Narrow Street is a road running parallel to the River Thames through the Limehouse area.
Narrow Street in Limehouse has a fascinating history that dates back to medieval times. Archaeologists believe that it follows the line of the medieval river wall, which was constructed to reclaim marshland and protect it from the tides. The area became a natural landing point for ships due to the tides and currents.
The first wharf was built in 1348, and lime kilns or oasts used in mortar and pottery production were established in the fourteenth century. Houses were constructed along the wall and gradually expanded onto the foreshore through encroachment. The eastern end of Narrow Street was previously known as Fore Street.
During Elizabethan times, the area experienced rapid growth as a centre for global trade. It supplied ships with various supplies and produced pottery for maritime use. Ship chandlers settled in the area, constructing wooden houses and wharves in the limited space between the street and the river. By the reign of James I, nearly half of the population, which amounted to around 2,000 people, were mariners.
The name "Narrow Street" likely originated from the close proximity of the original buildings. In 1865, a report to Parliament noted that no part of Narrow Street was wider than 25 feet.
In 1661, Samuel Pepys mentioned in his diary a visit to a porcelain factory in Narrow Street, where he alighted via Duke Shore Stairs on his way to observe boat construction for herring fishing.
The Limehouse Cut, established in 1766, was a canal for barges that ran under Narrow Street and connected to the Lee Navigation. In 1772, a sugar house operated by Smith & Sykes was located in Narrow Street, where sugar was baked and refined.
During the eighteenth century, a small Chinese community from Canton and Southern China settled along the old Limehouse Causeway, creating the original London Chinatown. The Chinese community later moved to Soho following the Blitz.
Limehouse Basin was constructed in 1820 to facilitate the transfer of goods to barges on the Regent's Canal. The Narrow Street Swing Bridge is situated between Limehouse Basin Lock and the Thames. Limehouse Basin was one of the first docks to close in the late 1960s.
In the twentieth century, the area was characterized by the prominent chimney of Stepney Power Station at Blyth Wharf, which has since been demolished. In 1977, the north side of Narrow Street was also demolished.
St Anne's Limehouse, designed by Nicholas Hawksmoor, was designated a conservation area by the London Docklands Development Corporation in the 1980s.
Access to the area was historically challenging, with the dock to the north and the entrance to the Rotherhithe Tunnel at one end. In 1993, the 1.8-kilometer Limehouse Link tunnel was completed, further limiting traffic to the riverside area.
On the south side of Narrow Street, there is a rare example of an early Georgian brick terrace. Most of the houses were derelict and abandoned until writer Andrew Sinclair purchased one of them in 1964, which prompted his friends to buy others.
The Grapes, a historic pub formerly known as The Bunch of Grapes and frequented by a young Charles Dickens, was purchased in 2011 by actor Sir Ian McKellen, director Sean Mathias, and Evening Standard owner Evgeny Lebedev.
In recent decades, the area has experienced significant development, including the construction of Canary Wharf tower nearby. Numerous new apartment complexes have been built around Limehouse Basin, along with the conversion of Victorian warehouses into residential spaces.
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Narrow Street is a road running parallel to the River Thames through the Limehouse area.
