Canary Wharf is an area of
London
London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
, England, located near the
Isle of Dogs
The Isle of Dogs is a large peninsula bounded on three sides by a large meander in the River Thames in East London, England, which includes the Cubitt Town, Millwall and Canary Wharf districts. The area was historically part of the Manor, Ha ...
in the
London Borough of Tower Hamlets. Canary Wharf is defined by the
Greater London Authority as being part of London's
central business district, alongside
Central London. With the
City of London
The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London f ...
, it constitutes one of the main
financial centres in the United Kingdom and the world, containing many high-rise buildings including the
third-tallest in the UK,
One Canada Square
One Canada Square is a skyscraper in Canary Wharf, London. It was completed in 1991 and is the third tallest building in the United Kingdom at above ground levelAviation charts issued by the Civil Aviation Authority containing 50 storeys.
On ...
,
which opened on 26 August 1991.
Developed on the site of the former
West India Docks
The West India Docks are a series of three docks, quaysides and warehouses built to import goods from and export goods and occasionally passengers to the British West Indies on the Isle of Dogs in London the first of which opened in 1802. Follow ...
, Canary Wharf contains around of office and retail space. It has many open areas, including
Canada Square
Canada Square is a square at Canary Wharf, on the Isle of Dogs in London's Docklands. It is in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in the East End of Central London along the River Thames. Canada Square is surrounded by three of the tall ...
,
Cabot Square
Cabot Square is one of the central squares of the Canary Wharf Development on the Isle of Dogs.
The square includes a fountain and several works of art, and is the address for the London Offices of Credit Suisse and Morgan Stanley.
In the n ...
and
Westferry Circus
Westferry Circus is a road interchange and public space within the Westferry Complex and is part of the Canary Wharf commercial estate positioned between Limehouse and Millwall in London, and contains a two-level road interchange. There are t ...
. Together with
Heron Quays
Heron Quays is an area of the Canary Wharf development on the Isle of Dogs, part of the London Docklands. It is served by a railway station on the London Docklands Light Railway network, Heron Quays DLR station, which was moved south after the ...
and
Wood Wharf
Wood Wharf is a 23 acrehttps://group.canarywharf.com/portfolio/wood-wharf/ Wood Wharf, Canary Wharf Group PLC, Retrieved 26 April 2018 site in Canary Wharf, London. It is currently under construction to provide offices, residential homes and ret ...
, it forms the Canary Wharf Estate, around in area.
History
![Cabot Square, Canary Wharf - June 2008](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/ff/Cabot_Square%2C_Canary_Wharf_-_June_2008.jpg)
Canary Wharf is located on the
West India Docks
The West India Docks are a series of three docks, quaysides and warehouses built to import goods from and export goods and occasionally passengers to the British West Indies on the Isle of Dogs in London the first of which opened in 1802. Follow ...
on the
Isle of Dogs
The Isle of Dogs is a large peninsula bounded on three sides by a large meander in the River Thames in East London, England, which includes the Cubitt Town, Millwall and Canary Wharf districts. The area was historically part of the Manor, Ha ...
.
West India Dock Company
From 1802 to the late 1980s, what would become the Canary Wharf Estate was a part of the
Isle of Dogs
The Isle of Dogs is a large peninsula bounded on three sides by a large meander in the River Thames in East London, England, which includes the Cubitt Town, Millwall and Canary Wharf districts. The area was historically part of the Manor, Ha ...
(
Millwall
Millwall is a district on the western and southern side of the Isle of Dogs, in east London, England, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It lies to the immediate south of Canary Wharf and Limehouse, north of Greenwich and Deptford, eas ...
),
Limehouse
Limehouse is a district in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in East London. It is east of Charing Cross, on the northern bank of the River Thames. Its proximity to the river has given it a strong maritime character, which it retains through ...
, and
Poplar and was one of the busiest docks in the world. West India Docks was primarily developed by
Robert Milligan (c. 1746–1809) who set up the West India Dock Company.
Port of London Authority
The
Port of London Authority was established in 1909 and took control of West India Dock. Canary Wharf itself takes its name from No. 32 berth of the West Wood Quay of the Import Dock. This was built in 1936 for Fruit Lines Ltd, a subsidiary of
Fred Olsen Lines for the
Mediterranean
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western Europe, Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa ...
and
Canary Islands fruit trade. It is located on the Isle of Dogs, the quay and warehouse were given the name Canary Wharf.
