St Katharine Docks
St Katharine Docks | |
---|---|
St Katharine Docks, London | |
Location within Greater London | |
London borough | |
Ceremonial county | Greater London |
Region | |
Country | England |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Post town | LONDON |
Postcode district | EC3 |
Dialling code | 020 |
Police | Metropolitan |
Fire | London |
Ambulance | London |
London Assembly | |
St Katharine Docks is a former dock and now a mixed-used district[1] in Central London, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets and within the East End. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, immediately downstream of the Tower of London and Tower Bridge. From 1828 to 1968, it was one of the commercial docks that made up the Port of London. It is in the redevelopment zone known as Docklands and is now a popular housing and leisure complex.
History
St. Katharine's Dock Act 1825 | |
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Act of Parliament | |
Dates | |
Royal assent | 10 June 1825 |
Other legislation | |
Repealed by | Port of London (Consolidation) Act 1920 |
Status: Repealed | |
Text of statute as originally enacted |
St Katharine Docks took their name from the former hospital of
Telford aimed to minimise the amount of quayside activity and specified that the docks' warehouses (designed by the architect Philip Hardwick) be built right on the quayside so that goods could be unloaded directly into them.
The docks were officially opened on 25 October 1828. Although well used, they were not a great commercial success and were unable to accommodate large ships. They were amalgamated in 1864 with the neighbouring London Docks. In 1909, the Port of London Authority took over the management of almost all of the Thames docks, including St Katharine Dock. By the 1930s the only regular use was by ships of the General Steam Navigation Company.[3]
St Katharine Docks were badly damaged by
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Plan drawn up for the St Katharine Dock Company showing the street and buildings which would need to be demolished to make way for the new dock
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Opening of St Katharine Docks, 25 October 1828
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Bird's-eye view, 1829
Closure and redevelopment
Because of their very restricted capacity and inability to cope with large modern ships, the St Katharine Docks were among the first to be closed in 1968, and were sold to the Greater London Council. The site was leased to the developers Taylor Woodrow and most of the original warehouses around the western basin were demolished and replaced by modern commercial buildings in the early 1970s, beginning with the bulky Tower Hotel (designed by Renton Howard Wood Partnership; opened in September 1973)[5] on a site parallel to the river just to the east of Tower Bridge. This was followed by the World Trade Centre Building and Commodity Quay (both designed by architects Watkins Gray International). Development around the eastern basin was completed in the 1990s; the docks themselves becoming a marina. The development has often been cited as a model example of successful urban redevelopment.[4]
In 1980, a plan was approved to open a
Vodafone made the first ever cellular telephone call in the United Kingdom on 1 January 1985, from St Katharine Docks to Newbury, and launched the UK's first cellular network later that year.
Between 2005 and 2008, the former Danish lightship "Lightship X" (Ten) was moored on the west dock, and used as a restaurant, before returning to Denmark.[8]
The marina, including restaurants and offices, was owned by Max Property Group, operated by investor
The docks today
The area now features offices, public and private housing, a large hotel, shops and restaurants, a pub (The
The east dock is now dominated by the City Quay residential development, comprising more than 200 privately owned flats overlooking the marina. The south side of the east dock is surrounded by the South Quay Estate which was originally social housing. The dock is still used by small to medium-sized boats on a daily basis.
The
Notable boats
Notable boats regularly moored in the docks include:
- Gloriana, royal barge
- MV Havengore, former Port of London Authority hydrographic survey vessel
Several Thames sailing barges are also based in the docks.[13]
Notable residents
- Penelope, Viscountess Cobham
- David Suchet, actor
In media
The area was used as one of the main filming locations for the Hammer Film Productions version of Dennis Wheatley's novel To The Devil - A Daughter in 1976, with the character played by Richard Widmark living in one of the residential flats. Scenes featured the Ivory House and the retractable bridge.[14]
In April 2021, it was filmed for Men, a folk horror film directed by Alex Garland and starring Jessie Buckley, released in 2022. It was used for Buckley's character's apartment with her abusive husband, and also where he died.[15]
The inner gatefold photograph for The Rolling Stones album Through the Past Darkly (Big Hits Vol. 2) was taken at St Katherine Docks by Ethan Russell in May 1969. [16]
Tower Bridge Quay
Tower Bridge Quay is close to the St Katharine Dock, providing river transport services managed by London River Services. The main service from Tower Bridge Quay is a circular river cruise operated by Crown River Cruises which goes non-stop to Westminster Millennium Pier before returning via the South Bank arts centre, as well as a Westminster-Greenwich express service run by Thames River Services.[17]
The nearby Tower Millennium Pier, located on the other side of Tower Bridge, now provides the main commuter river boat services to Canary Wharf and Greenwich in the east and the West End in the west, and a fast visitor service to the London Eye.[18]
References
- ^ "Urban Structure and Characterisation Study" (PDF). www.towerhamlets.gov.uk. Tower Hamlets London Borough Council. pp. 64–75.
- ^ Al Naib, S. K. (July 1990). London Docklands: Past, Present and Future. University of East London. p. 11.
- ^ a b Ellmers, Chris; Werner, Alex (1988). London's Lost Riverscape. London: Guild Publishing. p. 16.
- ^ ISBN 978-0711229419.
- ^ "Tower Hotel London". J Lyons & Co. Retrieved 4 February 2016.
- ISBN 1-85414-220-8.
- ISBN 1-85414-220-8.
- ^ "Fyrskib Nr. X – Lightship Ten". feuerschiffseite.de. Retrieved 3 May 2013.
- ^ Kollewe, Julia (28 June 2011). "Secret millionaire Nick Leslau buys St Katharine Docks". the Guardian.
- ^ a b FINNEY, ELIZABETH (5 April 2017). "Renovation of St Katharine Docks in London complete". Boat International Media.
- ^ Evans, Judith (10 May 2017). "London's St Katharine Docks up for sale". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 10 December 2022.
- ^ "Amsterdam Anchor St Katherine Docks London England". waymarking.com. Retrieved 26 August 2014.
- ^ "Sailing Barge Association – where to see Thames Barges". sailingbargeassociation.co.uk. Archived from the original on 17 July 2015.
- ^ "Reelstreets | To The Devil a Daughter". www.reelstreets.com. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
- user-generated source]
- ^ Sonaglioni, Marcelo (11 September 2022). "Cover art of Through the Past, Darkly, 1969. Rolling Stones trivia". ROLLING STONES DATA. Retrieved 12 September 2022.
- ^ Transport for London (2008). "Boats from St Katharine's Pier" (PDF). Retrieved 16 May 2008.
- ^ Transport for London (2008). "Boats from Tower Millennium Pier" (PDF). Retrieved 16 May 2008.