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Wapping

Coordinates:51°30′26″N0°03′40″W/ 51.5073°N 0.0610°W/51.5073; -0.0610
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This article is about the district in East London. For other articles associated with the name, seeWapping (disambiguation).

Wapping
The Town of Ramsgate pub, between Wapping High Street and the Thames.
Wapping is located in Greater London
Wapping
Wapping
Location withinGreater London
Population12,411 (2011 Census.St. Katharine's and Wapping Ward)[1]
OS grid referenceTQ345805
London borough
Ceremonial countyGreater London
Region
CountryEngland
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townLONDON
Postcode districtE1W
Dialling code020
PoliceMetropolitan
FireLondon
AmbulanceLondon
UK Parliament
London Assembly
List of places
UK
England
London
51°30′26″N0°03′40″W/ 51.5073°N 0.0610°W/51.5073; -0.0610

Wapping(/ˈwɒpɪŋ/) is an area in the borough ofTower Hamletsin London, England. It is inEast Londonand part of theEast End.Wapping is on the north bank of theRiver ThamesbetweenSt Katharine Docksto the west, andShadwellto the east. This position gives the district a strong maritime character.

The area was historically composed of two parishes,St George in the East,and the much smallerSt John's.Urbanisation of the shoreline began in earnest after the draining of Wapping marsh, and the consolidation of the river wall in the late 16th century. Many of the original buildings were demolished during the construction of theLondon Docksand Wapping was further seriously damaged duringthe Blitz.As theLondon Docklandsdeclined after theSecond World War,the area became run down, with the great warehouses left empty. Some were demolished, but others such asTobacco Docksurvive. The area underwent further change during the 1980s when warehouses started to be converted into luxury flats.

Rupert Murdochmoved hisNews Internationalprinting and publishing works into Wapping in 1986, resulting in a trade union dispute that became known as the "Battle of Wapping".

History

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Origins

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Wapping was made up of two parishes:St-George-in-the-Eastand St John of Wapping.

Formerly, it was believed that the nameWappingrecorded an Anglo-Saxon settlement linked to a personal nameWaeppa( "the settlement of Waeppa's people" ).[2]More recent scholarship discounts that theory: much of the area was marshland, where early settlement was unlikely, and no such personal name has ever been found. It is now thought that the name may derive fromwapol,a marsh.[3]

Wapping was historically part of theManor and Parish of Stepney.By the 17th century, it formed two autonomous Hamlets, a Hamlet in this context refers to an autonomous area of a parish rather than a small village. The northern Hamlet was known asWapping-Stepney,as it was the part of Wapping within Stepney, the riverside part was known asWapping-Whitechapelas it was the part within the parish ofWhitechapel,a parish which was previously also a part of the parish of Stepney.

These Hamlets later became independent parishes, withWapping-Stepneybecoming known asSt-George-in-the-East(in 1729) andWapping-Whitechapelknown as St John of Wapping (in 1694). The latter occupied a very narrow strip along nearly all of Wapping's riverside.[4]

The Wapping parishes were part of thehistoric (or ancient) countyofMiddlesex,but military and most (or all) civil county functions were managed more locally, by theTower Division (also known as the Tower Hamlets).

The role of theTower Divisionended when Wapping became part of the newCounty of Londonin 1889. The County of London was replaced by Greater London in 1965.

