53-574: The Samuda Estate is on the east side of Manchester Road, in Cubitt Town on the Isle of Dogs . With 505 dwellings it is home to about 1,500 people and covers 11.4 acres (4.6 ha). The estate is named for the shipbuilding company of the Samuda Brothers , Jacob and Joseph d'Aguilar Samuda , who formerly occupied the site. Admiral Togo did his work experience here in 1877 working on
106-658: A Unilateral Declaration of Independence. They even applied to join the United Nations, warning that UN peacekeeping troops might be needed to keep the Greater London Council from evicting them. While successive Labour and Conservative governments proposed a number of action plans during the 1970s, it was not until 1981 that the London Docklands Development Corporation (LDDC) was established to redevelop
159-603: A decline. However, parts of the launching slipway and plate works have been preserved in situ and may be seen close to Masthouse Terrace Pier . The urbanisation of the Isle of Dogs took place in the 19th century following the construction of the West India Docks , which opened in 1802. This heralded the area's most successful period, when it became an important centre for trade. The East India Docks were subsequently opened in 1806, followed by Millwall Dock in 1868. By
212-474: A practice of various watersports, like sailing , kayaking , windsurfing and standup paddleboarding . Docklands Sailing and Watersports Centre is one of the main reference spots for watersports fans. The Duchess of Cambridge visited the centre in 2017. The Isle of Dogs was the title of an early play by Ben Jonson and Thomas Nashe , briefly performed in 1597 and then thoroughly suppressed as slanderous . T.S. Eliot 's The Waste Land contains
265-488: A report from Campbell Tickell , Sweeney admitted they were guilty of "persistent serious failures in their duties to properly govern the association". In what The Wharf newspaper described as a "war of words", a spokesperson for One Housing Group argued that the action taken was "essential in protecting the interests of residents": 51°29′50″N 0°0′32″W / 51.49722°N 0.00889°W / 51.49722; -0.00889 Cubitt Town Cubitt Town
318-573: Is Canary Wharf on the Jubilee line . Key areas including Regent's Park , The West End , Westminster , South Bank , Millennium Dome and the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park , are all within 20 minutes of Canary Wharf by Tube. The DLR runs north–south through the Isle of Dogs. Docklands Light Railway stations are Canary Wharf , Heron Quays , South Quay , Crossharbour , Mudchute and Island Gardens . Key areas including
371-691: Is Crossharbour on the Docklands Light Railway , which opened on 31 August 1987. London Buses contracted routes serve Cubitt Town, with routes 135 , 277 , D7 , D8 and N550 . Cubitt Town is connected to London's road network by the north-south Manchester Road A1206 . Access across the River Thames is by the Greenwich Foot Tunnel and the National Cycle Route 1 to the west (which also uses
424-513: Is alluvial and silty in nature, underlaid by clay or mud , with a peat layer in places. The first known written mention of the Isle of Dogs is in the ‘Letters & Papers of Henry VIII ’. In Volume 3: 1519–1523. 2 October 1520. No. 1009 – ‘Shipping’, there is a list of purchases, which includes: A hose for the Mary George, in dock at the Isle of Dogs, 10d The 1898 edition of Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable attributes
477-578: Is a district on the eastern side of the Isle of Dogs in London , England. This part of the former Metropolitan Borough of Poplar was redeveloped as part of the Port of London in the 1840s and 1850s by William Cubitt , Lord Mayor of London (1860–1862), after whom it is named. It is on the east of the Isle, facing the Royal Borough of Greenwich across the River Thames . To the west is Millwall , to
530-582: Is situated some distance downriver from the City of London . It was originally marsh, being several feet below water at high tide. In the Middle Ages it was made available for human habitation by a process known in the Thames estuary as inning . The reclaimed land was below high water, protected by earthen banks. These banks if not properly kept up were liable to be breached. This happened in 1448, drowning
583-545: The City of London , Tower Hill and Greenwich are all within 20 minutes of the Isle of Dogs by DLR. The Elizabeth line 's Canary Wharf station opened in 2022. Situated at the north of the Island, it provides high-frequency, fast connections to the heart of the West End , Paddington Station , Heathrow Airport and Abbey Wood . Regular commuter boat services serve both Masthouse Terrace Pier and Canary Wharf Pier on
