A walk from Tower Hill to Wapping

INTRODUCTION

The walk takes us eastwards from Tower Hill in the direction of Canary Wharf, passing through the once busy, but sadly always poor, riverside communities. The major industry was once shipbuilding, but later it became part of the world’s busiest port and largest complex of docks.

Since Roman times the river’s importance to London, and indeed the rest of Britain, was immeasurable, which unfortunately meant that during the Second World War it became a strategic target for the German Luftwaffe bombing raids. Indeed, there was a period of a couple of months when the bombing raids were targeting the docks and London’s East End virtually every night – and sometimes during the day as well. This resulted in vast areas of the docks, warehouses and factories, as well as the homes of tens of thousands of the people living there, being destroyed and, of course, huge numbers of deaths and casualties.

Whilst some reconstruction took place after the war this only went so far, and by the 1960s and early 70s, the number of ships coming here to unload significantly diminished.

This was a result of two things. The first was the continual labour disputes that had dogged the Port of London for many years, often resulting in bitter strikes. Much of this was caused by the shocking way the dockworkers were treated; their working conditions and pay were a constant source of justifiable grievance. The second was the advent of containerisation. Cargoes were increasingly being carried in containers which were loaded on to ever bigger ships that could no longer navigate the River Thames. So instead they were using purpose built ‘container ports’ at places such as Tilbury, further down the Thames estuary, Felixstowe or Southampton.

The result was that by the early 70s most of these riverside docks had closed, and these previously busy communities began to become almost ‘abandoned’. Many of the local people were being rehoused by London County Council in new towns further to the east of London and in Essex. In addition, there were many buildings damaged or destroyed during the bombing raids that had not been rebuilt. All of which resulted in areas of Wapping and Limehouse, for example, becoming rather sad and desolate looking.

However, it wasn’t long before a few ‘brave’ property developers (or more likely brave speculators) began to realise that some of these now derelict riverside buildings had potential for residential use.

It took a while to catch on, but by the 90s these previously abandoned and neglected warehouses alongside the River Thames – and of course in Canary Wharf and elsewhere on the Isle of Dogs – have either been renovated and turned into trendy apartments or demolished with new residential blocks built in their place.

During the walk we will see glimpses of what the area would have looked like many years ago, as well as examples of both questionable and sympathetic post-war architectural redevelopment. Sadly, preservation was not exactly top of the list of priorities for the local authorities planning departments at that time, but fortunately, more recent interest in preserving what’s left of the past has meant that preservation orders have been put on many surviving buildings and the style of more recent redevelopments has generally improved.

STARTING THE WALK

Upon arriving at the station exit through the ticket barrier, turn left and walk down the steps on the right, passing the lower entrance to the station, and continue towards the underpass. (However, if you leave the platform via a different exit and emerge from the newer entrance/exit then simply turn right and walk down the steps.)

As you walk down the steps, the statue you pass on your left is believed to be of the Roman emperor Trajan (98–117 AD) and behind it are parts of the original Roman wall that at one time encircled the City of London.

At the end of the underpass you pass the remains of the only surviving medieval ‘postern’ gate, which is thought to date back to the 13th century – a postern being a secondary or hidden gate, its whereabouts known only to occupants of the castle, or in this case the Tower of London.

Turn left along a pleasant path, with flowers and shrubs in the raised beds on the left and the grass moat of the Tower of London on your right. Pass the steps that lead up to the Tower Bridge Road and walk through the underpass, then turn right, passing the unusual ‘glass and scaffolding effect’ frontage of the Tower Bridge House office building.

This brings you out into the St Katharine Docks West Dock, one of the three original basins. The original warehouses on the left were demolished in the 1960s and it is now lined with restaurants you see in front of you, with offices above.

On your right you’ll see the Côte Brasserie – walk down the ramp alongside it that leads to the pontoon.

