. Nowadays, I would not recommend you to walk the tunnel. 

Beside de shaft, the MEMORIAL TO THE NAVIGATORS who sailed from RATCLIFF CROSS (which was nearby). After the park you will pass by the RATCLIFF CROSS STAIRS. Remember that disappeared hamlet!.

And that was SHADWELL

LIMEHOUSE

On the map, it shows the location of the parish church of ST.ANNE’S, LIMEHOUSE

After SHADWELL lies LIMEHOUSE.

You can get there by the bus: route 15, from THE STRAND, TRAFALGAR SQ.; 115  from ALDGATE; 135 from LIVERPOOL STREET STATION. But bus D3 also comes here, from WAPPING. The LIMEHOUSE DLR station is on COMMERCIAL ROAD. Next stop on the DLR is WESTFERRY STATION, which is, as well, handy.

Towards the ROYAL FOUNDATION OF ST.KATHARINE

The entrance to the ROTHERHITHE TUNNEL

You will carry on the THAMES PATH, after the park. Admire the FREE TRADE WHARF, contemporary  apartments and two EAST INDIA COMPANY’s surviving 18th c. saltpetre warehouses. On the other embankment of the THAMES, the Victorian GLOBE warehouse, the only one in the middle of uninterrupted contemporary housing. That is ROTHERHITHE.

At the end of the wide quay, and after the passage, enter into NARROW STREET, LIMEHOUSE. First the RATCLIFF STAIRS. More modern and old constructions line the street. The ST.GEORGE'S SQUARE development is a contemporary one but elegant.

Now, possible small diversion:
When you arrive to LA FIGA RESTAURANT, at the MOSAIC BUILDING, you can enter the modern development and cross it through. Then, go left and right immediately and, as the cycle lane, go up along the stairs.  Once you stand on this small promontory, you have the LIMEHOUSE LINK (set of tunnels built in the 80s, at an exorbitant cost) down below you, but now you will cross over the bridge, and will be crossing over the access to the <<<<ROTHERHITHE TUNNEL (LIMEHOUSE to ROTHERHITHE)

To the right of the small garden, passing the WAR MEMORIAL you can already see the chapel and the rest of the buildings of the ROYAL FOUNDATION OF ST.KATHARINE  (remember  the building of the DOCKS, and the move of the religious order to REGENT’S PARK…).  Now the institution is back in the docks districts, occupying the former rectory of ST.JAMES’S CHURCH, destroyed in the Second WW. You can stay in the hotel (and not only on retreats) and visit the church. And, just outside,  you will find the YURT CAFÉ, a typical tent from MONGOLIA.

The huge building on the other side of BUTCHERS ROW, on the corner of CABLE STREET is THAMES HOUSE, is a former confectionary factory.

The LIMEHOUSE DLR station is close by, and there are buses 15, 115, 135 in COMMERCIAL STREET. <<<<YORK SQ.  and <<<<ST.DUNSTAN’S, the STEPNEY church,  are close by.

GORDON RAMSEY’s BREAD STREET RESTAURANT

Again, by the THAMES, ON NARROW ST.

Before the detour, remember that you were in NARROW STREET.

You will be passing soon a branch belonging to the BREAD STREET restaurant chain, own by  the famous chef GORDON RAMSEY. Before this used to be the BARLEY MOW pub, which belonged to  the popularly known as BARLEY MOW BREWERY. It had been a, before, PLA building.

Immediately you are crossing the LOCK that allowed the entrance of cargo vessels to the REGENT’S CANAL DOCK, now allows the entrance of pleasure crafts to the LIMEHOUSE BASIN, a marina and a residential development. This basin was excavated after the REGENT’S CANAL was built between the THAMES and the village of PADDINGTON. 

After the SWING BRIDGE, you can enter the basin and have a coffee in the bar of the CRUISING ASSOCIATION.

