Visit Isle of Dogs Places

Welcome to Visit Isle of Dogs Places
The Walkfo guide to things to do & explore in Isle of Dogs

  

Isle of Dogs Places Overview: History, Culture & Facts about Isle of Dogs

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Isle of Dogs history

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Origins

The Isle of Dogs 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.

Industry

In 1802 the West India Docks began to be developed on the Isle of Dogs. 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.

Docks

The West India Docks and Millwall Docks opened in 1802 and became important centres for trade. By 1901, 21,000 people lived in the Isle of Dogs, largely dependent on the river trade. During World War II, the docks were a key target for the Luftwaffe and were heavily bombed. The docks closed progressively during the 1970s, with the last – the West India and West India docks closing.

London Docklands Development Corporation

The Isle of Dogs’ economic problems led to mass unemployment among the former dockyard workers. Ted Johns, a local community campaigner, and his supporters, made a unilateral declaration of independence for the area from the United Kingdom as the Republic of the Isles of Dogs. Successive Labour and Conservative governments proposed a number of action plans during the 1970s but it was not until 1981 that the London Docklands Development Corporation (LDDC) was established to redevelop the area.

LDDC legacy

Some say the redevelopment has not benefited the long-term residents as much as it might. Accusations of a ‘land grab’ of riverside sites for private apartment blocks. Some tensions remain between the island community and professionals.

Politics

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 was a prominent issue in local politics. Labour regained the ward in the full council election of May 1994, and held all three seats until 2004.

Incidents

IRA detonated a truck bomb near South Quay DLR station on the Isle of Dogs in 1996. Two people were killed and more than a hundred others were injured in the blast.

Isle of Dogs etymology

The first known written mention of the Isle of Dogs is in the ‘Letters & Papers of Henry VIII’ The 1898 edition of Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable attributes the name: “So called from being the receptacle of the greyhounds of Edward III.” Ben Jonson and Thomas Nashe wrote a satirical play in 1597, titled The Isle of Dog, which offended some in the nobility.

You can visit Isle of Dogs places with Walkfo Isle of Dogs to hear history at Isle of Dogs’s places whilst walking around using the free digital tour app. Walkfo Isle of Dogs has 453 places to visit in our interactive Isle of Dogs map, with amazing history, culture & travel facts you can explore the same way you would at a museum or art gallery with information audio headset. With Walkfo, you can travel by foot, bike or bus throughout Isle of Dogs, being in the moment, without digital distraction or limits to a specific walking route. Our historic audio walks, National Trust interactive audio experiences, digital tour guides for English Heritage locations are available at Isle of Dogs places, with a AI tour guide to help you get the best from a visit to Isle of Dogs & the surrounding areas.

“Curated content for millions of locations across the UK, with 453 audio facts unique to Isle of Dogs places in an interactive Isle of Dogs map you can explore.”

Walkfo: Visit Isle of Dogs Places Map
453 tourist, history, culture & geography spots

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Isle of Dogs historic spots	Isle of Dogs tourist destinations	Isle of Dogs plaques	Isle of Dogs geographic features
Walkfo Isle of Dogs tourism map key: places to see & visit like National Trust sites, Blue Plaques, English Heritage locations & top tourist destinations in Isle of Dogs

  

Best Isle of Dogs places to visit

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Isle of Dogs has places to explore by foot, bike or bus. Below are a selection of the varied Isle of Dogs’s destinations you can visit with additional content available at the Walkfo Isle of Dogs’s information audio spots:

Southwark Park Southwark Park is located in Rotherhithe, in central South East London . It first opened in 1869 by the Metropolitan Board of Works as one of its first parks . It takes its name from being in what was the old Parliamentary constituency of Southwark .

King’s Stairs Gardens King’s Stairs Gardens is a riverside park in Bermondsey, London . It is bordered to the north by the River Thames and to the south by Jamaica Road (A200)

Deptford Park Deptford Park is a public park in Deptford south-east London . It is owned by London Borough of Lewisham and owned by the London boroughs .

Evelyn (ward) Evelyn is an electoral ward in the northernmost part of the London Borough of Lewisham . It covers the northern part of Deptford on the south bank of the River Thames . Evelyn borders wards from three other London Boroughs, Greenwich West, Surrey Docks and Southwark .

Holy Trinity Church, Rotherhithe Holy Trinity Church is a Church of England parish church in Rotherhithe, south east London, within the diocese of Southwark .

Aragon Tower Aragon Tower on the Pepys Estate in Deptford, is one of London’s tallest privately owned residential towers at 92 metres with 29 floors . It contains 158 residential apartments ranging from 2 to 3 bedrooms .

Gilbert’s Pit Gilbert’s Pit is a geological Site of Special Scientific Interest in Charlton . It was notified in 1985 and was formerly known as Charlton Sand Pit . It adjoins Maryon Park and is close to Maryon Wilson Park .

Mycenae House Mycenae House is a community centre housed in a former convent building adjacent to the Georgian villa, Woodlands House, in Greenwich, London .

Tower division The Tower Division was a liberty in the ancient county of Middlesex, England. It took its name from the military obligations owed to the Constable of the Tower of London. In contemporary terms, the Liberty covered inner East London, the area now administered by the eponymous modern London Borough of Tower Hamlets.

Ladywell Fields Ladywell Fields is a public park in the London Borough of Lewisham created from three historic fields . It is located near Ladywell railway station at the northern end of the park, and Catford Bridge at the southern end .

Visit Isle of Dogs plaques