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#1732783423735636-531: The Greenwich Foot Tunnel ). Isle of Dogs The Isle of Dogs is a large peninsula . It is bounded on three sides by a large meander in the River Thames in East London , England, which includes the Cubitt Town , Millwall and Canary Wharf districts. The area was historically part of the Manor, Hamlet, Parish and, for a time, the wider borough of Poplar . The name had no official status until
689-464: The Port of London Authority took control of the docks. With the docks stretching across from East to West with locks at each end, the Isle of Dogs could now almost be described as a genuine island. Dock workers settled on the "island" as the docks grew in importance, and by 1901, 21,000 people lived there, largely dependent on the river trade on the Isle as well as in Greenwich and Deptford across
742-497: The 1880s, the casual employment system caused Dock workers to unionise under Ben Tillett and John Burns . This led to a demand for 6d per hour (2.5p), and an end to casual labour in the docks. After a bitter struggle, the London Dock Strike of 1889 was settled with victory for the strikers, and established a national movement for the unionisation of casual workers. The three dock systems were unified in 1909 when
795-477: The 1987 creation of the Isle of Dogs Neighbourhood by Tower Hamlets London Borough Council . It has been known locally as simply "the Island" since the 19th century. The whole area was once known as Stepney Marsh ; Anton van den Wyngaerde 's "Panorama of London" dated 1543 depicts and refers to the Isle of Dogs. Records show that ships preparing to carry the English royal household to Calais in 1520 docked at
848-481: The Isle of Dogs – Cubitt Town Junior School, Arnhem Wharf, Harbinger School and St Edmunds. There was also an independent primary school, River House Montessori, located near South Quay, but this closed in 2024. George Green's School is a secondary school and Specialist Humanities School at the southern tip of the island. Canary Wharf College is a free school on the Island which covers primary and secondary education. The nearest London Underground station
901-651: The Isle of Dogs, took its name from sea trade with the Canary Islands , which were named in Latin as Canariae Insulae ("Dog Islands"). The Talbot dog in the coat of arms of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets represents the Isle of Dogs. Following the building of the Docks (especially the West India Docks and the adjacent City Canal ), and with an increasing population, locals increasingly referred to
954-432: The Isle of Dogs. The Thames Clippers provides regular commuter services to Woolwich Arsenal Pier , Greenwich Pier in the east, and the City of London including St. Katherine Docks, Tower Bridge , HMS Belfast , Greater London Authority building, Tate Modern , Blackfriars , as well as the West End of London in the west on the commuter service. There is also a connecting shuttle service to Rotherhithe and
1007-592: The Isle of Dogs. Beginning in 1812 the Poplar and Greenwich Ferry Roads Company installed tolls on the East Ferry Road. These proved to be unpopular and after many years of lobbying the Metropolitan Board of Works bought the company and abolished the tolls in 1885. The Docks brought with them many associated industries, such as flour and sugar processing, and also ship building. On 31 January 1858
1060-565: The Isle of Dogs. It became part of an enterprise zone , which covered 1.95 km of land and encompassed the West India, Millwall and East India Docks. New housing, office space and transport infrastructure were built. This included the Docklands Light Railway and later the Jubilee line extension, which eventually brought access to the London Underground to the area for the first time. Since its construction in 1987–1991,
1113-726: The Samuda Estate Local Management Organisation distributed a paper calling for the refurbishment of the derelict underground garages as potential business units, with a multi-faith prayer facility, Tower Hamlets Community Recycling Consortium , and a workshop area for Local Labour in Construction . The LDDC built the Samuda Community Centre for the estate in 1986, at a cost of £350,000. Jonathan B50 visited Kelson House in 1973, and has published 7 photographs taken from
