If we are simply aiming to walk between every Underground station, we need to be creative to avoid public transport of any kind – and that includes ferries.
If your two stations are on opposite sides of the Thames with nary a bridge in sight, this needs to involve a certain degree of creativity. And so began an interesting route between Canary Wharf on the north side of the Thames and Canada Water on the south side.
Coming out of the Jubilee Line station you will find yourself in an area built on part of West India Export Dock.
Cabot Square
Canary Wharf is a complicated station but exit onto Cabot Square. The square includes a fountain and several works of art. The original Canary Wharf, for which the whole area was named lies under the footprint of Cabot Square.
Towards the north entrance to the square, you can find a bench with two alien-looking figures. The Couple on the Seat by Lynn Chadwick is an inviting sculpture included in the Talking Statues scheme. Two Men on a Bench is one of two sculptures in Canary Wharf by Giles Penny and guides us to our exit from the square.
We walk this way down through Wren Landing and over the footbridge.
North Quay
In front is the quay of the West India Import Dock, which formed part of the larger West India Docks complex. The initial two docks, namely the Import (north) and Export (middle) docks, were established in 1802 as a response to the challenges posed by overcrowding. These docks primarily served as the arrival point for ships laden with a variety of valuable goods, including rum, coffee, sugar, and other Caribbean produce. The peak period of activity occurred between July and October each year.
To accommodate the influx of cargo, a total of nine warehouses were constructed around the dock area. These warehouses played a crucial role in storing the precious goods. The entire vicinity was encompassed by tall brick walls, intended to provide security and prevent theft. The warehouses themselves were quite remarkable, with Nos. 1 and 2 being the only survivors of the bombings that occurred during the Second World War. The nine warehouses towered at an impressive height of 223 feet.
The quay itself acquired the nickname “Blood Alley” due to the unfortunate consequences suffered by dockworkers. Their skin would be damaged as a result of handling the heavy sacks of sticky sugar, leaving a lasting mark on the laborious nature of their work.
Turn left and we are immediately outside the former warehouse of the Museum of London Docklands. This is free to enter.
Hertsmere Road
Leave the museum and keep following North Quay until we reach a road – Hertsmere Road. Directly opposite are the Cannon Workshops – take this opportunity to turn right along Hertsmere Road but perhaps explore the workshops first.
This will loop you around the back of the museum. Hertsmere Road shows the back of the old warehouses where you can get more of an idea of what the area must have been like in its heyday.
Take a route left which will take you under the DLR tracks. Cross the main road and find Ming Street.
Ming Street
A narrow pathway known as Back Lane existed on the south side of Pennyfields in what is now Ming Street. In 1802, the construction of Commercial (West India Dock) Road intersected Back Lane, resulting in its transformation into King Street around 1820. Initially, King Street ran north of the Blue Posts public house until 1827–8 when it was rerouted to the south, creating a direct crossing to Garford Street. This alteration allowed locals to avoid tolls on Commercial Road. The old branch of King Street became King Street West, while the main street itself was renamed Ming Street in 1938, likely in recognition of the local Chinese community.
The local Chinese community are long-departed and Ming Street is one of those London streets which are so transformed that it’s hard to get historical bearings.
Pennyfields
We soon turn left into Pennyfields, an old street dating from the 1650s. Pennyfields, characterised by its modest housing and shops, served as a buffer zone between the relatively shabby respectability of the High Street and the intriguing Oriental underworld of Limehouse Causeway to the west. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Pennyfields represented a peculiar blend of these two societies. In the inter-war years, the street transformed into the heart of the Chinese East End. Unfortunately, all the buildings associated with its colourful history have been demolished, making way for public housing in the 1960s – the Birchfield Estate.
Limehouse Causeway
Continue along Pennyfields, navigate the West India Dock Road junction into Limehouse Causeway, past Westferry DLR station. Find the Chinese dragon up a pole just north of the station.
Limehouse Causeway was home to the original Chinatown of London. A combination of bomb damage during the Second World War and later redevelopment means that almost nothing is left of the original buildings. It runs to the junction of Narrow Street and Three Colt Street in the west. On its northern side it is joined by Gill Street and Salter Street. On the south side it is joined by Milligan Street.
Limehouse Causeway becomes Narrow Street (previously Fore Street here) at a junction once called Limekiln Hill. Limekiln Hill became part of Three Colt Street in 1866.