Riverside development

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The draining of Wapping Marsh, and the consolidation of a river wall along which houses were built, were finally achieved by 1600 after previous attempts had failed. (SeeEmbanking of the tidal Thames). The settlement developed along that river wall, hemmed in by the river to the south and the now-drained Wapping Marsh to the north This gave it a peculiarly narrow and constricted shape, consisting of little more than the axis of Wapping High Street and some north–south side streets.John Stow,the 16th-century historian, described it as a "continual street, or a filthy strait passage, with alleys of small tenements or cottages, built, inhabited by sailors' victuallers".[5]A chapel toSt. John the Baptistwas built in 1617, and it was here thatThomas Rainsboroughwas buried. Wapping was constituted as aparishin 1694.[6]

Wapping's proximity to the river gave it a strong maritime character for centuries, well into the 20th century. It was inhabited by sailors, mastmakers, boatbuilders, blockmakers, instrument-makers, victuallers and representatives of all the other trades that supported the seafarer. Wapping was also the site of 'Execution Dock', wherepiratesand other water-borne criminals facedexecutionbyhangingfrom agibbetconstructed close to the low water mark. Their bodies would be left dangling until they had been submerged three times by the tide.[5]

Part ofCharles Booth'spoverty mapshowing Wapping in 1889, published inLife and Labour of the People in London.The red areas are "well-to-do"; the blue areas are "Intermittent or casual earnings" and black areas are the "lowest class...occasional labourers, street sellers, loafers, criminals and semi-criminals".

The Bell Inn, by the execution dock, was run by Samuel Batts, whose daughter,Elizabeth,marriedJames CookatSt Margaret's Church, Barking,Essex on 21 December 1762, after theRoyal Navycaptain had stayed at the Inn.[7]The couple initially settled inShadwell,attendingSt Paul's church,but later moved toMile End.Although they had six children together, much of their married life was spent apart, with Cook absent on his voyages and, after his murder in 1779 atKealakekua Bay,she survived until 1835.

Said to be England's first, theMarine Police Forcewas formed in 1798 by magistratePatrick Colquhounand a Master Mariner,John Harriott,to tackle theft and looting from ships anchored in thePool of Londonand the lower reaches of the river. Its base was (and remains) in Wapping High Street and it is now known as theMarine Support Unit.[8]The Thames Police Museum, dedicated to the history of the Marine Police Force, is currently housed within the headquarters of the Marine Support Unit, and is open to the public by appointment.[9]

In 1811, theRatcliff Highway murderstook place nearby atThe Highwayand Wapping Lane.[10]

London Docks

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The area's strong maritime associations changed radically in the 19th century when theLondon Dockswere built to the north and west of the High Street. Wapping's population plummeted by nearly 60% during that century, with many houses destroyed by the construction of the docks and giant warehouses along the riverfront. Squeezed between the high walls of the docks and warehouses, the riverside area became isolated from the rest of London, although some relief was provided by Brunel'sThames TunneltoRotherhithe.The opening ofWapping tube stationon theEast London linein 1869 provided a direct rail link to the rest of London.[11][12]

Migration

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Wapping's position by the Thames has meant it has long attracted people from around the world. In the 15th century, the population of the area included a number of foreigners, in particular seamen from theLow Countries.[13]

There was a sizeable Irish presence in Wapping from the 16th century onward.[14]It is probably under their influence a stretch ofCable Street,and the area around it, become calledKnock Fergus.[15]TheIrishname ofKnock Fergus(sometimes spelledKnock Vargis) is first known to be recorded in 1597[16]and continued to be recorded in Stepney parish rolls in the 1600's.[17]Knock Fergus(the hill of Fergus) is an old name forCarrickfergusinCounty Antrim.In the 20th century Irish migration to Wapping slowed and by the middle of the century the local Irish community had been assimilated.[18]

In 1702, a French-speaking church established at Milk Alley, next to St Johns Church, close to the shore in western Wapping. The church was established to support a community of French speaking seafarers originating inJerseyandGuernseywho had been joined byHuguenotrefugees from France. There seems to have been a good relationship with the rest of the population as it received financial support from the Rector of St Johns, when it was in financial difficulty, and its long term future was settled by an intervention from Queen Anne who provided it with an allowance.[19]

Starting in the 16th century, and accelerating later, parts of Wapping attracted large number of German migrants, with many of these people, and their descendants working in the sugar industry. The area north ofThe Highway (formerly St George's Highway)and west of Cannon Street became known - together with neighbouring parts ofWhitechapel- asLittle Germany.[20]

There appears to have been a considerableblackpresence in late 18th century Wapping, on account of the many black and mulatto (mixed race) people, often seamen, being baptised at the two parish churches of St John's and in particular St George in the East.[21]There appears to also have been a sizeable black population in the areas to the west, the parish ofSt Botolph without Aldgate[22][23](both thePortsokenandEast Smithfieldareas of the parish, and possibly also inSt Katharine's Precinct,a densely populated little district that was swept away to buildSt Katharine Docks.