(NB – If for any reason the steps beside the Côte Brasserie and the path along the pontoon is closed, then instead simply walk straight ahead, past the line of other restaurants on the quayside and take the next turning to the right in front of the Ivory House. Pass the home of the touristy Medieval Banquets venue and at the end of the passage you will see the ‘Coronarium’ on your right – turn left and pick up the walk from here).

The enormous brick building on your right, with the large pillars is International House. This 1970s office and residential development was built to a similar design and size of the warehouse that it replaced, which gives you an idea of how huge those 19th century quayside warehouses were.

There are usually several traditional Thames sailing barges and as well as Dutch barges moored alongside the pontoon.

Next to Alderman Stairs turn immediately right between the buildings. It’s signposted ‘Thames Path’ and leads to a broad raised terrace (with steps up a little further down, so no need to climb the wall!) From here there is a wonderful view looking back up the Thames to Tower Bridge and across to the huge Butlers Wharf. As previously mentioned, these were once enormous warehouses but now trendy apartments. The small white building between the two Butler’s Wharf buildings was once a banana warehouse before becoming Sir Terence Conran’s Design Museum, which he opened in the late 1980s. The museum has now moved to Kensington. Just a little further to the left you will see the narrow outlet where the Neckinger River flows into the Thames; it was once the site of the small St Saviour’s Dock. The Neckinger is one of the Thames’ many tributaries – this one rises in nearby Southwark. Immediately beside and behind it was once one of London’s notorious slums, known as Jacob’s Island. It was immortalised in Charles Dickens’ book ‘Oliver Twist’ as the place where Bill Sykes, the principal villain, came to a horrible end in the mud of Folly Ditch.

The building behind you, now apartments called Tower Bridge Wharf, was once a six-storey warehouse that stored cargoes including wine and tea. On the quayside here fruit and vegetables were unloaded, to then be taken by road to the Covent Garden Market.

Walk to the end of the terrace and follow it around to the left – but first look over the wall and you can see where one of the original lock entrances used to be. (I explain more shortly.) On the other side the large Dove sculpture is in the Peace Park, which we see shortly.

The path brings you out at the end of St Katharine’s Way – and we turn right into Wapping High Street.

The end of the basin is a stepped terraced garden that leads down to what is now known as the ‘ornamental canal’ – cross over the road for a better look. Notice how much lower the canal is than the basin; this is because the basin was once 30 feet deep, but to make it safer it was partially filled in and the water is now less than two feet deep.

The original canal was once a broad waterway channel that allowed ships access through to Tobacco Docks and the Shadwell Basin that we see more of this later in the walk. I do think that the architects and planners have done an excellent job of redeveloping this part of the docks without completely losing any connection to what it once looked like. Even the modern housing developments on either side don’t look too out of keeping.

And the reason for the name ‘Hermitage’? Several hundred years ago there was actually a solitary dwelling (or hermitage) here.

You now need to turn around and head back to Wapping High Street and then cross over into the small riverside park.

This is the Hermitage Riverside Memorial Garden, built on the site of the Hermitage Wharf that was destroyed by massive firebombs on 29th December 1940. The park is a memorial to the terrible loss of life suffered by the people of London’s docklands and East End; they experienced the fiercest bombing of anywhere in Britain in the Second World War. Raids took place virtually every day for nine months in what was known as the Blitz. The Germans realised the importance of the docks to London – and of course to the rest of the country – so it became their number one target. (The word ‘Blitz’ comes from the German word Blitzkrieg, meaning ‘lightning war’ – the Germans believed that such intensive bombing on London’s docks and its East End would quickly bring about Britain’s surrender. However, they clearly underestimated the spirit of London’s East Enders as despite the Blitz lasting for nine long months – from September 1940 until May 1941 – there was never any thought of surrender. (And to put it into perspective, I have read that over 25,000 bombs exploded in this small area of London alone.)

The Dove sculpture was designed by Wendy Taylor CBE, the dove signifying hope and peace, whilst the empty space in the centre commemorates those who died.

