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Queenhithe is a small and ancient ward of 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 fr ...
, situated by the
River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, se ...
and to the south of
St. Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in London and is the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London. It is on Ludgate Hill at the highest point of the City of London and is a Gr ...
. The
Millennium Bridge Several bridges are known as the Millennium Bridge: * in the United Kingdom **Gateshead Millennium Bridge ** Lune Millennium Bridge, Lancaster ** Millennium Bridge, Glasgow ** Millennium Bridge, London ** Millennium Bridge (Salford Quays) ** Teesqua ...
crosses into the City at Queenhithe. Queenhithe is also the name of the ancient, but now disused,
dock A dock (from Dutch language, Dutch ''dok'') is the area of water between or next to one or a group of human-made structures that are involved in the handling of boats or ships (usually on or near a shore) or such structures themselves. The ex ...
and a minor street, which runs along that dock, both of which are within the ward. The ward is served by
London Buses London Buses is the subsidiary of Transport for London (TfL) that manages most bus services in London, England. It was formed following the Greater London Authority Act 1999 that transferred control of London Regional Transport (LRT) bus se ...
route 4, which runs along Queen Victoria Street and stops by the Millennium footbridge, and the nearest
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 ceremonial counties of England, counties of Buckinghamshire, Essex and He ...
station is Mansion House, on Queen Victoria Street.


History

The ward's name derives from the "Queen's Dock", or "Queen's Quay", which was probably a
Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...
dock (or small harbour), but known in Saxon times as "Aeðereshyð", later "Ethelred's Hythe". The dock existed during the period when the Wessex king,
Alfred the Great Alfred the Great (alt. Ælfred 848/849 – 26 October 899) was King of the West Saxons from 871 to 886, and King of the Anglo-Saxons from 886 until his death in 899. He was the youngest son of King Æthelwulf and his first wife Osburh, who bot ...
, re-established the City of London, circa 886 AD. It only became "Queenhithe" (spelt archaically as "Queenhythe") when
Matilda Matilda or Mathilda may refer to: Animals * Matilda (chicken) (1990–2006), World's Oldest Living Chicken record holder * Matilda (horse) (1824–1846), British Thoroughbred racehorse * Matilda, a dog of the professional wrestling tag-team The ...
, wife of King Henry I, was granted duties on goods landed there. The Queenhithe dock remains today, but has long fallen out of use and is heavily silted up (being
tidal Tidal is the adjectival form of tide. Tidal may also refer to: * Tidal (album), ''Tidal'' (album), a 1996 album by Fiona Apple * Tidal (king), a king involved in the Battle of the Vale of Siddim * TidalCycles, a live coding environment for music * ...
). Queenhithe harbour was used for importing corn into London and continued to be in use into the 20th century, by the
fur Fur is a thick growth of hair that covers the skin of mammals. It consists of a combination of oily guard hair on top and thick underfur beneath. The guard hair keeps moisture from reaching the skin; the underfur acts as an insulating blanket t ...
and
tanning Tanning may refer to: *Tanning (leather), treating animal skins to produce leather *Sun tanning, using the sun to darken pale skin **Indoor tanning, the use of artificial light in place of the sun **Sunless tanning, application of a stain or dye t ...
trades. Being upstream of
London Bridge Several bridges named London Bridge have spanned the River Thames between the City of London and Southwark, in central London. The current crossing, which opened to traffic in 1973, is a box girder bridge built from concrete and steel. It r ...
, however, meant that large sea-going
sailing ship A sailing ship is a sea-going vessel that uses sails mounted on masts to harness the power of wind and propel the vessel. There is a variety of sail plans that propel sailing ships, employing square-rigged or fore-and-aft sails. Some ships c ...
s could no longer safely reach the dock from the sea. King Charles II landed at Queenhithe during the
Great Fire of London The Great Fire of London was a major conflagration that swept through central London from Sunday 2 September to Thursday 6 September 1666, gutting the medieval City of London inside the old Roman city wall, while also extending past the ...
in September 1666 to view the extent of the destruction and assist in the firefighting. The dock, including the wharf walls and adjacent street, was designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument in 1973; it is the only surviving inlet on the modern City's waterfront. Its walls have been re-strengthened, as part of London's flood defences. Bombing in
the Blitz The Blitz was a German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom in 1940 and 1941, during the Second World War. The term was first used by the British press and originated from the term , the German word meaning 'lightning war'. The Germa ...
destroyed approximately three-quarters of the ward's buildings: the only
listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Irel ...
s are St Benet Paul's Wharf Church, and the tower of the former St Mary Somerset Church. A key sequence of the 1951 comedy '' The Lavender Hill Mob'' used Queenhithe as a location for filming: Mr. Holland, played by
Alec Guinness Sir Alec Guinness (born Alec Guinness de Cuffe; 2 April 1914 – 5 August 2000) was an English actor. After an early career on the stage, Guinness was featured in several of the Ealing comedies, including ''Kind Hearts and Coronets'' (194 ...
, can be seen falling from a wharf into the Thames and being rescued by two actors dressed as police officers. Construction of the
Millennium Bridge Several bridges are known as the Millennium Bridge: * in the United Kingdom **Gateshead Millennium Bridge ** Lune Millennium Bridge, Lancaster ** Millennium Bridge, Glasgow ** Millennium Bridge, London ** Millennium Bridge (Salford Quays) ** Teesqua ...
began in 1998 before its opening in 2000. The construction of this
footbridge A footbridge (also a pedestrian bridge, pedestrian overpass, or pedestrian overcrossing) is a bridge designed solely for pedestrians.''Oxford English Dictionary'' While the primary meaning for a bridge is a structure which links "two points at a ...
, which created a direct pedestrian route from
Bankside Bankside is an area of London, England, within the London Borough of Southwark. Bankside is located on the southern bank of the River Thames, east of Charing Cross, running from a little west of Blackfriars Bridge to just a short distance befor ...
(at the
Tate Modern Tate Modern is an art gallery located in London. It houses the United Kingdom's national collection of international modern and contemporary art, and forms part of the Tate group together with Tate Britain, Tate Liverpool and Tate St Ives. It is ...
) to the St Paul's area, has contributed to a dramatic increase in tourists and commuters transitting the ward of Queenhithe.