[''The West India Docks: The buildings: warehouses'', Survey of London: volumes 43 and 44: Poplar, Blackwall and Isle of Dogs (1994), pp. 284–300]
. Retrieved 22 July 2008
London Docklands Development Corporation
After the 1960s, when cargo became containerized, port industry began to decline, leading to all the docks being closed by 1980.
(Port Cities) accessed 22 July 2008 After the docks closed in 1980, the British Government adopted policies to stimulate redevelopment of the area, including the creation of the
London Docklands Development Corporation
The London Docklands Development Corporation (LDDC) was a quango agency set up by the UK Government in 1981 to regenerate the depressed Docklands area of east London. During its seventeen-year existence it was responsible for regenerating an a ...
(LDDC) in 1981 and the granting of
Urban Enterprise Zone status to the Isle of Dogs in 1982.
[
The Canary Wharf of today began when Michael von Clemm, former chairman of ]Credit Suisse First Boston
Credit Suisse First Boston (also known as CSFB and CS First Boston) is the investment banking affiliate of Credit Suisse headquartered in New York.
The company was created by the merger of First Boston Corporation and Credit Suisse Group in 1988 ...
(CSFB), came up with the idea to convert Canary Wharf into a back office
A back office in most corporations is where work that supports ''front office'' work is done. The front office is the "face" of the company and is all the resources of the company that are used to make sales and interact with customers and client ...
. Further discussions with G Ware Travelstead led to proposals for a new business district and included the LDDC developing an inexpensive light metro scheme, the Docklands Light Railway
The Docklands Light Railway (DLR) is an automated light metro system serving the redeveloped Docklands area of London, England and provides a direct connection between London's two major financial districts, Canary Wharf and the City of Lo ...
, to make use of a large amount of redundant railway infrastructure and to improve access.
The project was sold to the Canadian company Olympia & York
Olympia & York (also spelled as Olympia and York, abbreviated as O&Y) was a major international property development firm based in Toronto, Canada. The firm built major financial office complexes including Canary Wharf in London, the World Fina ...
and construction began in 1988, master-planned by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill with Yorke Rosenberg Mardall
Yorke Rosenberg Mardall (Yorke, Rosenberg and Mardall, YRM) was a British architectural firm established by F. R. S. Yorke (1906-1962), Eugene Rosenberg (1907-1990) and Cyril Mardall (Sjöström) (1909-1994) in 1944.Melvin, Jeremy (1997). Obituar ...
as their UK advisors, and subsequently by Koetter Kim. The first buildings were completed in 1991, including One Canada Square
One Canada Square is a skyscraper in Canary Wharf, London. It was completed in 1991 and is the third tallest building in the United Kingdom at above ground levelAviation charts issued by the Civil Aviation Authority containing 50 storeys.
On ...
, which became the UK's tallest building at the time and a symbol of the regeneration of Docklands. By the time it opened, the London commercial property market had collapsed, and Olympia and York Canary Wharf Limited filed for bankruptcy in May 1992.
Initially, the City of London saw Canary Wharf as an existential threat. It modified its planning laws to expand the provision of new offices in the City of London, for example, creating offices above railway stations (Blackfriars) and roads ( Alban Gate). The resulting oversupply of office space contributed to the failure of the Canary Wharf project.
Canary Wharf Group
In October 1995, an international consortium that included investors such as Alwaleed
Al Waleed bin Talal Al Saud ( ar, الوليد بن طلال آل سعود; born 7 March 1955) is a Saudi Arabian billionaire businessman, investor, philanthropist and royal. He was listed on ''Time'' magazine's Time 100, an annual list of the hu ...
, bought control for $1.2 billion. Paul Reichmann
Paul (Moshe Yosef) Reichmann ( he, משה יוסף רייכמן; 27 September 1930 – 25 October 2013) was a Canadian businessman and member of the Reichmann family. He is best known for his leadership of the Olympia & York real estate ...
, of Olympia & York, was named chairman, and Canary Wharf went public in 1999. The new company was called Canary Wharf Limited, and later became Canary Wharf Group
Canary Wharf Group plc is a British property company headquartered in London, England. It is the owner and developer of nearly of property at Canary Wharf and elsewhere in London. Over the last 10 years it has constructed more office space in L ...
