Surrey Quays is a largely residential area of

Rotherhithe Rotherhithe () is a district of south-east London, England, and part of the London Borough of Southwark. It is on a peninsula on the south bank of the Thames, facing Wapping, Shadwell and Limehouse on the north bank, as well as the Isle of D ...

in south-east

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 ...

, occupied until 1970 by the

Surrey Commercial Docks The Surrey Commercial Docks were a large group of docks in Rotherhithe, South East London, located on the south bank (the Surrey side) of the River Thames. The docks operated in one form or another from 1696 to 1969. Most were subsequently fi ...

. Previously known as Surrey Docks, the area was renamed following the construction of the Surrey Quays shopping centre. The precise boundaries of the area are somewhat amorphous, but it is generally considered to comprise the southern half of the Rotherhithe peninsula from

Canada Water Canada Water is an area of the Docklands in south-east London. It is named after a freshwater lake and wildlife refuge. Canada Water tube, Overground and bus station is immediately north of the lake, along with Canada Water Library which ov ...

to South Dock; electorally, Surrey Docks is the eastern half of the peninsula. The area is served by

Surrey Quays railway station Surrey Quays is a station on the East London Line of the London Overground. It is located in Rotherhithe, part of London Borough of Southwark. It is in Zone 2 and the next station to the north is , and to the south it splits into branches to , ...

. The Docks are called Surrey Docks because until 1889 the borders of Surrey and Kent met in this area.

History

After the closure of the docks, the area remained derelict for over a decade, with much of the warehousing demolished and over 90% of the docks filled in. The only surviving areas of open water were

Greenland Dock Greenland Dock is the oldest of London's riverside wet docks, located in Rotherhithe in the area of the city now known as Docklands. It used to be part of the Surrey Commercial Docks, most of which have by now been filled in. Greenland ...

, South Dock, part of Canada Dock (renamed

), remnants of Norway Dock, and a basin renamed Surrey Water. In 1981, the

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...

government of Prime Minister

Margaret Thatcher Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. She was the first female British prime ...

established 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 ...

to redevelop the former dockyard areas of east London, including the Surrey Docks. The Surrey Quays shopping centre was built in 1988, and the area was renamed Surrey Quays. The Surrey Docks Underground station was also renamed. A massive building programme took place in the area during the late 1980s and early 1990s with 5,500 new homes being built, ranging from individual detached housing to large apartment complexes, such as

Baltic Quay Baltic Quay is a large residential development, located in Surrey Quays in the London Borough of Southwark. Completed in 1989 during the London Docklands Development Corporation, it is largely known for its unique architecture, which won it award ...

. South Dock was converted into a

marina A marina (from Spanish , Portuguese and Italian : ''marina'', "coast" or "shore") is a dock or basin with moorings and supplies for yachts and small boats. A marina differs from a port in that a marina does not handle large passenger ships or ...

– now the largest in London – and a sailing facility (named Surrey Docks Watersports Centre) was constructed on

. The northern part of Canada Water and the infilled

Russia Dock Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...

became wildlife reserves. Leisure facilities and a number of light industrial plants were also built, notably a new printing works for Associated Newspapers, the publisher of the London

Evening Standard The ''Evening Standard'', formerly ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), also known as the ''London Evening Standard'', is a local free daily newspaper in London, England, published Monday to Friday in tabloid format. In October 2009, after be ...

and the

Daily Mail The ''Daily Mail'' is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper and news websitePeter Wilb"Paul Dacre of the Daily Mail: The man who hates liberal Britain", ''New Statesman'', 19 December 2013 (online version: 2 January 2014) publish ...

. This site was the headquarters of '' Metro (British newspaper)'' from its launch in 1999 until 2006, when the newspaper's production was relocated to Kensington, west London. A further phase of development at Canada Water began around 2005 and is still underway. The location of Canada Water Surrey Quays lends its name to local property developer CWSQ. Since 2007 there have been campaigns to change the name of the area, and its eponymous railway station, back to Surrey Docks.

Transport and locale

The nearest London Underground station and London Overground station is

on 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 ...

, and the next nearest station on the London Overground is Surrey Quays. Canada Water Station

Greenland Dock Pier Greenland (Surrey Quays) Pier is a pier on the River Thames in London, United Kingdom. It is situated at the eastern end of Greenland Dock in the London Borough of Southwark, and is a stop on the Thames commuter catamaran service. Services Gre ...

is the nearest place for boarding

London River Services London River Services Limited is a division of Transport for London (TfL), which manages passenger transport—leisure-oriented tourist services and commuter services—on the River Thames in London. It does not own or operate any boats itself ...

, operated by

Thames Clippers Thames Clippers (since July 2020 branded as Uber Boat by Thames Clippers for sponsorship purposes with Uber) is a river bus service on the Thames in London, England. The company operates both commuter services between eastern and Central L ...

References

External links

LDDC Completion Booklet – Surrey Docks

Surrey Quays Shopping Centre on The Retail Database
{{Areas of London Areas of London Districts of the London Borough of Southwark