The view up and down river from the garden is lovely. It is a great place to pause and imagine what life must have been like for people living and working here during that horrendous period. The garden itself is a testament to people power – developers wanted to build yet more apartment blocks, but the local people campaigned for years for a park to be built instead. What was eventually created was much smaller than they had wanted, but at least there is a garden.

This next stretch is one of my favourite parts of the walk. Ahead you see what looks as though it might have been a bridge, which indeed it was. Known as the Wapping Pier Head, this was the second entrance lock through which ships entered the London Docks complex. Once again, the lock is now filled in and been turned into a delightful garden for the private use of the residents of the lovely Georgian terraced houses on either side.

These were designed in 1812 by D.A. Alexander, the surveyor and architect of the docks, as homes for the managers of the London Dock Company. Take a walk for a couple of yards up the paved access road in front of the terrace facing you (it’s marked to ‘Pier Head 4½–10’), which enables you to fully appreciate just how beautiful these old Grade II listed houses are. These were among the first riverside buildings in the area to be turned into luxurious homes and I recently saw an advert for a two-bedroom apartment in one of the houses for one and three-quarter million pounds!

Immediately after the Pier Head is the Town of Ramsgate, a very old inn that’s one of the few survivors of the 36 that were once along this street and which catered for the dockworkers and warehousemen as well, of course, as the sailors.

It’s definitely worth taking a look inside – (they are used to people popping in to do so) – and as you’ll see it’s small and narrow with lots of wood panelling that gives it an even more ‘historic’ feel. There’s a little terrace at the rear where you can enjoy views across the river.

Originally called the Red Cow (apparently after the distinctive hair colour of one of the early barmaids) the name was changed to the ‘Town of Ramsgate’, the name of a ship that used to sail here from Ramsgate in Kent to unload its cargo of fish, dairy produce and grain. It was always a popular inn for sailors – Captain Bligh and Fletcher Christian enjoyed a drink here before their last ever voyage. The pub’s cellars have had a gruesome history; convicted criminals were kept here before they were hanged, whilst a little later those same cellars were used to hold convicts before they were loaded on to ships for transportation to Australia.

But before or after you go inside the pub, take a look down the tiny alley next to it. These are the renowned Wapping Old Stairs. If the tide is out, then you can walk down to the pebble beach beneath the pub – but be careful – the steps are deceptively slippery and can be treacherous thanks to a mixture of slimy mud and algae. If you do gingerly make your way down, then notice the noose hanging from the rear of the pub.

Another notable event in the long life of the pub was the capture here of the infamous ‘Hanging’ Judge Jeffreys, much hated due to his habit of giving extremely harsh sentences to those he tried in court. He was said to have been responsible for the hanging of many men here. He had also presided over the courts in a number of towns in south-west England during the ‘Monmouth Rebellion’, when loyal Protestants tried to overthrow the Catholic King James II. (It was called the Monmouth Rebellion because it was led by the Duke of Monmouth, an illegitimate son of Charles II.) Jeffreys sentenced hundreds of men to death and many others were sentenced to transportation.

However, he had his comeuppance here when he was caught trying to escape retribution following the 1688 ‘Glorious Revolution’ when James II himself was overthrown. Unfortunately for him, Judge Jeffreys had ‘backed the wrong side’ and was attempting to board a collier en route for Germany in an attempt to escape from his own death sentence when, arrogantly and stupidly, he went into the pub for one last glass of ale. Despite being in disguise he was soon recognised, captured and taken to the dungeons of the Tower of London.

There is an excellent account of Jeffreys’ capture in the Walter Thornbury’s fascinating book ‘Old and New London’, which was published in 1897 and I have put it in the appendix.

Someone else captured here whilst trying to escape by ship was Thomas ‘Captain’ Blood, the Irishman who in May 1671 was found in possession of the Crown Jewels he had stolen earlier from the Tower.

Next to the police station are the Aberdeen and St John’s Wharfs, two more well-restored buildings with plenty of authentic (looking!) features, whilst on the other side of the road is another park, the Wapping Rose Garden.