.
In 1997, some residents living on the Isle of Dogs launched a lawsuit against Canary Wharf Ltd for private nuisance because the tower interfered with TV signals. The residents lost the case.[The court found against the appellants (Hunter and others) as private nuisance legislation generally concerns "emanations" from land, not interference with such emanations]
"Hunter and Others v. Canary Wharf Ltd./Hunter and Others v. London Docklands Corporation"
House of Lords
The House of Lords, also known as the House of Peers, is the upper house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Membership is by appointment, heredity or official function. Like the House of Commons, it meets in the Palace of Westminste ...
Session 1996–97. Retrieved on 23 March 2009.
Recovery in the property market generally, coupled with continuing demand for large floorplate Grade A office space, slowly improved the level of interest. A critical event in the recovery was the much-delayed start of work on the Jubilee Line Extension
The Jubilee Line Extension (JLE) is the extension of the London Underground Jubilee line from to through south and east London. An eastward extension of the line was first proposed in the 1970s. As part of the development of London Docklands, ...
, which the government wanted ready for the Millennium
A millennium (plural millennia or millenniums) is a period of one thousand years, sometimes called a kiloannum (ka), or kiloyear (ky). Normally, the word is used specifically for periods of a thousand years that begin at the starting point (ini ...
celebrations.
In March 2004, Canary Wharf Group plc. was taken over by a consortium of investors, backed by its largest shareholder Glick Family Investments and led by Morgan Stanley
Morgan Stanley is an American multinational investment management and financial services company headquartered at 1585 Broadway in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. With offices in more than 41 countries and more than 75,000 employees, the fir ...
using a vehicle named Songbird Estates plc.
Tallest buildings
This table lists completed buildings in Canary Wharf that are at least 100 metres tall.
Corporations and agencies
Canary Wharf contains around of office and retail space, of which around (about 49%) is owned by Canary Wharf Group
Canary Wharf Group plc is a British property company headquartered in London, England. It is the owner and developer of nearly of property at Canary Wharf and elsewhere in London. Over the last 10 years it has constructed more office space in L ...
. Around 105,000 people work in Canary Wharf, and it is home to the world or European headquarters of numerous major banks, professional services firms, and media organisations, including Barclays, Citigroup, Clifford Chance, Credit Suisse, Ernst & Young
Ernst & Young Global Limited, trade name EY, is a multinational professional services partnership headquartered in London, England. EY is one of the largest professional services networks in the world. Along with Deloitte, KPMG and Pricewat ...
, Fitch Ratings
Fitch Ratings Inc. is an American credit rating agency and is one of the " Big Three credit rating agencies", the other two being Moody's and Standard & Poor's. It is one of the three nationally recognized statistical rating organizations ( NRSRO ...
, HSBC, Infosys
Infosys Limited is an Indian multinational information technology company that provides business consulting, information technology and outsourcing services. The company was founded in Pune and is headquartered in Bangalore. Infosys is the s ...
, JPMorgan Chase
JPMorgan Chase & Co. is an American multinational investment bank and financial services holding company headquartered in New York City and incorporated in Delaware. As of 2022, JPMorgan Chase is the largest bank in the United States, the ...
, KPMG
KPMG International Limited (or simply KPMG) is a multinational professional services network, and one of the Big Four accounting organizations.
Headquartered in Amstelveen, Netherlands, although incorporated in London, England, KPMG is a net ...
, MetLife, Moody's
Moody's Investors Service, often referred to as Moody's, is the bond credit rating business of Moody's Corporation, representing the company's traditional line of business and its historical name. Moody's Investors Service provides internationa ...
, Morgan Stanley
Morgan Stanley is an American multinational investment management and financial services company headquartered at 1585 Broadway in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. With offices in more than 41 countries and more than 75,000 employees, the fir ...
, Royal Bank of Canada, Deutsche Bank
Deutsche Bank AG (), sometimes referred to simply as Deutsche, is a German multinational investment bank and financial services company headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany, and dual-listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange and the New York Sto ...
, S&P Global
S&P Global Inc. (prior to April 2016 McGraw Hill Financial, Inc., and prior to 2013 The McGraw–Hill Companies, Inc.) is an American publicly traded corporation headquartered in Manhattan, New York City. Its primary areas of business are financ ...
, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP and Affiliates is an American multinational law firm headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1948, the firm consistently ranks among the top U.S. law firms by revenue. The company is known for its wor ...
, State Street, The Economist Group
The Economist Group (legally The Economist Newspaper Limited) is a media company headquartered in London, England. It is best known as publisher of ''The Economist'' newspaper and its sister lifestyle magazine, '' 1843''. The Economist Group spe ...
and Thomson Reuters
Thomson Reuters Corporation ( ) is a Canadian multinational media conglomerate. The company was founded in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, where it is headquartered at the Bay Adelaide Centre.
Thomson Reuters was created by the Thomson Corpora ...
,. Until 2018, Canary Wharf also hosted two European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...
agencies, European Medicines Agency and European Banking Authority
The European Banking Authority (EBA) is a regulatory agency of the European Union headquartered in Paris. Its activities include conducting stress tests on European banks to increase transparency in the European financial system and identifying ...
, that moved to Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...
and Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...
respectively due to Brexit
Brexit (; a portmanteau of "British exit") was the withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU) at 23:00 GMT on 31 January 2020 (00:00 1 February 2020 CET).The UK also left the European Atomic Energy Community (EAEC ...
.
Leisure
;Marina
West India Quay
West India Quay is an area in the London Docklands, London, England. It is immediately to the north of the West India Docks and Canary Wharf. The warehouse at West India Quay was used to store imported goods from the West Indies, such as tea, sug ...
s and Poplar Dock
Poplar may refer to:
Plants
*''Populus'', the plant genus which includes most poplars, as well as aspen and cottonwood
** Black poplar (''Populus nigra'')
** Carolina or Canadian poplar, ''Populus × canadensis''
** Grey poplar (''Populus × can ...
are two marinas that are used as mooring
A mooring is any permanent structure to which a vessel may be secured. Examples include quays, wharfs, jetties, piers, anchor buoys, and mooring buoys. A ship is secured to a mooring to forestall free movement of the ship on the water. An ''an ...
s for barges and private leisure river craft and is owned by the Canal & River Trust
The Canal & River Trust (CRT), branded as in Wales, holds the guardianship of 2,000 miles of canals and rivers, together with reservoirs and a wide range of heritage buildings and structures, in England and Wales. Launched on 12 July 2012, the ...
.
;Library
A local public library, called Idea Store Canary Wharf, is in Churchill Place shopping mall
A shopping mall (or simply mall) is a North American term for a large indoor shopping center, usually anchored by department stores. The term "mall" originally meant a pedestrian promenade with shops along it (that is, the term was used to refe ...
and run by Tower Hamlets Council
Tower Hamlets London Borough Council is the local authority for the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in Greater London, England. The council is unusual in that its executive function is controlled by a directly elected mayor of Tower Hamlets, c ...
which opened on Thursday 16 March 2006 as part of the Idea Store project and is the borough fourth Idea Store.
;Cinema
Canary Wharf hosts two multiplex
Multiplex may refer to:
* Multiplex (automobile), a former American car make
* Multiplex (comics), a DC comic book supervillain
* Multiplex (company), a global contracting and development company
* Multiplex (assay), a biological assay which measu ...
es (cinemas), one on West India Quay
West India Quay is an area in the London Docklands, London, England. It is immediately to the north of the West India Docks and Canary Wharf. The warehouse at West India Quay was used to store imported goods from the West Indies, such as tea, sug ...
run by Cineworld
Cineworld Group plc is a British cinema operator headquartered in London, England. It is the world's second-largest cinema chain (after AMC Theatres), with 9,518 screens across 790 sites in 10 countries: Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Irela ...
. and another at Crossrail Place
Crossrail Place is a complex built in the North Dock of the West India Docks in London's Canary Wharf. It contains Canary Wharf railway station and was partly opened on 1 May 2015. ''Architect Magazine'' described Crossrail Place as an "enormou ...
called Everyman Cinema.
Areas
;Canada Square
Canada Square
Canada Square is a square at Canary Wharf, on the Isle of Dogs in London's Docklands. It is in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in the East End of Central London along the River Thames. Canada Square is surrounded by three of the tall ...
is one of the central squares at Canary Wharf. It is a large open space with grass, except during the winter when it is converted into an ice rink. The square is named after Canada, because the original developers of modern Canary Wharf, Olympia & York, wanted to reflect their heritage. Underneath the square is Canada Place shopping mall.