Continue to NARROW ST. Next, to the left is ALBERT MEWS (this is a modern name, as the mews cannot be seen anywhere; you see a double row of Victorian cottages beside the water course. You are crossing over another bridge, precisely where the course of the original outlet of the LIMEHOUSE CUT was.  The CUT is another canal, built before the REGENT’S CANAL and the DOCK. The CUT was indeed the first canal built in the London area, in the 1780s, along a straight line between the THAMES and the RIVER LEA, avoiding all the meanders  of the two  rivers. 

Just a couple of ideas…

The first one is to follow the course of the LIMEHOUSE CUT to THREE MILLS ISLAND>>>> and the OLYMPIC PARK>>>>. The path is not visually very interesting, but it makes a relaxing walk or ride: the oldest buildings are 1960s logistics sheds, then some former industrial vacant plots pending redevelopment, and many blocks of contemporary apartment. The only interesting building is the former SPRATT’S. It is now a residential complex, converted from a pet food and ship biscuits factory. This is POPLAR, now.

The second suggestion is walking the REGENT’S CANAL to VICTORIA PARK >>>>.

Or, from  here, you can walk to BROADWAY MARKET, ISLINGTON, KING’S CROSS CENTRAL, CAMDEN TOWN and REGENT’S PARK. In fact, cycling is ideal for the more faraway destinations,  but rather during weekdays as the the canals become congested at weekends. It is only 8.6 miles.

Alongside NARROW STREET

NARROW STREET and the ROPEMAKERS Gard

Back to the THAMES PATH…

THE GRAPES is a historical pub, currently co-owned by SIR IAN MCKELLEN, the actor (inside you are going to  discover a memento of the film LORD OF THE RINGS) and LORD EVGENY LEBEDEV, the son of ALEXANDER LEBEDEV, a former KGB spy  and a former oligarch, who became press owners. Obviously you are not believing me: a Russian spy’s son has been appointed Lord of this country, a lawmaker in the House of Lords?. Who on earth has appointed him?.

The house next door used to be the residence of DAVID OWEN, and was here the SOCIAL DEMOCRATIC  PARTY was founded, which merged later on with the LIBERAL PARTY. That was in 1981.

And, a few years later, in 1989, while living at 82 NARROW STREET, the actor McKELLEN helped found STONEWALL, an iconic institution of the LGTB British movement,

I leave you now with old, rather small, Georgian or Victorian houses and WHARF buildings. Note that some of the old signs, with the names of the companies, have restored. For 100 years all type of trades related to maritime commerce and navigation (ropes, sails,  astrolabes… ) occupied the buildings of the area (mostly destroyed during the WW2). “Ship chandler” was probably the most common trade here . Sorry… tavern and brother, I meant.

This entire area was known as SAILOR TOWN. 

You branch left, and leave behind JANE ACKROYD's artwork , THE HERRING GULL, and the only self-standing Georgian house on your left, and enter the park, ROPEMAKERS FIELDS, alongside a street called ROPEMAKERS FIELDS. In the whole of the port area ship ropes were made,  therefore they needed long spaces (alongside the rows of houses that used to be here) for those to be extended… see that in historical maps. 

Down below the park, again,  the course of the LIMEHOUSE LINK, the tunnel that carries the road traffic, after THE HIGHWAY, built in the 80 to allow access to the district, a better communication, after the closure of the docks and the need for the area to be redeveloped . Also the DLR  was built from scratch, although some 19th c. viaducts were put back in use.  The LU took longer to reach these districts (1999). Finally, in 2022, the ELIZABETH LINE.

Historical LIMEHOUSE: ST ANNE’S CHURCH                                     and, then, to CANARY WHARF

On the map, HERTSMERE ROAD: the car park, the DOCKMASTERS HOUSE (PLA) Regency building, the former gates of the WEST INDIA DOCKS, and the historical WAREHOUSES

DANIEL FARSON. Photo from A LONDON INHERITANCE

You can certainly take a shortcut through the park,  but If you follow again NARROW STREET, going  round  the Council Estate, and leaving behind the blue cobalt house (that used to be a pub, and then a banana warehouse),  you turn left into THREE COLT LANE and left again into  NEWELL ST. , you will note that the blocks of flats bear names related to the brewing trade. This used to be the site of the BARLEY MOW BREWERY, officially TAYLOR, WALKER & CO. 