Notable sites

Queenhithe includes a number of notable buildings and sites, including: *The
Aviation Environment Federation The Aviation Environment Federation (AEF) is the principal UK non-profit making organisation concerned with the environmental effects of aviation. These range from aviation noise issues associated with small airstrips or helipads to the contri ...
's headquarters, at No. 2, Broken Wharf; *The City of London School, at No. 107, Queen Victoria Street; *The
Salvation Army Salvation (from Latin: ''salvatio'', from ''salva'', 'safe, saved') is the state of being saved or protected from harm or a dire situation. In religion and theology, ''salvation'' generally refers to the deliverance of the soul from sin and its c ...
's international headquarters, at No. 101, Queen Victoria Street, on the corner of Peter's Hill; and *The Painter Stainers'
Hall In architecture, a hall is a relatively large space enclosed by a roof and walls. In the Iron Age and early Middle Ages in northern Europe, a mead hall was where a lord and his retainers ate and also slept. Later in the Middle Ages, the gr ...
, at No. 9, Little Trinity Lane. *The Queenhithe Mosaic, at 1 Queenhithe. Also within the ward are the London offices of the international law firm
Salans Salans may refer to: * Salans (law firm), a former law firm * Salans, Jura, a commune in France * Salans, Doubs, a settlement in France {{Disambiguation, geo ...
and the Japanese bank
Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation is a Japanese multinational banking and financial services institution headquartered in Yurakucho, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. The group operates in retail, corporate, and investment banking segment worldwide. It provides financial products and ser ...
. The ward has a complex urban
topography Topography is the study of the forms and features of land surfaces. The topography of an area may refer to the land forms and features themselves, or a description or depiction in maps. Topography is a field of geoscience and planetary sci ...
, largely due to post-World War II development, with
Upper Thames Street Thames Street, divided into Lower and Upper Thames Street, is a road in the City of London, the historic and financial centre of London. It forms part of the busy A3211 route (prior to being rebuilt as a major thoroughfare in the late 1960s, it ...
running beneath Peter's Hill and a number of large post-War buildings, such as Millennium Bridge House and Queensbridge House. A number of old lanes and alleys remain, some of which cross the thoroughfare by footbridge. The Welsh church of St Benet Paul's Wharf, on Bennet's Hill, is in the northwest corner of the ward. Two former churches were situated within the ward, very near to one another:
St Michael Queenhithe St. Michael Queenhithe was a church in the City of London located in what is now Upper Thames Street. First recorded in the 12th century, the church was destroyed during the Great Fire of London in 1666. Rebuilt by the office of Sir Christopher W ...
and St Mary Somerset, of which only the tower of St Mary's remains. The Queenhithe Mosaic is a 30-metre-long timeline on the wall of Queenhithe Dock. The mosaic was completed in 2014 and features key figures from history who built and used the dock and lived nearby. Queenhithe is one of the smaller residential centres in the otherwise business-dominated City; with a population of 319 as of 2011, it mostly comprises the residents of the three riverside residential developments: Sir John Lyon House, Globe View and Queen's Quay. A small number of bars and restaurants have been established along the riverside, with views across to the
Globe theatre The Globe Theatre was a theatre in London associated with William Shakespeare. It was built in 1599 by Shakespeare's playing company, the Lord Chamberlain's Men, on land owned by Thomas Brend and inherited by his son, Nicholas Brend, and gra ...
and
Tate Modern Tate Modern is an art gallery located in London. It houses the United Kingdom's national collection of international modern and contemporary art, and forms part of the Tate group together with Tate Britain, Tate Liverpool and Tate St Ives. It is ...
.