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#17327834237351166-649: The Seyssel Asphalte Company or Seyssel Pyrimont Asphalte Company), with asphalt production taken over in the 1870s by Claridge's Patent Asphalte Company . Estates in the area include: The area is a mix of old east London working-class communities transplanted into 1960s and 1970s high-rise estates and the middle-class workers in the Canary Wharf complex attracted by relatively low prices for riverside living, plus less recent Bangladeshi and East Asian immigrant populations. A public library
1219-561: The Tate to Tate service from Tate Modern to Tate Britain via London Eye . From Summer 2007, the service has been enhanced with express boats from central London to the O2 Arena (former Millennium Dome ). The Thames Path National Trail runs along the riverside. At the southern end of the Isle of Dogs, the Greenwich foot tunnel provides pedestrian access to Greenwich , across
1272-546: The area as The Island . This area includes Millwall , Cubitt Town , and Blackwall . The south of the isle opposite Greenwich was once known as North Greenwich , now applied to the area around the Millennium Dome on the Greenwich Peninsula. Between 1986 and 1992 it enjoyed a brief formal existence, as the name Isle of Dogs was applied to one of seven neighbourhoods to which power was devolved from
1325-491: The area has been dominated by the expanding Canary Wharf development with over 437,000 square metres (4,700,000 sq ft) of office and retail space having been created; 93,000 now work in Canary Wharf alone. The Island achieved notoriety in 1993 when Derek Beackon of the British National Party became a councillor for Millwall ward, in a by-election . This was the culmination of years when race
1378-521: The building of the Docklands Light Railway in 1987, the only public transport accessing and exiting the Island consisted of buses using its perimeter roads. These were frequently and substantially delayed by the movement of up to four bridges which allowed ships access to the West India Docks and Millwall Docks. The insular nature of the Island caused its separateness from the rest of London, and its unique nature. During World War II ,
1431-725: The construction of the Fusō . The estate was designed by Gordon Tait of the Worshipful Company of Masons , and built by Tersons Ltd for the London County Council in two phases, commencing in 1965. Work was completed by the Greater London Council and the estate subsequently became part of the Tower Hamlets council housing stock. Upon completion in 1967, the total cost of construction
1484-651: The council. The neighbourhood was later abolished. It was the site of the highest concentration of council housing in England but is now best known as the location of the Canary Wharf office complex. One Canada Square , also known as the Canary Wharf Tower, is the second tallest habitable building in Britain at 244 metres (801 ft). The peninsula is an area of social extremes, comprising some of
1537-539: The docks were a key target for the German Luftwaffe and were heavily bombed. A number of local civilians were killed in the bombing and extensive destruction was caused on the ground, with many warehouses being destroyed and much of the dock system being put out of action for an extended period. Unexploded bombs from this period continue to be discovered today. Anti-aircraft batteries were based on Mudchute Farm; their concrete bases remain today. After
1590-551: The east and south is Greenwich , to the northwest Canary Wharf , and to the north — across the Blue Bridge — is Blackwall . The district is situated within the Blackwall & Cubitt Town Ward of Tower Hamlets London Borough Council . It is named after William Cubitt , Lord Mayor of London (1860–1862), who was responsible for the development of the housing and amenities of the area in the 1840s and 1850s, mainly to house
1643-640: The first British warship designed to carry her main armament in gun turrets, was launched here. The businesses included those involved in cement, pottery and brick production. Asphalt production was another growth industry, coinciding with the growth, development, and industrialisation of areas throughout the British Isles. In Cubitt Town, the Pyrimont Wharf was developed in 1861 by the Asphalte de Seyssel Company of Thames Embankment (later known as
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1696-587: The first use of the term. Importantly, this type of official declaration did not require a formal agreement between the new state and the state it was seceding from. The daring feat of the Isle of Dogs would inspire other independence movements within London. This included the "Free and Independent Republic of Frestonia" in 1977. When squatters inhabiting two streets (Freston Road and Bramley Road) in West London were threatened with eviction, they officially issued