Then, NEWELL ST., bends to the right,  passing  the DLR bridge (see the plaque in memory of the victims of the bomb?) and all along the street you can enjoy a row beautiful Georgian houses. CHARLES DICKENS knew well this street, as his godfather lived in one of them. Another famous figure who  lived in NARROW ST., and knew well the area, and wrote about it (LIMEHOUSE DAYS) was DANIEL FARSON. You will come across him again in the ISLE OF DOGS (He owned the WATERMAN’S ARMS PH).

Now, you can enter the passage and enjoy the originally designed church and the churchyard. ST.ANNE’S LIMEHOUSE is the third of NICHOLAS HAWKSMOOR’s  churches already mentioned in this guide, out of six in London. He had been the pupil  and assistant of SIR CHRISTOPHER WREN, but he had the fame of being an awkward architect, as he was fascinated by the occult and the ancient world. A devilish being he was considered. His ST.GEORGE’S BLOOMSBURY appeared in HOGARTH engravings. His works have captivated many.

In the churchyard, a funerary PYRAMID has been  the object of unparalleled speculation. Is it a Masonic monument?. Nobody knows if it has a certain meaning.

What is well known is that QUEEN ANNE conceded to the parish the privilege to fly the ROYAL NAVY or WHITE ENSIGN, on top of the tall bell tower housing the highest placed clock in any church in London, which was illuminated (this is another first ) in order to serve as a mark for sailors. And that on top of the flagpole a giant gold ball is an official sea mark of TRINITY HOUSE, the  whole constituting  a good helping hand for the crews of the vessels sailing on the river to find their way.

Walking around the Church,  if you pass the WAR MEMORIAL, it will appear in front of you the LIMEHOUSE CHURCH INSTITUTE, its beautiful terracotta-clad façade ; the building, originally an institution that offered knowledge and recreation to the boys of this poor district, was converted into apartments.
And the pub, next door,  originally called FIVE BELLS & BLADEBONE. It is common to find a composite pubname when two different licenses (2 pubs) were joined together. “Five bells” might have referred to the five bells  housed in the church’s  bell tower. But a “blade bone”?. There is indeed a gastropub called the BLADEBONE INN near BUCKLEBERRY, WEST BERKSHIRE, but the name there is explained by the finding of such a bone from a prehistoric creature…
Now, the pub here, which changed the name and became a music venue, is not anymore.

A few yards further down, on top of the  brick Victorian DLR arches used to be the site of the LIMEHOUSE STATION in the era of the steam railways. Note the GR monogram on the red postbox.

Once you have finished, COMMERCIAL ROAD is a few yards behind you.

If, instead, when exiting the church, you find yourself again in NEWELL STREET, you will notice the plaque hight on the wall of the house, which used to house a navigation school and hostel. 

Once on COMMERCIAL ROAD,  to your left, down below,  the LIMEHOUSE CUT. On the corner of SALMON LANE the building now named THE MISSION, used to be the EMPIRE MEMORIAL SAILORS HOSTEL. To your right,  the former TOWN HALL. 

The LIBRARY HOTEL and OUR IMMACULATE CHURCH

Two of the statues outside OUR IMMACULATE

A little detour now. If you head West along COMMERCIAL ROAD, after the canal and the VICARAGE GARDENS, you are going to find a familiar name, for you: the former PASSMORE EDWARDS PUBLIC LIBRARY, which has become, guess… THE LIMEHOUSE LIBRARY HOTEL.

Next door, the CATHOLIC CHURCH, OUR IMMACULATE AND ST.FREDERICK, which used to serve the Irish population of the area. It was completed in 1927. The oak statue to the South -the SACRED HEART- is known as CHRIST THE STEERSMAN, as it was placed here to be seen by the sailors. The  CHRIST CRUCIFIED by the road dates from 1997, by artist SEAN HENRY, and made locally, in the  BRONZE AGE foundry.

