MillenniuM Beacon, Blackwall

Back in the late 1990s the United Kingdom, and the rest of the world, was gearing up for the new MillenniuM.

London, itself, had three major construction projects underway: The MillenniuM Wheel, the MillenniuM Footbridge and the MillenniuM Dome, along with smaller, local projects, such as the MillenniuM Maze, Hanwell, and the MillenniuM Pathway, Lambeth.

Something that would link the United Kingdom together was the lighting of 'The Giant Beacon'.

Of the 1400 beacons, spread across the country, this was the only one situated in London.

East India Docks, Blackwall

The East India Docks were constructed between 1803-1806 and were the third set of wet docks built on the River Thames, in the early 19th century. By the end of the 18th century East Indiamen ships had been sailing from Blackwall for almost 200 years.

The East India Company, founded in 1600, shipped valuable goods from the East to the River Thames. It was a rich, powerful and well organised body using the largest two ships that frequented the Port of London. The valuable cargoes were moved by barge to the city, then carried to the company's spacious warehouses on Billiter Street and Cutler Street.

In January 1804 the lock was widened to 48 ft across to allow the largest East Indiamen, of up to 1,500 tonnes, to enter the docks.

The Export Dock

In September 1804 Hugh McIntosh used a horse operated bucket dredger to excavate 8,000 tonnes of mud from the former ship repair yard, Brunswick Dock, to give a uniform depth of 22 ft. The south wall was built in brick, but the original timber walls of the Brunswick Dock were retained on the other three sides.

The Export Dock was also home to the emigrant's ships. In the 19th century companies including Green's, Wigram's and Dunbar's all used the docks as their embarkation point. By 1905 the Export Dock was principally used by sailing ships and steamers.

After suffering from bomb damage, during World War II, the Export Dock was sold in 1946 and filled in to make way for Brunswick Wharf Power Station. The power station was closed down in the 1980s and demolished. Now the site is home to Virginia Quay.

The Import Dock

The most important element of the East India Docks was the Import Dock. Covering almost 60 acres it provided room to unload the precious goods from the East Indiamen returning from their voyages.

Excavations began in 1803 using pumps, buckets, rods, pipes, and valves impounding 18 acres of water.

The work included a labour force of up to 400 men and 100 horses. Dredging 625,000 cubic yards of earth. Making nine million bricks from the excavated topsoil to form the dock walls and using 50 tonnes of old iron hoops to strengthen the walls.

The walls of the Import Dock were constructed with a curved profile which was ideally suited to the shape of the hulls of the East Indiamen.

During World War II the Import Dock played an important role in the construction of the Mulberry floating harbours for the D-Day landings in Normandy, in 1944. After World War II the Import Dock was filled in and a number of new developments, including the Financial Times Print Works (1987-88) and Telehouse Europe (1988-90), were built.

The Lock

The Entrance Lock, with a width of 48 ft, was the largest lock in the Port of London. It had a curved or rounded bottom, unlike the shallow inverts of the locks constructed at West India Docks.

Walking with Keilyn: West India Docks to East India Docks... and beyond

Sunday April 13, 2025.

Another Sunday and another Walk with Keilyn.

We began our day with a walk to Watford Metropolitan station, with food, snacks and drinks all packed in my rucksack. We boarded the train and headed off towards London. We switched to a Jubilee line train, at Finchley Road, and continued our journey to Canary Wharf.

On exiting Canary Wharf station we began our walk by heading through Jubilee Park, checking out some of the Canary Wharf Public Art, and Easter Eggs, on our way to Wood Wharf.

Approaching Wood Wharf we could easily spot 'Whale on the Wharf (Skyscraper)', the latest piece to join the Canary Wharf Public Art trail. Standing at four-storeys, and made of 5 tonnes of recycled plastic, the whale towered over the crowds that come to see it. 

From here we continued eastward, along Branran Street and onto Lovegrove Walk, before we joined Preston's Road. From here we walked along Coldharbour, passing 'The Gun' public house and then Nelson House, before rejoining Preston's Road.

We then walked around, the now sealed, Blackwall Basin Entrance Lock, before rejoining the Thames Path North East Extension.

A compass, in the ground, was bisected by the Prime Meridian Line, so Keilyn could stand on both east and west of the line. 

We then continued along the path until we reached Virginia Quay and the Virginia Quay Settlers Monument.

With time getting on we stopped to eat our lunch, at East India Quay, enjoying the peace and tranquillity of the River Thames and the view across to the MillenniuM Dome.