1749-542: The former dockyard workers and caused serious social deprivation. Ted Johns, a local community campaigner, and his supporters, in protest at the lack of social provision from the state, made a unilateral declaration of independence for the area from the United Kingdom as the Republic of the Isle of Dogs and set up an 'Island Council' with Johns himself as its elected president, and for a single day in 1970 blocked
1802-412: The growing population of workers in the local docks, shipbuilding yards and factories. As it grew, Cubitt also created many local businesses employing manual labourers as well as the streets of housing to accommodate them. For many years this area was home to a number of shipbuilders, such as Westwood, Baillie , Samuda Brothers , J & W Dudgeon and Yarrow Shipbuilders . HMS Prince Albert ,
1855-461: The land for 40 years. In 1660, the river started to break through the neck of the peninsula, initiating meander cutoff . This was arrested by human intervention, but it left a 5-acre lake called Poplar Gut , which appears on John Rocque 's 1746 Map of London and ten miles around in the extract reproduced in this article. One road led across the Marshes to an ancient ferry, at Ferry Road. There
1908-467: The largest ship of that time, the SS Great Eastern designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel , was launched from the yard of Messrs Scott, Russell & Co, of Millwall. The 211 metres (692 ft) length was too big for the river so the ship had to be launched sideways. Due to the technical difficulties of the launch this was the last big ship to be built on the Island and the industry fell into
1961-596: The lines "The barges wash / Drifting logs / Down Greenwich reach / Past the Isle of Dogs." In modern times the Isle of Dogs has provided locations for many blockbuster films, including the opening scenes of the James Bond film The World Is Not Enough , and more recently Batman Begins , The Constant Gardener , Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix , and Love Actually . The Isle of Dogs featured heavily in
2014-427: The mass unemployment among former dockyard workers. Led by Labour councilor Ted Johns, the inhabitants of the island barricaded the main roads, isolating it from the rest of London for ten days. On 10 March, Tower Hamlets Council presented plans for investment and improvement of the island, and with this, just ten days after the barricades first went up, the independence of the Isle of Dogs came to an end. The soil
2067-541: The most prosperous and most deprived areas of the country; in 2004, nearby Blackwall was the 81st most deprived ward in England out of over 8,000, while the presence of Canary Wharf gives the area one of the highest average incomes in the UK. Lincoln Plaza was the 2016 winner of the Carbuncle Cup for the year's "worst new building" and The Times described it as "mediocre at best, ugly at worst". The Isle of Dogs
2120-419: The name: "So called from being the receptacle of the greyhounds of Edward III . Some say it is a corruption of the Isle of Ducks, and that it is so called in ancient records from the number of wild fowl inhabiting the marshes." Other sources discount this, believing these stories to all derive from the antiquarian John Strype , and believe it might come from one of the following: Canary Wharf , located in
2173-535: The parish of Poplar under the aegis of the Poplar Board of Works. This was incorporated into the Metropolitan Borough of Poplar on its formation in 1900. In March 1970, the Isle of Dogs officially issued a Unilateral Declaration of Independence from the UK as the “Republic of the Isle of Dogs”. They were protesting the lack of social services provided by the Greater London Council, as well as
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2226-413: The river to the south and west. The Isle of Dogs was connected to the rest of London by the London and Blackwall Railway , opened in 1840 and progressively extended thereafter. In 1902, the ferry to Greenwich was replaced by the construction of the Greenwich foot tunnel , and Island Gardens park was laid out in 1895, providing views across the river. The London and Blackwall Railway closed in 1926. Until
2279-428: The river. National Cycle Network route 1 runs through the foot tunnel (although cycles must not be ridden in the tunnel itself). The nearest airport is London City Airport , which is 25 minutes away from Canary Wharf by DLR. There is also a helipad situated on the west of the Island and next to Ferguson's Wharf, which is privately run by Vanguard. The presence of docks, some of a considerable size, has enabled
