Greenland Dock

Greenland Dock is the oldest surviving wet dock on the Thames, sitting in Rotherhithe within the London Borough of Southwark. It once belonged to the Surrey Commercial Docks, most of which have since been filled in. Today it is kept as an enclosed basin purely for leisure use. A narrow channel called Greenland Cut links it to the smaller South Dock, making two working docks left on the south bank. The water still reflects the long history of trade and repair that shaped this stretch of river. The dock began in 1696 as Howland Great Wet Dock, built by the Russell family to service East India Company ships. Designed by shipwright John Wells, it could berth about 120 vessels without the need to shift moorings. From the 1720s Greenland whalers used the basin, giving it its present name. Later it became the heart of London’s timber trade under the Commercial Dock Company, handling cargoes from the Baltic. At its peak the dock measured 2,250 feet long and 31 feet deep, with a massive lock that once swung round Cunard liners. Visitors now find a calm expanse of water framed by modern apartments named after old yards such as Swedish Quay and Baltic Quay. A small marina occupies the eastern end, while the western side holds a watersports centre offering sailing, windsurfing and dragon boat racing. Along the quayside a few capstans and hydraulic machines survive from the dock’s working days. The Thames Path runs beside the water, leading on towards Canada Water and Surrey Quays stations.