You can enter the LIMEHOUSE BASIN, or you can link with the  route  that joins the STEPNEY CHURCH with WHITECHAPEL.

If you continue walking the whole of the noisy COMMERCIAL ROAD… It has some attractive buildings, like the former TROXY CINEMA, the METHODIST HALL, and the houses and buildings of ARBOUR SQUARE and ALBERT SQUARE.

Former SAILORS’ HOSTELS

Former industrial premises.                           Sailmakers. Ship-Chandlers

DRAGONS GATE, by PETER DUNN

Back to the ST.ANNES’s church…
If you go past the churchyard , Eastwards, the inscribed stones on the red brick, will reveal to you the SAILORS' PALACE. Another former residence of mariners.  SAILORS’ TOWN!.

Alternatively if you look to the North side of the road, it appears to you THE STAR OF THE EAST, an archetypal Victorian pub, recently refurbished. 

Alonhside COMMERCIAL ROAD there are bus stops and after the pub, on BURDETT ROAD, there are more routes stopping in different directions: 277, D7, D3, take you to MILE END LU STATION in 10 min.
BURDETT  ROAD pays homage to <<<<BARONESS ANGELA BURDETT-COUTTS, the philanthropist.

Instead, if you decide to carry on your walk (bravo!) , in 10 min. you could be entering  the CANARY WHARF ESTATE (WEST INDIA DOCKS)>>>>.  First, on the corner of BECCLES ST. note the mosaic at the entrance of  the former SAILORS’ REST, and after that the DRAGON’S GATE (by artist PETER DUNN) that reminds you of the  sites of the original LONDON CHINATOWN, around this area. On the POPLAR side, PENNYFIELDS was where  the CHINESE QUARTER was. On the LIMEHOUSE side, LIMEHOUSE CAUSEWAY. 

On the other side (POPLAR>>>>) you can see the former SAILMAKING and CHANDLERY business.  

After the telephone exchange, the police station and the row of shops that you see on the other side, you continue on the south side of the WEST INDIA RD. and turn right at HERTSMERE ROAD. Car park to the left, and to your right, then former DOCKMASTER’S HOUSE (PLA), is now offices. You are at the rear of the LEDGER BUILDING pub. Finally, the founding stone of the WEST INDIA DOCKS.

A little diversion to SALMON LANE and the LOCKSLEY ESTATE.
An special for HITCHCOCK fans

SALMON LANE. In green, the HITCHCOCKS fishmongery. The COPENHAGUEN in blue. In red, the fried fish business

A younger ALFRED HITCHCOCK lived here

LEYTONSTONE HIGH ROAD. Birthplace of ALFRED HITCHOCK (family home and grocery business).

Photo from LONDON REMEMBERS

The LOCKSLEY ESTATE (1950s and 60s, although you are going to see around the area older blocks of flats built by the LCC in the 1930s). 

And, then,  the former factories (desinfectant and lead works, according to historical maps). By the way, on the site of the BRICKFIELD GARDENS (1904) there were saw mills in a previous age , and before that  brick fields

You are more than welcome to link this diversion walk to the REGENT’S CANAL WALK to VICTORIA PARK. Or you can go back to ST.ANNE’S. Or you have buses along BURDETT RD. Or you can have an ALL DAY BREAKFAST at the ANCHOR CAFÉ, in SALMON LANE, where you are going to find other eateries and shops, but not anymore MR.HITCHCOCK’s fried fish shop!.

Or you can head to the TOWER HAMLETS CEMETERY.

Along the THAMES: LIMEHOUSE to CANARY WHARF

THREE COLT GALLERY. Photo from INSTAGRAM

Three Colts represented in those COATS OF ARMS

Do you remember that corner of NARROW STREET and THREE COLT ST?. And the blue cobalt house?.

From here you can continue towards river and up to CANARY WHARF>>>>.

I remind you that the corner blue cobalt building was the KING’S HEAD pub (that became a banana warehouse for a while) and then reopened as a pub, and now it has been converted into artists studios and apartments. Note the plaque, on the red brick social housing block opposite.