Modern times

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Heinkel He 111bomber over theSurrey docksand Wapping in theEast End of Londonon 7 September 1940

Wapping was devastated byGerman bombingin theSecond World War[24]and by the post-war closure of the docks. It remained a run-down and derelict area into the 1980s, when the area was transferred to the management of theLondon Docklands Development Corporation,a governmentquangowith the task of redeveloping the Docklands. The London Docks were largely filled in and redeveloped with a variety of commercial, light industrial and residential properties.

St John's Church, Wapping(1756) was located on what is now Scandrett Street. Only the tower and shell survived wartime bombing, and have now been converted to housing.[25]

Wapping dispute

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Main article:Wapping dispute

The "Wapping dispute" or "Battle of Wapping" was, along with theminers' strike of 1984–85,a significant turning point in the history of thetrade unionmovement and of UK industrial relations. It started on 24 January 1986 when some 6,000 newspaper workers went on strike after protracted negotiation with their employer,News International(parent of Times Newspapers and News Group Newspapers, and chaired byRupert Murdoch). News International had built and clandestinely equipped a new printing plant for all its titles in Wapping, and when the print unions announced a strike it activated this new plant with the assistance of theElectrical, Electronic, Telecommunications and Plumbing Union(EETPU).

The plant was nicknamed "Fortress Wapping" when the sacked print workers effectively besieged it, mounting round-the-clock pickets and blockades in an ultimately unsuccessful attempt to thwart the move. In 2005, News International announced the intention to move the print works to regional presses based inBroxbourne(the world's largest printing plant, opened March 2008),[26]LiverpoolandGlasgow.The editorial staff were to remain, however, and there was talk of redeveloping the sizeable plot that makes up the printing works.[27]

Landmarks

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Wapping Old Stairs

Perhaps Wapping's greatest attraction is the Thames foreshore itself and the venerable public houses that face onto it. A number of the 'watermen's stairs', such as Wapping Old Stairs and Pelican Stairs (by the Prospect of Whitby), give public access to alittoralzone (for the Thames is tidal at this point) littered with flotsam, jetsam and fragments of old dock installations. The area is popular with amateur archaeologists and treasure hunters. This activity is known asmudlarking;the term for a shore scavenger in the 18th and 19th centuries was a mudlark.

St George in the East,on Cannon Street Road, is one of sixHawksmoorchurches in London, built from 1714 to 1729, with funding from theCommission for Building Fifty New Churches.The church was hit by a bomb duringthe Blitzand the original interior was destroyed by the fire, but the walls and distinctivepepper-pottowers remained intact. In 1964, a modern church interior was constructed inside the existing walls for the active congregation and a new flat built under each corner tower. Behind the church lies St George's Gardens, the original cemetery, which was passed to Stepney Council to maintain as a public park in mid-Victorian times. At the outbreak of the Second World War, thecryptof the church was used as apublic air raid shelterand was fully occupied when the aforementioned bomb struck; there were no casualties and everyone was evacuated safely, thanks to theair raid wardensandfire brigade.

St John's Church, Wapping,the oldest church in Wapping, built in 1756 by Joel Johnson, was also hit by a bomb duringWWII.The distinctive lead-topped tower remains and the former churchyard is a public park. Adjoining the church is St John's Old School, founded c.1695 for the new parish and rebuilt together with the church in 1756.

