Leamouthis a locality in theBlackwallarea ofPoplar,in theLondon Borough of Tower Hamlets.[1]The area takes its name from the formerLeamouth Wharfand lies on the west side of theconfluenceof theBow Creekstretch of theLea,at its confluence with theRiver Thames.
| Leamouth | |
|---|---|
 London City Island development in 2022 | |
  Leamouth Location withinGreater London | |
| OS grid reference | TQ394807 |
| London borough | |
| Ceremonial county | Greater London |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | LONDON |
| Postcode district | E14 |
| Dialling code | 020 |
| Police | Metropolitan |
| Fire | London |
| Ambulance | London |
| UK Parliament | |
| London Assembly | |
The neighbourhood consists of two small peninsulas,[2]separated from the rest ofPoplarby the remaining part of theEast India Docks.The northern peninsula lies in a hairpinmeanderand is namedGoodluck Hopeafter one of the adjacent reaches of theLea,while the other is known asOrchard Place.The area was traditionally the easternmost part ofMiddlesex,withEssexon the other side of the Lea.
The area was long referred to locally asBog Island,due to its inaccessibility and propensity to flood; however the building of theThames Barrierand the artificial raising of the more vulnerable riverside land, means the nickname refers to a now much reduced threat.
Administration
editThe area was historically part of theHamlet of Poplar,an autonomous area of theManor and Ancient Parish of Stepney.TheHamlet of Poplarbecame an independentparishin 1817. The civil parish of Poplar had avestrycommittee which organised services such aspoor reliefand road maintenance.[3][4]
History
edit
Orchard Place was the name of itsmanor houseon the spit; this had become an eponymouspublic housefrom 1800–60. Orchard Place gives its name to the area's main street with extends into both of the local peninsulas.
Isolation
editAlways an isolated location, Leamouth was made more inaccessible by the construction of theEast India Docks,which opened in 1806. After that, the only access was from Leamouth Road which connects to a remote part of theEast India Dock Road.Improved road connections were made available in the late 20th century.
Social condition
editTo house the area's workers, there were about 100 small two-storied cottages – built from the 1820s and condemned in 1935.[5]There was the Bow Creek school (founded in 1865), but few shops, andThe Crown,a public house, opened about 1840.[6]By the late 19th century the vicinity of Orchard Place had become a deprived and overcrowded area. In the late 1930s, all homes and shops were demolished in a slum clearing project with residents moved out of the area.[7]
Industry
editTheThames Plate Glass Workswas a major employer until its closure 1874; many of the hands – who had migrated to the area fromTynesideandSt Helensin the 1840s – followed the glassworks to New Albany,Indiana.The site of the glass works was subsequently occupied by Pura Foods Pura Foods vegetable oil refinery until its closure in 2006. For many years the sugar firm Fowler's, a significant maker oftreacle,was in Leamouth.
There were iron and engineering works, and shipping interests such asSamuda Brothers,Castle Shipping Line,Orchard House Yardand theThames Iron Works.The Thames Ironworks was based at the mouth ofBow Creekat the confluence of the Lea and Thames.[8]The yard started at Leamouth Wharf, on the Blackwall side of the Lea, and subsequently extended to include a much larger site at Canning Town, in the parish and borough orWest Ham,on the eastern side. These two parts of the shipyard were linked by a chain ferry capable of carrying 200 workers at a time. The yard was responsible for many shipbuilding and other engineering projects including the revolutionaryHMS Warriorand the dreadnoughtHMS Thunderer.
Sporting legacy
editThe Thames Ironworks Yard shut in 1912, but its work teamThames Ironworks F.C.,founded in 1895, continues to the current day asWest Ham United.Another Leamouth shipyard was the repair yard of the Castle Shipping Line, their works teamCastle Swiftswould indirectly merge with the Thames Ironworks football team in 1895.
Contemporary Leamouth
editTrinity Buoy Wharfcontains London's only lighthouse. There are also live-work units, many in the form of theContainer Cities.
Redevelopment projects
editThe London City Island is a major redevelopment project by architectsGlenn Howellsthat will[when?]provide 1,706 homes, stores, shops, restaurants, cafés, and arts facilities including theEnglish National Ballet.[9]Goodluck Hope is a residential-led development by Todd Architects[10]comprising 804 apartments, lofts and townhouses.[citation needed]
Roads
editThe Leamouth Peninsula has historically had poor transport links compared to the rest of Poplar, today it is connected to it by a main road splitting its halves: the A1020 Lower Lea Crossing which is a local by-pass of theA13.
Public transport
editThe "Jubilee" pedestrian bridge across the Lea links the area to the east bank of the Lea, andCanning Town station.
Leamouth has been served by theLondon Busesnetwork for the first time by the D3 toBethnal Greenwhich starts and ends on Orchard Place since 2017.[11]The N550 between Canning Town station and Blackwall was rerouted via Leamouth to provide night links whenever access to Canning Town station is restricted;[12]implemented in September 2018.[13]
References
edit- ^"Pg24, citing study into West Hams community ties"(PDF).Leeds Metropolitan University. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 17 January 2005.
- ^"Leamouth Road and Orchard Place: Historical development | British History Online".
- ^Church of England WebsitePoplar ecclesiastical parish map
- ^A Survey of London1994, Hermione Hobhouse (Gen. Ed.)
- ^The cottages typically consisted of four rooms and a wash-house.
- ^Charles LamminMemories of Orchard House(East London History Society, 1961)
- ^"Leamouth - Hidden London".
- ^Survey of London: volumes 43 and 44,Leamouth Wharfedited by Hermione Hobhouse, 1994
- ^"GHA Project | London City Island".Glenn Howells Architects.Retrieved23 May2019.
- ^"Todd Architects".
- ^Bus Services Changes 19 August to 8 October inclusiveTransport for London
- ^"Have Your Say Transport for London".
- ^"Permanent bus changes - Transport for London".Archived fromthe originalon 18 March 2018.