Waterways between St Kats and Shadwell Basin - what were they?

[NealB]

If you walk from Shadwell Basin, past Tobacco Docks, to St Kats, you pass alongside very narrow, and very shallow, waterways that look absolutely useless nowadays.

Does anyone know their history? Presumably they were working canals? Have locks been removed? Were they orignally much bigger? What sort of vessels used them?

Thanks for any information.

 

[Brayman]

They were actually part of some large docks that have been filled in, I would have to look it up to tell you which docks, but somone on here will know for sure.

 

[Captain Coochie]

I have a book on the lost waterways of London . Most of them run under office blocks etc . If you follow the river into London at low tide you can see the outlets .
Oh the joys of having a little boat .

 

[Brayman]

[ QUOTE ]
If you walk from Shadwell Basin, past Tobacco Docks, to St Kats, you pass alongside very narrow, and very shallow, waterways that look absolutely useless nowadays.

Does anyone know their history? Presumably they were working canals? Have locks been removed? Were they orignally much bigger? What sort of vessels used them?

Thanks for any information.

[/ QUOTE ]

The Old London docks basically stretched from St Kats to Shadwell.
In the picture below, taken in 1949, you can see St Kats to the right, the old Wapping Basin top middle and Shadwell basin on the left. The Thames being at the top. You can just make out the rooflines of the old Tobacco Dock just to the right of Shadwell basin. The old Wapping Basin is now a sports pitch. Most of the Dock was filled in after 1969 to create Tower Hamlets, they being the houses and flats you see as you walk the “canal”. I love that walk in daylight, it being supposedly not too safe at night! The canal is made up of the southern wall of the old dock and is clearly seen, with its iron ladders and bollards, as you walk .

 

[NealB]

Thanks for the replies - fascinating stuff!

I can feel some book purchases coming on to make more sense of the history all around me.

 

[byron]

I remember all that as it was but didn't pay much attention at the time. I was 16 or 17 and was going out with a girl from that area, Kathy Duggan, her older brother owns General Marine Services who have tugs and barges. There again I didn't take too much interest. Now of course I regret my lack of foresight.

 

[Andrew_Fanner]

Much the same on the southern side, the South Dock marina and Greenland dock are a small part of the old Surrey Docks complex which was huge and filled in post war.

 

[brianhumber]

In the early 70s when the docks were closing several different options in the form of masterplans for the PLA and surrounding areas were produced ranging from 'let developers take all and sod the locals 'to a 'green lung development' to tilbury with all the docks kept as open spaces and local industry with housing.
The developers and bankers took all and the rest is history. We reap what we sow.