;Westferry Circus
Westferry Circus
Westferry Circus is a road interchange and public space within the Westferry Complex and is part of the Canary Wharf commercial estate positioned between Limehouse and Millwall in London, and contains a two-level road interchange. There are t ...
is on the west side of Canary Wharf. It is a garden at ground level, and below is a roundabout allowing traffic to flow through. The garden is enclosed by bespoke hand-crafted ornamental railings and entrance gates by artist Giuseppe Lund. The area has a long history, dating back to 1812, when the Poplar and Greenwich Roads Company operated a horse ferry between Greenwich
Greenwich ( , ,) is a town in south-east London, England, within the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is situated east-southeast of Charing Cross.
Greenwich is notable for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich ...
and the Isle of Dogs. It operated on the West Ferry and East Ferry Roads, which the names survived. Westferry Circus was chosen as the name for the roundabout and park by virtue of its proximity to Westferry Road.
;Cabot Square
Cabot Square
Cabot Square is one of the central squares of the Canary Wharf Development on the Isle of Dogs.
The square includes a fountain and several works of art, and is the address for the London Offices of Credit Suisse and Morgan Stanley.
In the n ...
is one of the biggest squares at Canary Wharf, with a large fountain at the centre. The inner perimeter has additional fountains covered by trees. The square has large circular glass ventilation holes to allow gases to escape from the underground car park. The square is named after John Cabot and his son Sebastian, who were Italian explorers who settled in England in 1484.
;Churchill Place
Churchill Place is an area on the east side of Canary Wharf. It is named after Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from ...
.
;Columbus Courtyard
A small square on the west side of Canary Wharf named after Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus
* lij, Cristoffa C(or)ombo
* es, link=no, Cristóbal Colón
* pt, Cristóvão Colombo
* ca, Cristòfor (or )
* la, Christophorus Columbus. (; born between 25 August and 31 October 1451, died 20 May 1506) was a ...
. The first phase of Canary Wharf was completed in 1992, 500 years after Columbus arrived in America.
;Chancellor Passage
A passageway south of Cabot Square. Named after Richard Chancellor
Richard Chancellor (died 10 November 1556) was an English explorer and navigator; the first to penetrate to the White Sea and establish relations with the Tsardom of Russia.
Life
Chancellor, a native of Bristol, was brought up in the household ...
who sailed with Sir John Willoughby from Greenwich on their voyage through the White Sea to Moscow.
;Wren Landing
Small area north of Cabot Square. Leads to North Dock footbridge towards Port East. Named after British architect Christopher Wren.
Local government elections
Every four years, residents of Canary Wharf ward elect two councillors to represent them on Tower Hamlets Council
Tower Hamlets London Borough Council is the local authority for the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in Greater London, England. The council is unusual in that its executive function is controlled by a directly elected mayor of Tower Hamlets, c ...
.
Transport
Canary Wharf is served by London-wide, regional, national and international transport connections.
Rail
Canary Wharf is in London fare zone 2
Fare zone 2 is an inner zone of Transport for London's zonal fare system used for calculating the price of tickets for travel on the London Underground, London Overground, Docklands Light Railway and, since 2007, on National Rail services.
...
, and several stations can be found throughout the estate.
* The Docklands Light Railway
The Docklands Light Railway (DLR) is an automated light metro system serving the redeveloped Docklands area of London, England and provides a direct connection between London's two major financial districts, Canary Wharf and the City of Lo ...
(DLR) calls at Canary Wharf
Canary Wharf is an area of London, England, located near the Isle of Dogs in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. Canary Wharf is defined by the Greater London Authority as being part of London's central business district, alongside Central Lon ...
, Heron Quays
Heron Quays is an area of the Canary Wharf development on the Isle of Dogs, part of the London Docklands. It is served by a railway station on the London Docklands Light Railway network, Heron Quays DLR station, which was moved south after the ...
and West India Quay
West India Quay is an area in the London Docklands, London, England. It is immediately to the north of the West India Docks and Canary Wharf. The warehouse at West India Quay was used to store imported goods from the West Indies, such as tea, sug ...
stations. The line opened in 1987.
** DLR trains link Canary Wharf northbound to Bank
A bank is a financial institution that accepts deposits from the public and creates a demand deposit while simultaneously making loans. Lending activities can be directly performed by the bank or indirectly through capital markets.
