Shadwell Basin / Ornamental Canal

[RockSodem]

Yesterday I got myself blissfully lost on a long walk from Greenwich to St Katherine's docks and found myself in Shadwell Basin. From there on it was following a strange canal type thing! Now excuse my ignorance, but I have found scant information what it is?! Is it an ornamental canal more recently made using the old dock walls (as the name suggests) or are bits of it actually canal? Any pointers/links would be greatly appreciated from the great minds on this forum. Standard Google results don't really say much although with the advent of steam ships a canal was employed in that area.

[magnetman]

Was it this place?

http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1544527

Wapping western docks canal

http://www.lddc-history.org.uk/wapping/index.html

[NB Lola]

Poss old Croydon?

[magpie patrick]

Much reduced docks area by the looks of it. The ornamental canal (looking at Google Earth) runs through Western Dock to Hermitage Basin. This plan is about 1831

 

Poss old Croydon?

 

Nice idea but sadly not. There is almost nothing left of the Croydon Canal, although the short length through Betts Park looks convincingly canal like. This is all that is left of it, not my picture although I did see this in 2011.

 

Edited August 18, 2015 by magpie patrick

[Graham Davis]

Poss old Croydon?

 

Wrong side of the river!

[David Mack]

 

Wrong side of the river!

But there is a similar channel south of the Thames in the former Surrey Docks - the Albion Channel which follows one side of the infilled Albion Dock.

 

And there is an indirect connection in that the Surrey Docks led to the Grand Surrey Canal which in turn connected to the Croydon Canal (before it got converted to a railway).

Edited August 18, 2015 by David Mack

[RockSodem]

Thanks everyone. It does look like it's a new addition and follows the line of the old dock walls. The fact there are rightangles in it should probably have given it away to me! I've been in London on and off for 30 years and never walked it till now. So it may not be a canal but I would recommend walking it if you find yourself in the area

[magnetman]

I had a wander around the area a couple of years ago and located some grape vines. With edible grapes.

 

I do like sour fruit so may not be to everyone's taste but its a pleasant well sheltered area. I do like Wapping woods as well which is an infilled dock

[BGA]

For people who want to live next to a canal but don't like boats :-(

[Tim Lewis]

Thanks everyone. It does look like it's a new addition and follows the line of the old dock walls. The fact there are rightangles in it should probably have given it away to me! I've been in London on and off for 30 years and never walked it till now. So it may not be a canal but I would recommend walking it if you find yourself in the area

 

If you eveer get the opportunity go and visit Tobacco Dock which is on the North side of the 'canal' you saw. I believe that it is not presently open to the public. It was restored as a shopping centre in the late 1980's and architechturally it rivals, if not beats, Covent Garden Market. Unfortunately it was/is in the wrong place and soon shut. Hopefully with fortress Wapping being demolished and redeveloped something wil soon become of it.

 

Looks like their is a 'beer' festival their in October!

 

http://tobaccodocklondon.com/upcoming-events

 

Tim

Edited August 20, 2015 by Tim Lewis

[RockSodem]

I did walk by tobacco dock with two very odd ships in the drained dock. I was lucky enough to have a snoop around the shopping arcade a couple of years back and know a little of its history. Amazingly it is still spotless though I do gather they're opening it up for the odd event. Great area just dripping in history.