2332-541: The southern bank of the island. The name Isle of Dogges occurs in the Thamesis Descriptio of 1588, applied to a small island in the south-western part of the peninsula. The name is next applied to the Isle of Dogs Farm (originally known as Pomfret Manor ) shown on a map of 1683. At the same time, the area was variously known as Isle of Dogs or the Blackwell levels . By 1855, it was incorporated within
2385-574: The top of Kelson House as part of his Sunset – Moon – Sunrise series. Netflix series, Top Boy was filmed on the Samuda Estate under the fictional name "Summerhouse Estate". In 2005 the Samuda Estate was privatised as part of the Tower Hamlets London Borough Council 's Housing Choice programme. A new Housing Association Toynbee Island Homes was established on a resident-led basis. However, in 2007, This
2438-446: The two swing-bridges providing the only access to the area by road. On 10 March, Tower Hamlets Council presented plans for investment and improvement of the island, and with this, just ten days after the barricades first went up, the independence of the Isle of Dogs came to an end. The Isle of Dogs’ short-lived independence came in the wake of Rhodesia’s issuing of a Unilateral Declaration of Independence from Britain in 1965. This marked
2491-502: The war, the docks underwent a brief resurgence and were even upgraded in 1967. However, with the advent of containerisation , which the docks could not handle, they became obsolete soon afterwards. The docks closed progressively during the 1970s, with the last – the West India and Millwall docks – closing down in 1980. This left the area in a severely dilapidated state, with large areas being derelict and abandoned. The Isle of Dogs' economic problems led to mass unemployment among
2544-558: Was a prominent issue in local politics, especially with regards to allocation of housing. Labour regained the ward in the full council election of May 1994, and held all three seats until a further by-election in September 2004. On 9 February 1996, the IRA detonated a truck bomb near South Quay DLR station on the Isle of Dogs that killed two people and injured more than a hundred others. There are four state primary schools located on
2597-621: Was financed by Andrew Carnegie and built by C. Harrold Norton , being completed in 1905. Will Crooks , the then Mayor of Poplar , had attended a meeting at the Guildhall , where Carnegie had promised to fund public libraries. Crooks was able to get a commitment from him to pay for two libraries, this one in Cubitt Town and another in Bromley by Bow . Carnegie agreed to provide £15,000 for both together. The total expense for this building
2650-471: Was rich grazing on the marsh, and cattle were slaughtered in fields known as the Killing Fields , south of Poplar High Street. The western side of the island was known as Marsh Wall , and the district became known as Millwall with the building of the docks, and from the number of windmills constructed along the top of the flood defence. In 1802, the West India Docks began to be developed on
2703-556: Was taken over by One Housing Group in 2007. In April, 2008 the local housing office was the site of a dramatic sit-in by a board member of the Samuda Estate Local Management Organisation following their eviction from the ' Samuda Housing Office which they occupied since 2005. This coincided with the firing of the resident Board members of Island Homes by the One Housing Group Chief Executive Officer Mick Sweeney . Quoting
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#17327834237352756-499: Was £2,879,424 – including the cost of rebuilding the river wall, and the removal of massive concrete foundations on the former ship yard. The estate comprises four and six-storey blocks arranged around central traffic-free squares, some connected by covered bridges: As a concession to the changing needs of its inhabitants resulting from the increase in car-ownership, the development included an underground parking area composed of 200 garages along with space for motorcycles. In 2004
2809-402: Was £6,805 13s 10d, which included some neighbouring land which originally served as a public garden before providing space for an extension to be used a meeting hall and erected in 1962. The building is currently owned by the Tower Hamlets London Borough Council as part of their library service. Cubitt town is home to a number of recreational facilities: The nearest station to Cubitt Town
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