Because ...
in the City of London
The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London f ...
, via Shadwell
Shadwell is a district of East London, England, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets , east of Charing Cross. It lies on the north bank of the Thames between Wapping (to the west) and Ratcliff (to the east). This riverside location has mea ...
. Northbound trains also travel to Stratford via Poplar and Bow Church. Southbound trains terminate south of the River Thames in Lewisham
Lewisham () is an area of southeast London, England, south of Charing Cross. It is the principal area of the London Borough of Lewisham, and was within the historic county of Kent until 1889. It is identified in the London Plan as one of ...
, calling at Greenwich
Greenwich ( , ,) is a town in south-east London, England, within the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is situated east-southeast of Charing Cross.
Greenwich is notable for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich ...
''en route''.
* London Underground
The London Underground (also known simply as the Underground or by its nickname the Tube) is a rapid transit system serving Greater London and some parts of the adjacent counties of Buckinghamshire, Essex and Hertfordshire in England.
The ...
Jubilee line
The Jubilee line is a London Underground line that runs between in east London and in the suburban north-west, via the Docklands, South Bank and West End. Opened in 1979, it is the newest line on the Underground network, although some secti ...
services call at Canary Wharf station. Eastbound trains travel to Stratford via North Greenwich, Canning Town and West Ham
West Ham is an area in East London, located east of Charing Cross in the west of the modern London Borough of Newham.
The area, which lies immediately to the north of the River Thames and east of the River Lea, was originally an ancient ...
. Westbound trains link Canary Wharf to the West End and key London interchanges including London Bridge, Waterloo and Baker Street. Trains towards Central London eventually terminate in North West London.
* The Elizabeth Line
The Elizabeth line is a high-frequency hybrid urban–suburban rail service in London and its suburbs. It runs services on dedicated infrastructure in central London from the Great Western Main Line west of Paddington to and via Whitechapel ...
(Crossrail) calls at Canary Wharf station. The line provides the area with a frequent, direct connection to the City of London and the West End. Westbound trains serve Central London and key interchanges at Liverpool Street and Paddington
Paddington is an area within the City of Westminster, in Central London. First a medieval parish then a metropolitan borough, it was integrated with Westminster and Greater London in 1965. Three important landmarks of the district are Padd ...
. Elizabeth line trains also serve Heathrow Airport and Reading, Berkshire
Reading ( ) is a town and borough in Berkshire, Southeast England, southeast England. Located in the Thames Valley at the confluence of the rivers River Thames, Thames and River Kennet, Kennet, the Great Western Main Line railway and the M4 mot ...
to the west. Eastbound services terminate at Abbey Wood
Abbey Wood is an area in south east London, England, straddling the border between the Royal Borough of Greenwich and the London Borough of Bexley. It is located east of Charing Cross.
Toponymy
The area takes its name from Lesnes Abbey Woo ...
.
Stations in Canary Wharf only offer direct connections to London and Berkshire destinations. Regional and national National Rail
National Rail (NR) is the trading name licensed for use by the Rail Delivery Group, an unincorporated association whose membership consists of the passenger train operating companies (TOCs) of England, Scotland, and Wales. The TOCs run the ...
connections can be found elsewhere in London, including at Liverpool Street, Lewisham
Lewisham () is an area of southeast London, England, south of Charing Cross. It is the principal area of the London Borough of Lewisham, and was within the historic county of Kent until 1889. It is identified in the London Plan as one of ...
, London Bridge, Stratford, Stratford International and Waterloo.
Road
Major roads near Canary Wharf include:
* A12 road (England), A12 - begins in nearby Blackwall, London, Blackwall and carries traffic northeast towards Stratford, London, Stratford, the M11 motorway, M11 (for London Stansted Airport, Stansted Airport ), and destinations in Essex and East Anglia.
* A13 road (England), A13 (East India Dock Road) - westbound to Limehouse
Limehouse is a district in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in East London. It is east of Charing Cross, on the northern bank of the River Thames. Its proximity to the river has given it a strong maritime character, which it retains through ...
and the City of London
The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London f ...
(Aldgate); eastbound towards Barking, London, Barking, the M25 motorway, M25 and Southend-on-Sea, Southend ().
