Wapping and the old London Docks

Name: Wapping and the old London Docks
Brand: VoiceMap
SKU: 137
Price: 9.99 USD
Availability: InStock
Rating: 4.0 (33 reviews)
Author: Brian

(33 reviews)

London audio tour: Wapping and the old London Docks

This is a 1.8mi walking tour

It takes an average of 60 mins to complete.

London

The United Kingdom

$9.99

Access all 32 locations offline with the VoiceMap app

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About the Tour

The most famous building in Wapping is a pub, The Prospect of Whitby, which was a favourite with pirates and smugglers as well as with Charles Dickens and Samuel Pepys. This ancient village which stretches between the Tower of London and Limehouse has always been associated with seafarers. They tended to live a life apart from the rest of London, although in the eighteenth century the 36 pubs along the riverfront attracted many visitors including Dr Samuel Johnson. Three of these pubs survive. The London Docks were built in the early nineteenth century and were famous for the import of rum, wine and tobacco. The docks were closed in 1969, but many of the former wharves and warehouses have been preserved and converted into modern apartments. This retains the atmosphere of the past although the sense of danger evoked by Charles Dickens's novels has vanished. The walk starts and ends with two attractive conversions of old docks into modern usage - St Katherine's Dock and Shadwell Basin.

Tour Producer

Brian Cookson

20 tours

After qualifying as a Russian Interpreter during National Service, I obtained a BA in Russian and German at Oxford University. I spent most of my working life as a computer consultant, mainly working for IBM.
When I retired, I qualified as a London Blue Badge Tourist Guide. I lead guided walking tours all over London and have written two books - 'London Waterside Walks' and 'Crossing the River', published by Random House.
I have also given several presentations to members of the London Guild of Registered Guides for their continual development programme.
As can be seen by my two books, I am especially interested in London areas near the River Thames and the amazing collection of bridges from Tower Bridge to Richmond.
I have also been a volunteer guide at the Wallace Collection for 25 years and I also do guided tours ofWriter all of London's major museums and art galleries, including the National Gallery, the National Portrait Gallery, the British Museum and the Victoria and Albert.

Preview Location

Location 32

The Prospect of Whitby

The Prospect of Whitby is the last stop of our walk today. Stop outside it, and I'll tell you about its history. It claims to be the oldest riverside pub in London. It was first built in 1520 and preserves much of its original interior, but the outside was rebuilt in the ninet... The Prospect of Whitby is the last stop of our walk today. Stop outside it, and I'll tell you about its history. It claims to be the oldest riverside pub in London. It was first built in 1520 and preserves much of its original interior, but the outside was rebuilt in the nineteenth century.

Look at the front of the pub, up to the left of the sign. Can you see the list of all the monarchs who have been on the throne throughout the life of the pub, starting with Henry VIII? The pub's original name was the Devil's Tavern as it was associated with thieves and smugglers. In the riverside beer garden is a gibbet to remind you of this history. The name was changed in the eighteenth century because the landlord did not want it to be connected with crime. So it was named after a collier ship called The Prospect, which regularly brought coal here from Whitby in Yorkshire.

The coal was used for the Hydraulic Pumping Station whose red brick tower you can see up the road on your left. The bridge just past the Pumping Station was built in the 1930s over the entrance to Shadwell Dock Basin. It was originally controlled by hydraulic power from the Pumping Station on the south-east corner of the dock basin. Power from here was also piped to the centre of London to raise theatre curtains in Leicester Square. This was probably the last operating hydraulic pumping station in the world and only closed down in 1977.

Today it contains a café and is used for theatrical performances and exhibitions. Shadwell Basin itself, to the left of the bridge, is the only remaining basin of the London Docks. Colourful housing surrounds it. The houses are privately owned, but a special 33 per cent discount allows teachers to live near their inner city schools.

Cormorants often sit on the raft in the middle of the water waiting to catch various fish such as carp, bream and roach.

Our walk ends here. You could of course enjoy a drink in the historic Prospect of Whitby. You could also follow the Thames Path signs to walk along the riverside to Limehouse where there is a Docklands Light Railway station which takes you back to London. Alternatively you could return to Wapping Station for the London Overground trains.

I hope you enjoyed this walk through an area which still has many traces of its history as a working dock, but today has been transformed into a residential location and has three historic pubs with wonderful views up and down the River Thames. Read More

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Major Landmarks

Tower of London
St Katharine Docks Marina
Town of Ramsgate
Execution Dock
The Captain Kidd
King Henry’s Wharf
Prospect of Whitby
Shadwell Basin

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Getting There

Route Overview

VoiceMap tours follow a route from a set starting point. It’s how we give turn-by-turn directions and tell a story greater than the sum of its parts.

Start location
Tower Hill, London EC3N 4DR, UK
Total distance

3km
Final location
57 Wapping Wall, London E1W 3SH, UK
Distance back to start location

2km

Directions to Starting Point

You start at Tower Hill. It is best to travel by Underground to Tower Hill Station on the District and Circle Line. Once you've exited the station, make your way up to the viewing platform just outside the station exit. Currently there are building works so you have to walk a short distance through Tower Hill Gardens to the west of the station to get there.

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Tips

Places to stop along the way

Cafes in St Katherine's Dock, Tower bridge Wharf for majestic views of Tower Bridge, Town of Ramsgate, Captain Kidd and or Prospect of Whitby pubs, Wapping Station for pictures of Brunel's famous tunnel.

Best time of day

It is best done in daylight, although you could do it as an evening pub walk.

Precautions

Always keep an eye on your belongings in London as in any capital city. Cross roads with care, but there is not a lot of traffic on this route.

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“This app has become my go-to app for audio tours. I pretty much use it for every trip and it works wonderfully. I highly recommend VoiceMap for travelers to truly experience cities.”

App Store Review

“Great app. walk around at your own pace, stop where you want, move on or speed up when you want. Read the script before you go or during the commentary, speed it up or replay it. Repeat the tour whenever you like.”

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Questions and Reviews

4 / 5

33 Ratings

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