Limehouse Basin

Limehouse Basin is a canal basin two miles east of London Bridge, linking the River Thames to the Regent’s Canal and the Limehouse Cut. It sits between the Docklands Light Railway and Narrow Street, with Ropemaker’s Fields park to the east. The basin was dug in 1820 as the eastern end of the Regent’s Canal, originally covering just over four acres. By the late 19th century it had doubled in size, with an unusual diagonal entrance lock large enough for 2,000-ton ships. For most of its working life it was called Regent’s Canal Dock and handled coal, timber, ice and even circus animals. The basin’s purpose was to move goods between Thames ships and the inland canal network. Coal from Newcastle arrived in colliers and was unloaded by gangs of men using a method called ‘whipping’. Each gang of nine could shift nearly 100 tons a day, climbing the equivalent of 1.5 vertical miles. By 1830 up to fifty vessels used the basin each tide, mainly supplying London’s gasworks. Later it handled Russian oil and First World War submarines before closing to commercial traffic in 1969. Today the basin is a calm stretch of water framed by modern housing and old warehouses. The original Commercial Road Lock still stands at the canal entrance, and the preserved arches of the London and Blackwall Railway carry the Docklands Light Railway overhead. Walkways run beside the water, with views across to the marina and the swing bridge that once crossed the outlet canal. The area is quiet compared with the Thames, yet close enough to feel the river’s presence.