* A102 road, A102 (Blackwall Tunnel) - begins in nearby Blackwall and carries traffic southbound to Greenwich
Greenwich ( , ,) is a town in south-east London, England, within the ceremonial county of Greater London. It is situated east-southeast of Charing Cross.
Greenwich is notable for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich ...
, the A2 road (England), A2 and the A20 road (England), A20 for destinations in Kent.
* A1020 road, A1020 (Lower Lea Crossing) - carries traffic eastbound to London City Airport ().
* A1203 (Limehouse Link tunnel, Limehouse Link) - carries traffic eastbound to Shadwell and the City of London (Tower Hill).
* A1205 road, A1205 (Burdett Road) - carries traffic northbound to Mile End and Hackney Central, Hackney.
* A1206 road, A1206 (Westferry Circus
Westferry Circus is a road interchange and public space within the Westferry Complex and is part of the Canary Wharf commercial estate positioned between Limehouse and Millwall in London, and contains a two-level road interchange. There are t ...
/Prestons Road) - loops around the western, southern and eastern edges of the Isle of Dogs. Links to the A1261.
* A1261 road, A1261 (Aspen Way) - westbound to the A13 for Limehouse and the City; eastbound to the A1020 for City Airport () and the A13 towards Barking.
Air pollution
Transport for London (TfL) and the London Borough of Tower Hamlets monitor the air quality around Canary Wharf.
In 2017, an automatic monitoring station in Blackwall found that local air quality failed to meet Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, UK National Air Quality Objectives, recording an annual average Nitrogen dioxide, Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) concentration of 56 μg/m3 (micrograms per cubic metre). The National Objective is set by the government at 40 μg/m3.
Alternative stations nearer Canary Wharf recorded cleaner air. Monitors at the Limehouse Link/Westferry Road junction and on Prestons Road recorded a 2017 annual average NO2 concentration of 40 μg/m3, which Tower Hamlets argue fails to meet the UK National Objective.
Buses
London Buses routes London Buses route 135, 135, London Buses route 277, 277, London Buses route D3, D3, London Buses route D7, D7, London Buses route D8, D8, London Buses route N277, N277 and London Buses route N550, N550 call at bus stops near Canary Wharf. Bus 135 links Canary Wharf directly to Liverpool Street bus station, Liverpool Street in the City of London, and bus D8 to Stratford bus station, Stratford.
Riverboat
Several London River Services, Riverboat services call at Canary Wharf Pier, including:
* RB1 - eastbound to North Greenwich Pier, North Greenwich and Woolwich Arsenal Pier; westbound to Tower Millennium Pier, Tower, London Bridge City Pier, London Bridge City, Bankside Pier, Bankside, Blackfriars, London, Blackfriars, Embankment Pier, Embankment, the London Eye Pier, London Eye and Westminster Millennium Pier, Westminster.
* RB1X - eastbound to North Greenwich and Royal Wharf, Royal Wharf Pier; westbound to Tower, London Bridge City, Bankside, Embankment, the London Eye and Westminster (limited service to Battersea Power Station).
* RB4 - the Canary Wharf – Rotherhithe Ferry crosses the River Thames, Thames to Nelson Dock Pier, Nelson Dock.
* RB6 - limited eastbound service towards Putney Pier, Putney.
Tower, London Bridge City and Blackfriars are in the City of London
The City of London is a city, ceremonial county and local government district that contains the historic centre and constitutes, alongside Canary Wharf, the primary central business district (CBD) of London. It constituted most of London f ...
. Oyster Cards are valid for travel on London River Services, TfL-coordinated riverboat services.
Airports
London City Airport is three miles from Canary Wharf. Over 4.8 million passengers passed through City Airport in 2018. The airport serves domestic and international destinations, including John F Kennedy International Airport, New York.
London City Airport DLR station, London City Airport is on the DLR. Passengers from Canary Wharf can change trains at Poplar DLR station, Poplar for services to the Airport.
Cycling
The Canary Wharf Group
Canary Wharf Group plc is a British property company headquartered in London, England. It is the owner and developer of nearly of property at Canary Wharf and elsewhere in London. Over the last 10 years it has constructed more office space in L ...