Limekiln Dock is a short stretch of water that branches off from the Thames here. Throughout its history, the dock has been known by various names, reflecting its connection to the lime industry and the Limehouse area. Some of the names used for the dock include Limekiln Creek, Limehouse Creek, and Limehouse Dock. These names likely reference the presence of lime kilns or lime-related activities that were once prominent in the area. The dock has played a role in the maritime and industrial history of Limehouse, serving as a point of connection for trade and shipping activities.
Limekiln Wharf was the site of England’s first porcelain factory, established in the 1740s.
Narrow Street
The entire length of Narrow Street is walked.
Fore Street was a previous name for the eastern end of Narrow Street. Archaeologists believe that Fore Street represented the line of the medieval river wall, built to reclaim riverside marshland and as protection from the tides. At first, houses were built on the wall itself but then outwards onto the foreshore by a process of encroachment.
Duncan Dunbar from Scotland founded a brewery in Fore Street in the 1790s. The name change to Narrow Street seems to have occurred in the 1860s.
Dunbar Wharf, located at 138 Narrow Street, holds historical significance as the departure point for the first voyagers traveling from England to Australia.
David Owen, one of the former Labour ministers, resided at 78 Narrow Street. He, along with Roy Jenkins, Bill Rodgers, and Shirley Williams, formed the Social Democratic Party and issued the Limehouse Declaration on 25 January 1981, advocating for social democracy as an alternative to traditional socialism within the Labour Party. This declaration marked the formation of the Social Democratic Party, which briefly created a three-party race for power before eventually merging with the Liberal Party.
The Grapes, situated at 76 Narrow Street, is the pub that Charles Dickens used as inspiration for the Six Jolly Fellowship Porters in his novel “Our Mutual Friend.” The wooden ladder at the back of the building, leading down to the shore, serves as a reminder of a grim past. Watermen would descend the ladder with unconscious individuals and transport them to the middle of the river, where they would drown the victims. The corpses were then sold to anatomists for dissection.
Down Ropermakers Fields at this point (it was formerly a longer street) is The House They Left Behind at the end of the current street. The big gab;e wall end has now been painted over.
Later we have the entrance to Limehouse Basin, an inlet connected to a ten-acre marina, was created between 1812 and 1820 as the southern endpoint of the Regent’s Canal. There is a path to the marina.
Sun Wharf, located at 30 Narrow Street, was once the residence of the renowned film director David Lean during the 1980s. Lean is celebrated for directing films such as David Copperfield, Brief Encounter and the Oscar-winning Bridge on the River Kwai.
Just before Narrow Street bends sharp right, Ratcliffe Cross Stairs holds historical significance as the point where the Thames intersected with the red cliff, giving rise to its name, “Ratcliffe.” This area, known as Limehouse Reach, served as a departure point for countless individuals embarking on voyages across the oceans. Among them was the renowned explorer Sir Hugh Willoughby, who, along with his party, set sail in 1553 on three ships in search of the elusive North-East Passage—a northern sea route connecting Scandinavia and Russia to China and America. Tragically, Willoughby perished in the frigid expanses of Siberia. As the first docks were constructed in the vicinity around 1800, Ratcliffe Cross gradually lost its prominence and faded into obscurity.
To get to the Rotherhithe Tunnel entrance, cross Limehouse Link at the traffic lights. There are stairs down to the tunnel entrance directly across the junction.
Rotherhithe Tunnel
Walk through the tunnel.
Albion Street
The steps on the left at the southern entrance to the tunnel emerges on Albion Street opposite Turner House. A few metres left is Temeraire Street, named after the painting but then left along Albion Street.
Albion Street’s name can be traced back to its proximity to Albion Dock, which was opened in 1860.
It is important to both the Finnish and Norwegian communities of London.
Rotherhithe Civic Centre and Library, constructed in 1975, replaced a previously bombed library. The building was designed by Yorker Rosenberg & Mardall, who also designed the Finnish Seamen’s Church located opposite. The feature of unadorned red brick, matches the architectural style of the Finnish Seamen’s Church.
The Finnish Seamen’s Church was built in 1958 and serves as a successor to the original Finnish Mission in London established in 1887. Notably, the church includes a basement sauna designed by June Park, the wife of one of the architects. It plays a significant role in London’s Finnish community.
St Olaf’s Norwegian Church, designed by John L. Seaton Dahl and built in 1925-1927, was intended for Norwegian seamen.
Renforth Street
Find the way to Albatross Way which gets us to Canada Water station.
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