Boundary

In 2003 the ward boundaries of the City of London were altered quite considerably, including those of Queenhithe, in what was the first comprehensive review of
local government Local government is a generic term for the lowest tiers of public administration within a particular sovereign state. This particular usage of the word government refers specifically to a level of administration that is both geographically-loca ...
boundaries. Queenhithe lost some ground to the north and east to
Vintry Vintry is one of the 25 wards of the City of London. Located within it is the City end of Southwark Bridge and, adjacent to that, the hall of the Worshipful Company of Vintners, the City livery company for the wine trade. The ward's boundary is ...
, but gained (including the City of London School) to the west from Castle Baynard. A further review of ward boundaries, effective in 2013, recommended no further changes to Queenhithe's boundaries. The ward is recognised as one of the four residential wards of the City (with a population of 319 (2011), the smallest of those wards)www.statistics.gov.uk
/ref> and policy is to retain a predominantly residential vote (as opposed to the business vote being predominant) in these wards. The present-day boundary of the ward, starting from the Thames in the west, runs north along White Lion Hill (to the west of the City School) then east along Queen Victoria Street then down Lambeth Hill. The boundary then runs for a short distance along Upper Thames Street before heading north up Huggin Hill to include Painters' Hall, after which the boundary turns south towards the river again; the ward includes all of Queensbridge House. Leading to the river, the boundary crosses Upper Thames Street and then runs along Queenhithe (the street), including the whole of the old Queenhithe dock. Included within the ward boundary is the part of the Thames, adjacent to the Queenhithe shore, which is in the City (i.e. to a line midway across the width of the river). Indeed, approximately half of the ward's area is the River Thames and shore; with this part excluded the ward is the smallest (by area) in the City. The ward (and City) boundary is crossed halfway over the Millennium Bridge. The ward is bounded by the wards of Castle Baynard to the west, Bread Street to the north, Vintry to the east, and the London Borough of Southwark to the south (across the river). Prior to the 2003 changes it also bounded
Cordwainer A cordwainer () is a shoemaker who makes new shoes from new leather. The cordwainer's trade can be contrasted with the cobbler's trade, according to a tradition in Britain that restricted cobblers to repairing shoes. This usage distinction is ...
ward.


Politics

Queenhithe is one of 25 wards 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 fr ...
, each electing an
alderman An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many Jurisdiction, jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council membe ...
to the Court of Aldermen, and commoners (the City equivalent of a
Councillor A councillor is an elected representative for a local government council in some countries. Canada Due to the control that the provinces have over their municipal governments, terms that councillors serve vary from province to province. Unl ...
) to the Court of Common Council of the City of London Corporation. Only Freemen of the City of London are eligible to stand for election. Queenhithe returns an
Alderman An alderman is a member of a Municipal government, municipal assembly or council in many Jurisdiction, jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council membe ...
and two Common Councilmen to the
Corporation of London The City of London Corporation, officially and legally the Mayor and Commonalty and Citizens of the City of London, is the municipal governing body of the City of London, the historic centre of London and the location of much of the United King ...
.Alderman Gordon Haines
/ref>


Queenhythe, Jamaica

A rural community called Queenhythe (or Queen Hythe) exists in the
Saint Ann According to Christian apocryphal and Islamic tradition, Saint Anne was the mother of Mary and the maternal grandmother of Jesus. Mary's mother is not named in the canonical gospels. In writing, Anne's name and that of her husband Joachim come ...
parish of
Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of His ...
. As with many place names in that country, it is named after a locality in England.


References


External links


City of London Corporation
Queenhithe Ward
Queenhithe Ward ClubQueenhithe Plaque
- as displayed on the Queenhithe dock wall, on Queenhithe (street)
Worshipful Company of CurriersCity of London Corporation
- map of Queenhithe ward boundaries (2013)
City of London: Ward Boundary Review 2013
- Historical Map and Encyclopedia of Shakespeare's London (Scholarly) {{City of London wards Wards of the City of London London docks Streets in the City of London Scheduled monuments in London Districts of London on the River Thames Port of London