, London Borough of Tower Hamlets and Transport for London (TfL) provide cycling infrastructure in and around Canary Wharf. Several leisure and commuter routes pass through or near the estate, including:
* National Cycle Route 1 (NCR 1) - a leisure cycle route from Dover, Dover, Kent to Shetland, Scotland. The route is indirect, running through London on low-traffic paths. In North London, the route runs from the Greenwich foot tunnel, Greenwich Foot Tunnel to Enfield Lock via Canary Wharf, Mile End and Tottenham. The route runs to the west of Canary Wharf, parallel to the River Thames.
* EuroVelo 2 ("The Capitals Route") - an international leisure cycle route from Moscow, Russia to Galway, Ireland. In North London, EV2 follows the route of NCR 1.
* National Cycle Route 13 (NCR 13) - a leisure cycle route from the City of London, City to Fakenham, Norfolk. The route is indirect, running through East London on low-traffic paths. The route leaves London near Rainham, London, Rainham.
* Cycle Superhighway 3 (CS3) - a commuter cycle route from Barking, London, Barking to West London. The route runs east-west through nearby Poplar on low-traffic or residential streets. The route is signposted and unbroken.
** East of Poplar, the route to Barking predominantly runs on traffic-free cycle track.
** West of Limehouse
Limehouse is a district in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in East London. It is east of Charing Cross, on the northern bank of the River Thames. Its proximity to the river has given it a strong maritime character, which it retains through ...
, the route runs on low-traffic or traffic-free paths to Shadwell. The route is signposted and unbroken. After Shadwell, the route becomes a traffic-free cycle track which provides Canary Wharf with a direct link to Tower Hill, Blackfriars, London, Blackfriars, Westminster, Buckingham Palace, Hyde Park Corner and Lancaster Gate.
* Cycleway from Hackney Central, Hackney to the Isle of Dogs
The Isle of Dogs is a large peninsula bounded on three sides by a large meander in the River Thames in East London, England, which includes the Cubitt Town, Millwall and Canary Wharf districts. The area was historically part of the Manor, Ha ...
- proposed cycle link which would link Canary Wharf directly to Mile End on traffic-free cycle track.
* Limehouse Cut towpath - shared-use path from nearby Limehouse to Stratford, London, Stratford. The route is traffic-free.
* Regent's Canal towpath - shared-use path from nearby Limehouse to Angel, London, Angel. The route is traffic-free and passes through Mile End, Haggerston, and Islington.
Culture
Opened in 2003, the Museum of London Docklands is one of the main attractions in the area.
Canary Wharf has been reported since 2017 as part of the Pokémon Go augmented reality game to being the home for the most wanted Pokémon gyms in London including Canary Wharf DLR station and Montgomery Square.
Canary Wharf Group
Canary Wharf Group plc is a British property company headquartered in London, England. It is the owner and developer of nearly of property at Canary Wharf and elsewhere in London. Over the last 10 years it has constructed more office space in L ...
published an official Pokémon map for PokéStop's and Pokémon Gyms, the managing director for retail Camille Waxer said in 2016 that Pokémon Go has serious potential to attract new audiences to the area, particularly food and drink outlets are seeing an increase in footfall.
Canary Wharf hosts the "Winter Lights" art installations each January.
Canary Wharf features in both the ''Doctor Who'' and ''Torchwood'' franchises as the fictional base of the Torchwood Institute, an organisation created by Queen Victoria to combat extraterrestrial threats. Canary Wharf features heavily as the staging post for the Army of Ghosts, 2007 Cyberman invasion of Earth and is heavily damaged during a Doomsday (Doctor Who), resulting battle between the Cybermen and the Daleks.
Thom Yorke of Radiohead, during their concert Live at the Astoria in May 1994, explained their song ''Fake Plastic Trees'' is about Canary Wharf.
Media
The ''East London Advertiser'' (formerly ''The Docklands & East London Advertiser'') is a local newspaper printing weekly and also online.
See also
* 1996 Docklands bombing
* The Wharf (newspaper), ''The Wharf'' newspaper
References
Further reading
*
*
External links
Canary Wharf – Official Information Site
Canary Wharf Group plc
Canary Wharf projects on Skyscrapernews
Canary Wharf building information & photos
{{authority control
Canary Wharf,
Areas of London
Financial districts in the United Kingdom
Redevelopment projects in London
Buildings and structures in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets
Tourist attractions in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets
Companies formerly listed on the London Stock Exchange
Economy of London
Geography of the London Borough of Tower Hamlets
Major centres of London
Central business districts in the United Kingdom
Privately owned public spaces