After the charming THREE COLT GALLERY, shop and café, the green door sports a plaque from which you learn that the OASTS or KILNS  of LIME that used to occupy the area  gave the former hamlet its name: LIMEHOUSE. In medieval times the production of porcelain, in addition to construction materials was common around here. Behind the door, the rear of the Georgian buildings.

Go on. DA MARIO’S café , is on the left. On the right, you notice that LDDC  logo on the weathervane of the Victorian building, historically related to maritime trade as the relief in its door pediment bears witness. RITCHIE STUDIO, architects, occupies the building, after having designed its conversion. The LDDC might have occupied the building… Which (trading?, shipping?) company or institution was responsible for the construction of this building?. I will try to find out.

Some more mysteries: THREE COLT STREET must be, for sure, a grammatical mistake, or a wrong spelling. It should be “THREE COLTS”, is not it?. Who committed the mistake?.

Remember the gallery?. Three horses are represented on the window. They knew that a COLT was a young horse.  Why three?. Well, the name THREE COLTS exists as a pub name (<<<<BETHNAL GREEN, BUCKHURST HILL, in ESSEX). I reckon that a pub or inn of this name, at some point, gave name to the street. But again, why three?. If we accept that normally pubs signs bear the arms of a family or institution, that gives name to the inn (or a part of the arms becomes the name),  where do we find three (colts)horses?.  Sometimes, the coats of arms play with the names of the family bearing those arms. This type of playing with words is called a pun.

So, we should look for a COLT family. But they are many (apart from the fact that the name has different spellings). They could be the COLT BARONETS. Or the COLTHURST BARONETS of Ireland.

Note that you are passing the rear part of one of the entrances to the LIMEHOUSE LINK, and very soon you are going to enjoy the views from the river bank (note: the COLUMBIA WHARF, on the ROTHERHITHE side, is a former Victorian warehouse, now part of DOUBLETREE hotel; the SHARD; and the skyline of the CITY).  To your right a contemporary building (especially original thanks to its balconies) and the bridge over the natural creek, the LIMEKILN DOCK. 

You are within the CANARY WHARF ESTATE.

Note the “talking bench” and, behind, the plaque of the opening of the extended ABERDEEN WHARF (by the ABERDEEN NAVIGATION COMPANY)  here, in 1903.

Finally you will reach the CANARY WHARF PIER (THAMES CLIPPERSand ferry to ROTHERHITHE), and the Chinese restaurant. Note, as well, RON ARAD’s  sculpture WINDWAND.

From here, before the stairs, a possible detour would be a long walk around the whole riverside of the ISLE OD DOGS, almost uninterrupted>>>>.

Leaving the ROYAL CHINA to you right, and the PLAZA CANARY RIVERSIDE to your left, the stairs bring you to WESTFERRY CIRCUS (toilets in the garden and cafés to the left of the circus ). To the right an (inexplicably) vacant plot within the CANARY WHARF ESTATE. A few projects have come and gone, along the years.

A SCDS is at hand, if you want to explore the ISLE OF DOGS on pedal.

From here to CABOT SQUARE is only a 10 min. walk.  Once there, you will appreciate the HENRY MOORE statue —DRAPED SEATED WOMAN—among other pieces of public art  in this square. In fact, you have already noted many artworks on the streets CANARY WHARF, and you will see many more. It is a delight, especially if you are an art lover.

You come across the first shopping centre, CABOT PLACE. After entering it, Ii you go down the escalator and carry on walking Eastwards, you will enter the second mall (CANADA PLACE), which is connected to JUBILEE PLACE, which is the third one, through the LU STATION. 

Talking about CABOT: he was a sailor. You will find more names of figures as COLUMBUS, CARTIER or WILLOUGHBY in CANARY WHARF. Some of them, did actually sail the THAMES to explore the world!. By the way, CABOT and COLUMBUS have something in common…

And that was LIMEHOUSE, and a bit of the ISLE OF DOCKS