ThoughExecution Dockis long gone, this gibbet is still maintained on the Thames foreshore by the Prospect of Whitby public house

TheExecution Dockwas located on theThames.It was used by theAdmiraltyfor over 400 years (as late as 1830) to hangpiratesthat had been convicted and sentenced to death by theAdmiralty court.The Admiralty only had jurisdiction over crimes on the sea, so the dock was located within their jurisdiction by being located far enough offshore as to be beyond the low-tide mark. It was used to kill the notoriousCaptain Kidd.[28]Many prisoners would be executed together as a public event in front of a crowd of onlookers after being paraded from theMarshalsea PrisonacrossLondon Bridgeand past theTower of Londonto the dock.

Wax figure of a pirate hanged atExecution Dock.Madame Tussauds,London

Tobacco Dockis aGrade I listedwarehouse, adjacent to The Highway. It was constructed in approximately 1811 and served primarily as a store for imported tobacco. In 1990, it was converted into a shopping centre at a development cost of £47 million with the intention to create the "Covent Gardenof the East End "; the scheme was unsuccessful though and went into administration. Since the mid-1990s, the building has been almost entirely unoccupied; it is now occasionally used for filming, and for large corporate and commercial events.

Three venerablepublic housesare located near the Stairs. By Pelican Stairs is theProspect of Whitby,formerly the Devil's Tavern,[29]which has a much-disputed claim to be the oldest Thames-side public house still in existence.[30]Be that as it may, there has been an inn on the site since the reign ofHenry VIIIand it is certainly one of the most famous public houses in London. It is named after a then-famous collier that used to dock regularly at Wapping. A replica of the old Execution Dock gibbet is maintained on the adjacent foreshore, although the actual site of Execution Dock was nearer to theTown of Ramsgate.This also is on the site of a 16th-century inn and is located next to Wapping Old Stairs to the west of theProspect;by Wapping Pier Head – the former local headquarters of theCustoms and Excise.

Situated halfway between the two is theCaptain Kidd,named after theScottishprivateerWilliam Kidd.He was hanged on the Wapping foreshore in 1701 after being found guilty of murder and piracy.[31]Although the pub occupies a 17th-century building, it was only established in the 1980s.

Education

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For details of education in Wapping, seeList of schools in Tower Hamlets.

Transport

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Railway

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TheThames Tunnel,the world's first underwater tunnel, which carries the East London Line to Rotherhithe

The local station isWappingon theLondon Overground'sEast London line;it is inTravelcard Zone 2.[32]There are regular direct services toDalston Junction,Highbury & Islington,West Croydon,Crystal Palace,New CrossandClapham Junction.[33]

The narrowness of the platforms means that the station does not fully meet the safety standards for an underground station, but is permitted to operate under a derogation fromHis Majesty's Railway Inspectorate.[34]

Formerly on theLondon Underground,theMetropolitanand theDistrict Railwayswere the first lines to serve the station on 1 October 1884,[11]but the station was last served by District trains on 31 July 1905.[11][12]The East London line closed as an Underground route on 22 December 2007; it was rebranded and reopened on 27 April 2010 when it became part of the Overground system.

Buses

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London bus servicesare operated byLondon CentralandStagecoach London.Routes include the100,D3and night bus N551; these connect Wapping withEastandCentral London.[35]

Roads

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Wapping is connected to theNational Road NetworkbyThe HighwayA1203east–west, which passes to the north of the area.

Cycling, walking and waterways

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TheThames Pathpasses west–east through Wapping for cyclists and walkers.

Thames River Servicesoperate a sightseeing boat route betweenWestminsterandGreenwich,which call at Wapping.[36]

The Ornamental Canal runs through the area, mostly in the centre, toShadwell Basin.

