Canary Wharf and Docklands
Map of Canary Wharf and Docklands
Canary Wharf in the Docklands is well worth visiting to walk 
around this incredible landscape of living history. Three self-guided urban walks have been developed to help you discover the secrets of the fascinating geometric world of Canary Wharf. The walks focus on three different themes: Open Spaces, Architecture & Design and Transitions (historical perspective) and each takes approximately 45 minutes. 
To the north of Cabot Square is West India Quay , a great location to relax by the dockside at one of the many bars and restaurants. Housed in this sole remaining 18th century Georgian warehouse, which began in 1803 for the storage of rum, molasses and sugar, is the Museum in Docklands. Visit this museum to learn about the remarkable story of the people who worked in the port of London, the River Thames and of course the many products that were traded from the far corners of the earth from Roman times to the present day that have shaped the history of the entire city.
From 15 May to 2 November 2008 Museum in Docklands is returning to the scene of London’s most infamous crimes in Jack the Ripper and the East End, the first exhibition to explore the Jack the Ripper murders and their enduring legacy. From police files and photographs to letters from the public and the supposed Ripper himself, examine, for the first time, surviving documents and artefacts from the investigation and follow the crimes as they unfolded. Step back in time to the labyrinth of late-Victorian Whitechapel, and uncover the human stories behind the sensational reports and explore the lives of the victims, witnesses, suspects and police, and the world they lived in.
Visit the only permanent exhibition to examine London’s involvement in transatlantic slavery in our thought-provoking new gallery, London, Sugar & Slavery. In the setting of this historic sugar warehouse, challenge long-held beliefs that abolition was initiated by politicians and be touched by the real objects, personal stories and vibrant art and music that have left their legacy on the capital today.
There is a cafe, shop and restaurant on site (full disabled access).
Museum in Docklands, No. 1 Warehouse, Hertsmere Road, West India Quay, London E14 4AL
Nearest station: West India Quay DLR
A five-minute walk east from West India Quay is Billingsgate Fish Market, the famous market (and one of London’s oldest), where each trading day offers buyers an opportunity to see the largest selection of fish in the United Kingdom and features plenty of friendly faces and cockney banter. Daily arrivals from the coast and overseas ensure a continuity of fresh supplies.
Billingsgate Fish Market, Trafalgar Way, London, E14 5ST
Nearest station: West India Quay DLR
Limehouse Basin is located to the west of Canary Wharf and 
walking through this area today it’s hard to imagine that this tranquil residential area with its lovely old riverside pubs and the remains of glorious 18th century houses was at one time a place with a very wild reputation. In the 18th century the area around Limehouse Basin, known as Ratcliff, was “sailortown” a place full of cheap lodging houses, bars, brothels and music halls. The area’s reputation for vice and opium dens was enhanced and romanticised by writers such as Oscar Wilde, Dickens and Conan Doyle. Limehouse was also the heart of Chinatown in the 1980s.
Don’t forget to visit Narrow Street – there are a number of small passageways leading down to the river where you can gaze across the Thames from an excellent vantage point. There are even better views to be had from the pubs on this street, including the brand new Gordon Ramsey venture 'The Narrow' and Charles Dickens favourite The Grapes.
Nearest stations: Westferry DLR and Limehouse DLR
Just up the road from Limehouse towards Tower Bridge is Wapping, with its abundance of old warehouses and historic pubs along Wapping Wall and Wapping High Street, such as The Prospect of Whitby and Captain Kidd, which with their rich maritime tales to tell, offer an atmospheric day out and pleasant walk along the Thames Path towards the Pool of London.
Nearest stations: Wapping and Shadwell DLR
Useful Websites:
www.mycanarywharf.com
www.towerhamlets.gov.uk
www.waterscape.com
www.museumindocklands.org.uk
