Royal Docks, E16

London’s Royal Docks is rapidly developing waterside district in east London, approximately two miles from Canary Wharf and seven miles from the City of London. It combines distinctive residential and industrial neighbourhoods formed along historic East London dockyards on the north banks of the Thames. The estate covers approx. 1,200 acres of land, 250 acres (1km) of water and 12 miles (19km) of waterfront. Part of the London Borough of Newham, the Royal Docks incorporates Silvertown, North Woolwich, Custom House, London City Airport and a section of Beckton.

Once a gateway to maritime trade, today the district is a major East London riverside destination with impressive growth potential. Its transformation has been accelerated since the arrival of the Elizebeth line at Custom House station in 2022. The Elizabeth line has provided the Docks with fast transport links to London’s major commercial and business districts including the City, Canary Wharf and the West End.

The Royal Docks and Beckton Riverside is designated as an Opportunity Area in the Mayor of London Plan and is part of the Thames Estuary Growth Corridor. It is estimated that this waterside district could provide 36,000 new homes and create 55,000 new jobs in the near future. New residential developments completed or already under construction within sites include Great Eastern Quays, Royal Albert Wharf, Brunel Street Works, Millet Place, Royal Eden Dock and Silvertown’s Millenium Mills. Along with investments in new homes, these projects are set to deliver transport and infrastructure upgrades, and modern town amenities with new workspaces and public realm.

The next three strategic construction projects in the Royal Docks include the new Silvertown Tunnel, Silvertown Bridge over Royal Victoria Dock, and the extension of the ExCel London Centre. To attract future investments in the area, The Royal Docks has been named London’s only Enterprise Zone where ‘business rates are reinvested back to support economic growth.’

In 2022, the London City Hall was relocated to the Royal Docks, a move that firmed up the Major of London’s commitment to the district's further development.

History

The Royal Docks was London’s key industrial port from the mid-1800s to the 1960/70s.  The docks’ birth is linked to the historic expansion and relocation of The Port of London from the City further east towards the Thames Estuary. As a result, a network of connected cargo and passenger docks was constructed including Royal Victoria Dock, Pontoon Dock, Royal Albert Dock, Kings George V Dock and Royal Albert Basin. Royal Victoria Dock opened in 1855 as the first dock fully equipped to accommodate steamships. Before this extraordinary Victorian engineering project took place, the area was a marshland known locally as ‘Lands End’.

From mid mid-1850s, Royal Docks became an ideal location for several large London factories. In 1852 Samuel Silvers’ waterproof clothing works was set up in the district which, from then on, would be called Silvertown. Also based in the district were Henry Tate and Abram Lyle (Tate & Lyle) sugar refineries, the Becton Gasworks, various flour millers, timber importers, and jam, chemical, soap, paint, manure and fertilisers manufacturers.

The Docks had large warehouses to refrigerate, store and distribute grain, tobacco, meat, fruit, vegetables, and other goods arriving from all over the world.  The area was linked to the advanced railway network too and became a major East London employer attracting over 100,000 workers followed by the creation of new housing settlements. King George V Dock was the final dock constructed in 1921.

Severely damaged during World War II, the Royal Docks continued operations in the post-war years reaching their peak in the 1950s and 1960s.

Technological changes in the 1960s and the creation of heavy containerised cargo ships made the Royal Docks redundant. The last dock was closed to commercial traffic in 1981, and as with other commercial ports along the Thames, the loss of jobs led to massive unemployment and poverty.

The regeneration of the Royal Docks started in the mid-1980s with the establishment of the London Docklands Development Corporation and the subsequent construction of the DLR, the birth of Canary Wharf, and the opening of the London City Airport in 1987. ExCel, the conference and exhibition centre was next, followed by the inauguration of the University of East London. The Royal Victoria Tidal Basin Pumping Station was launched in 1988. In 2000, the Thames Barrier Park was established on an old industrial site facing the river. The Docks took part in the 2012 Olympic Games and the same year, the Emirates Air Line opened linking Royal Victoria Dock with North Greenwich, and the sustainability-certified Crystal building opened its doors to the public.