Notable people

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People who were born in Wapping include:

People who lived in Wapping:

WappingbyJames McNeill Whistler
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Wapping Woods, a park in Wapping

Wapping has been used as the setting for a number of works of fiction, including:

See also

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References

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  1. ^"Tower Hamlets Ward population 2011".Neighbourhood Statistics.Office for National Statistics.Archivedfrom the original on 21 October 2016.Retrieved17 October2016.
  2. ^Waeppa's People – a History of Wapping by Madge Darby –ISBN0-947699-10-4
  3. ^"Stepney: Settlement and Building to c.1700." inA History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 11, Stepney, Bethnal Green,ed. T F T Baker (London: Victoria County History, 1998), 13–19.British History Online,accessed 1 May 2017,"Stepney: Settlement and Building to c.1700 | British History Online".Archivedfrom the original on 1 December 2017.Retrieved24 November2017..
  4. ^'Stepney: Early Stepney', in A History of the County of Middlesex: Volume 11, Stepney, Bethnal Green, ed. T F T Baker (London, 1998), pp. 1–7. British History Onlinehttp:// british-history.ac.uk/vch/middx/vol11/pp1-7[accessed 9 September 2022].
  5. ^ab'The Thames Tunnel, Ratcliff Highway and Wapping', Old and New London: Volume 2 (1878), pp. 128–37Archived27 September 2007 at theWayback Machineaccessed: 29 March 2007
  6. ^Maddocks, Sydney (December 1932)."Wapping".The Copartnership Herald.II(22).Archivedfrom the original on 4 November 2012.
  7. ^Famous 18th century people of Barking and DagenhamInfo Sheet #22, LB Barking & Dagenham
  8. ^History of the Marine Support Unit (Met)accessed 24 January 2007
  9. ^Thames Police MuseumArchived22 September 2010 at theWayback MachineRetrieved 1 June 2010
  10. ^Stepney Murders: The Ratcliffe Highway Murdersaccessed 21 January 2007
  11. ^abcRose 2007
  12. ^abDay 1979,p. 32
  13. ^Waeppa's People – a History of Wapping by Madge Darby, p28 –ISBN0-947699-10-4
  14. ^My East End, A History of cockney London. Gilda o'Neill p54-55
  15. ^Waeppa's People – a History of Wapping by Madge Darby, p54 –ISBN0-947699-10-4
  16. ^The Place Names of Middlesex - English Place name Society - Vol 18 - Gover Maw and Stenton - Cambridge University Press - p157 - 1942
  17. ^Overview and map of the place name Knock Fergushttps:// theundergroundmap /article.html?id=65458
  18. ^East London Papers, Volume 6, Number 2, The Irish in East London, December 1963, John A Jackson.
  19. ^Waeppa's People – a History of Wapping by Madge Darby, p50 –ISBN0-947699-10-4
  20. ^East London Record - No 13 - 1990https:// mernick.org.uk/elhs/Record/ELHS%20RECORD%2013%20(1990).pdf
  21. ^Waeppa's People – a History of Wapping by Madge Darby, p52-3 –ISBN0-947699-10-4
  22. ^citewebhttps:// bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-18903391
  23. ^citeweb: Source refers to the Shovel Public House in neighbouring East Smithfield (http:// stgitehistory.org.uk/history.html
  24. ^My Mum's War: Life in the East End – BBC WW2 People's WarArchived11 February 2011 at theWayback Machineaccessed 1 April 2007
  25. ^"A Shadwell & Wapping Walk".Archivedfrom the original on 13 January 2013.Retrieved14 August2012.
  26. ^"World's biggest print plant opens".BBC News. 17 March 2008.
  27. ^Daily Telegraph Money9 February 2006Archived11 March 2007 at theWayback Machineaccessed 5 May 2007