Alternatively, the walk continues a little further (approx. 45 minutes) and visits other parts of Wapping and several particularly interesting features, including Tobacco Dock and the Shadwell Basin. However, it also ends back at Wapping station.

If you wish to carry on, then we’re going to turn left up Brewhouse Lane along the side of the New Tower Building. But before you do, first look ahead down Wapping High Street and you’ll see the enormous King Henry’s Wharves and Gun Wharves, so named because this was where Henry VIII built a foundry to make cannons for his navy. Although now converted into luxury apartments, once again the exterior of these huge warehouses to have retained their original facades.

(Should Brewhouse Lane be closed as a result of the building works, simply continue on down Wapping High Street for a few hundred yards and turn left up Wapping Lane.)

However, if you are able to walk up Brewhouse Lane, then on the left at the top is Tower Building, another block of flats built by the Improved Industrial Dwellings Company.

The company was formed in 1863 by Sir Sidney Waterlow. He was a printer and philanthropist, who later became a Lord Mayor of London. The company was a ‘model dwelling company’ – one of a group of private companies set up to improve the housing conditions of the working class by building homes specifically for them. They were not charities and had to ensure that investments in them received a competitive rate of interest. The homes they built were of a higher standard than would normally be built for working men and women, with better sanitation and less overcrowding. The Improved Industrial Dwellings Company was one of the largest and most successful of such enterprises and by 1900 housed 30,000 people.

Follow Brewhouse Lane around to the right. Chimney Court, the building facing you, is a good example of a 1990s conversion into apartments; it was originally a soap factory. The court’s name no doubt derives from the prominent smokestack located on Green Bank.

At the end of the road turn left into Wapping Lane, a street that’s at the heart of the Wapping community and still has shops such as a traditional butcher (a rare sight these days), a fishmonger, greengrocer, general grocery store, newsagent, pub – and even a Pizza Express restaurant.

Cross Green Bank then take the next left into Watts Street, alongside the little triangle of ‘green’. Notice on the left the carefully renovated blocks of flats (I love the large windows) built originally by an early housing association in co-operation with the local authority.

Directly ahead, on the corner of Meeting House Alley, is the Turner’s Old Star public house, (with the rather unusual view of the Shard beyond, which to me seems strangely out of place here.)

The artist J.M.W. Turner converted two cottages that he had inherited in 1830 into a tavern to be run by Sophia Booth, a widowed landlady from Margate, who was one of his mistresses. He spent much of his time here, particularly as he was fascinated by the River Thames, the source of many of his paintings. However, he tried to keep it a secret, no doubt partly because he was said to have had several other mistresses at the time, so rather than use his own name when he stayed here, he used a pseudonym of Sophia Booth’s name. As a result of his short height and ‘portly physique’ he was soon simply nicknamed ‘Puggy’. Amazingly, the pub is still going strong today, having been renovated in the 1980s.

Walk up Meeting House Alley, which that runs up the right-hand side of the pub, then turn right into Chandler Street and then turn left back into Wapping Lane.

Continue on up Wapping Lane for several minutes until you reach the bridge that crosses the Ornamental Canal – the same one you saw back in Hermitage Basin – and directly in front of you is the imposing brick-built Tobacco Dock.

In a dry dock between the ‘canal’ and Tobacco Dock are two sailing ships that are replicas named and designed after real ships. One was the 330-ton Three Sisters, which was built in the dockland’s Blackwall Yard in 1788 and used to sail to the East and West Indies to bring back tobacco and spices. The other was the Sea Lark, an American merchant schooner that was captured by the British navy in 1811. They were installed as part of the plan to create a major shopping and leisure complex here, which I explain shortly.

Tobacco Dock was designed by the London Docks’ architect Daniel Alexander and opened in 1814 as a safe and secure warehouse to store valuable cargoes, such as tobacco, wines and spirits, as well as furs and skins. To me it still looks more like a fortress than a conventional warehouse, which was probably how it was intended to look.

In the plan drawing shown below, Tobacco Dock is the large, almost-square building marked ‘Tobacco Warehouse’. Most of the docks have since been filled in.