Art & Culture

Art and culture thrive in the Royal Docks through a large creative community and many organisations that have found inviting and generous spaces to work and live in the district.

The Royal Docks Cultural Placemaking Strategy’s vision for the district is to become ‘London’s Cultural Engine’, part of a Royal Docks ‘ecosystem’ connecting creative organisations, businesses and individuals.

With the help of Newham Council and the Mayor of London, the creatives are often welcome to fill in and occupy, sometimes temporarily, empty industrial docks buildings. One such space is the Silver Building, set close to West Silvertown DLR station. This art hub currently offers large studio space and ateliers for designers, photographers and artists. At the Royal Albert Wharf, at the eastern end of the district, is the Bow Arts hub with over 30 studios hosting artists, designers and makers.

The Royal Victoria Dock is dotted with public art, part of The Line—an outdoor project featuring well-known British artists.

Summers in the Royal Docks are packed with live music, theatre, performance and workshops for all ages. The district regularly hosts large sports events such as the London Triathlon, open water swimming, and the Formula E World Championship. Also accessible are wakeboarding, and paddleboarding.

The University of East London, based in the Royal Docks, contributes to the support to creatives as it curates excellent projects through its Centre for Creative and Cultural Practices

ExCel centre offers an inspiring programme of regular domestic and international events—from Disney100 years, to Grand Design Live, Best of Nature Show, Outdoor Living & Wellness Expo, and the World Travel Market exhibition.

Upbeat, friendly contemporary coffee shops and restaurants serve global cuisine from dim-sum and Lebanese meze to Italian pizza, Spanish tapas, and traditional Indian dishes.

Gallions Rach Shopping Park is the biggest retail centre in the Royal Docks.

To step back in time, there are Henley Arms or the Brick Lane Music Hall.

Within the district is The Thames Barrier Park, one of the most attractive London’s riverside parks. Winner of Green Flag Awars as a truly ‘amazing space’, the park is open to the public and something for everyone: a children’s play area, a basketball court, a pavilion with a coffee shop, a sunken garden and a wildlife sanctuary. 

Developments

Albert Basin Way

Britannia Village built in 1990s along Royal Victoria Dock (Wimpey)

Barrier Point (Barratt)

Capital East Apartments

Cerulean Quarter

Gallions Quarter (Place , Point)

Hallsville Quarter

Kingfisher Heights

Lyle Park West

Millennium Mills

Riverscape

Royal Albert Wharf

Royal Docks West

Royal Eden Docks

The Silverton

Cerulean Quarter (Canning Town)

The Oxygen

Tidewinds

Vermilion

Waterside Park

Westgate Apartments

Western Gateway

Western Beach Apartments 

Hoola

Transport (Zone 2-3)

The Royal Docks transport network gives access to the London Underground, the Elizabeth Line, Docklands Light Railway, National Rail, Cable Car, River Bus, and Woolwich Ferry services.

·         London Underground (Jubilee line) is available from Canning Town station.

·         DLR services cover the north and south sections (11 stations) of the Royal Docks.

·         The Elizabeth line is available from Custom House station. A journey to Canary Wharf takes 4 minutes.

·         The IFS Cloud Cable Car links Royal Victoria and Greenwich Peninsula

·         The Woolwich Ferry connects North Woolwich with Woolwich on the south banks of the River Thames.

·         The Royal Wharf Pier provides Thames Clippers River Bus services to Canary Wharf, Greenwich, Woolwich in the east, and the City of London and beyond in the west.

·         The London City Airport has flights to Europe and beyond.

·         Several bus routes run through the district including 147 and 474 to Cunning Town, Ilford and Manor Park; 330 to Silvertown; 143 to Stratford; 366 to Beckton and Redbridge; 376 To East Ham and Beckton.

Council

Newham

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