  28. ^"Expired website – This website has expired".Archivedfrom the original on 15 March 2009.
  29. ^Lincoln, Margarete (2018).Trading in War: London's Maritime World in the Age of Cook and Nelson.Yale University Press.ISBN9780300235388.,p.16
  30. ^"Prospect of Whitby".Time Out London.25 March 2015.Archivedfrom the original on 27 July 2015.
  31. ^"Execution of Captain Kidd".Archivedfrom the original on 15 May 2018.
  32. ^Baker 2007,p. 22, section B1
  33. ^"London Overground Timetables".May 2023.Retrieved4 June2023.
  34. ^"The Future of Wapping London Underground station"(PDF).Tower Hamlets London Borough Council.28 January 2003.Archived(PDF)from the original on 4 March 2016.Retrieved14 July2017.
  35. ^"Stops in Wapping, London".Bus Times.2023.Retrieved4 June2023.
  36. ^"Thames River Sightseeing".Bus Times.2023.Retrieved4 June2023.
  37. ^John NewtonArchived17 December 2011 at theWayback MachineRetrieved 7 February 2012
  38. ^Hall, John (2015).An Elizabethan Assassin: Theodore Paleologus: Seducer, Spy and Killer.Stroud: The History Press.ISBN978-0750962612.
  39. ^Hall, John (2015).An Elizabethan Assassin: Theodore Paleologus: Seducer, Spy and Killer.Stroud: The History Press.ISBN978-0750962612.
  40. ^Fitzwilliam MuseumArchived13 March 2015 at theWayback MachineRetrieved 16 June 2015
  41. ^"Homes with celebrity connections for sale".The Daily Telegraph.London. Archived fromthe originalon 25 September 2015.
  42. ^"Graham Norton: 'I had ambition at 40. That seems to have gone'".The Independent.19 October 2012.
  43. ^"My London: Helen Mirren".12 April 2012.Retrieved 19 September 2022
  44. ^"Wapping Old Stairs – The Locations Guide to Doctor Who, Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures".The Locations Guide to Doctor Who, Torchwood, and the Sarah Jane Adventures.Archivedfrom the original on 15 March 2009.
  45. ^"Damaris.org".Archived fromthe originalon 12 February 2012.Retrieved16 September2008.
  46. ^"Wapping".Archivedfrom the original on 12 September 2007.
  47. ^Darlings of Wapping Wharf LaunderetteRetrieved 16 September 2008
  48. ^"The Man Who Knew Too Much".British Film Institute/Sight and sound.Archived fromthe originalon 1 December 2017.Retrieved24 November2017.
  49. ^"St George-in-the-East Church | Board Schools | Cable Street".stgitehistory.org.uk.Archivedfrom the original on 9 December 2023.Retrieved7 April2024.After the Second World War it became a secondary modern school, St George-in-the-East Central School… and has now been converted into 34 luxury apartments as 'Mulberry House'.
  50. ^"To Sir, With Love | 1967".movie-locations.Archivedfrom the original on 4 October 2023.Retrieved7 April2024.

Bibliography

[edit]
  • Baker, S. K. (April 2007) [1977].Rail Atlas Great Britain & Ireland(11th ed.). Hersham: Oxford Publishing Co.ISBN978-0-86093-602-2.0704/K.
  • Darby, Madge,Waeppa's People: History of Wapping,Connor & Butler (Dec 1988),ISBN0-947699-10-4
  • Day, John R. (1979) [1963].The Story of London's Underground(6th ed.). Westminster:London Transport.ISBN0-85329-094-6.1178/211RP/5M(A).
  • Leigh, Martha,Memories of Wapping 1900–1960: Couldn't Afford the Eels,The History Press Ltd (4 July 2008),ISBN0-7524-4709-2
  • National Council for Civil Liberties,No Way in Wapping: Effect of the Policing of the News International Dispute on Wapping Residents,Civil Liberties Trust (May 1986),ISBN0-946088-27-6
  • Rose, Douglas (December 2007) [1980].The London Underground: A Diagrammatic History(8th ed.). Harrow Weald: Capital Transport.ISBN978-1-85414-315-0.
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