Rotherhithe

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Rotherhithe
St Marys Church Rotherhithe.JPG
The tower of St Mary's Church, Rotherhithe
Rotherhithe is located in Greater London
Rotherhithe
Rotherhithe
 Rotherhithe shown within Greater London
OS grid reference TQ358796
London borough Southwark
Ceremonial county Greater London
Region London
Country England
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Post town LONDON
Postcode district SE16
Dialling code 020
Police Metropolitan
Fire London
Ambulance London
EU Parliament London
UK Parliament Bermondsey and Old Southwark
London Assembly Lambeth and Southwark
List of places
UK
England
London

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Rotherhithe (/ˈrɒðərhaɪð/) is a residential district in southeast London, England, and part of the London Borough of Southwark. It is located on a peninsula on the south bank of the Thames, facing Wapping and the Isle of Dogs on the north bank, and is a part of the Docklands area. It borders Bermondsey to the west and Deptford to the south east.

Rotherhithe has a long history as a port, with many shipyards from Elizabethan times until the early 20th century and with working docks until the 1970s. In the 1980s the area along the river was redeveloped as upmarket housing, through a mix of warehouse conversions and new-build developments. Following the arrival of the Jubilee line in 1999 (giving quick connections to the West End and to Canary Wharf) and the London Overground in 2010 (providing a quick route to the City of London), the rest of Rotherhithe is now a rapidly gentrifying residential and commuter area, with current regeneration progressing well around Downtown Road/Rotherhithe Street area and most quickly around Deal Porter Square[1] at Canada Water, where a new town centre with restaurant and retail units as well as new residential developments is emerging around the existing freshwater dock and transport hub.

Etymology

The name "Rotherhithe" derives from the Anglo-Saxon Hrȳðer-hȳð meaning "landing-place for cattle".[2] The first recorded use of this name was in about 1105, as Rederheia.[2] In the past Rotherhithe was also known as Redriff or Redriffe,[3][4] however until the early 19th century, this name was applied to the whole river front from St Saviour's Dock to Bull Head Dock, this near the entrance to Surrey Water.[5]

Description

Map of Rotherhithe
Howlands Dock in the parish of Rotherhithe (c.1850)
A map showing the Rotherhithe wards of Bermondsey Metropolitan Borough as they appeared in 1916.

The docks were closed and largely filled in during the 1980s, and have now been replaced by modern housing and commercial facilities, but Rotherhithe retains much of its character and its maritime heritage. The largest surviving dock on the south bank, Greenland Dock, is the focal point for the southern part of the district, while there are many preserved wharves along the riverside at the north end of Rotherhithe. St. Mary's Church is at the centre of the old Rotherhithe village, which contains various historic buildings including the Brunel Engine House at the south end of the Thames Tunnel.

Canada Dock was the dock basin furthest away from the River Thames in the Surrey Docks complex, and it was linked to Albion Dock and Greenland Dock at its northern and south-eastern extremities via the Albion Canal. The dock has been remodelled, and its northwest half retained as an ornamental lake, renamed Canada Water. The canal has remained as a walkway and water feature within the redeveloped area.[6]

Rotherhithe is the former home of the football team, Fisher F.C., who currently ground-share with Dulwich Hamlet, although plans are in place for a return in the near future. The local championship team Millwall Football Club are located nearby in the London Borough of Lewisham.

The sustainable transport charity Sustrans has proposed the construction of a bicycle and pedestrian swing bridge from Rotherhithe to Canary Wharf, and cost-benefit and feasibility studies were undertaken. In January 2009 the London Mayor Boris Johnson said he would not fund the bridge, citing budget cuts due to the credit crunch,[7] with the result that the project was effectively put on ice. However the idea is still being supported by Sustrans.[8]

There are two Anglican churches in Rotherhithe St. Mary's Church,[9] and Trinity Church.[10][11] There are two Roman Catholic churches: St Peter and the Guardian Angels,[12] and Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception.[13]

King's Stairs Gardens

King's Stairs Gardens is a small park on the river towards the Bermondsey boundary. In September 2011 Thames Water announced that they wanted to build an access shaft for the "super-sewer" Thames Tunnel. Due to local action by The Save King's Stairs Gardens Campaign, which collected over 5000 signatures, it seems as of March 2011 that Thames Water will build the access shaft elsewhere, if the local community agrees.

Local landmarks and history

1895 accepted design for Rotherhithe Town Hall, view from Neptune Street and Lower Road

Severn Islands Leisure Centre occupies the site of the old Rotherhithe Town Hall.[14] The building ceased to be a town hall in 1905 when the former Rotherhithe Council merged with the old Bermondsey Borough Council and the new council used premises in Spa Road. The old Rotherhithe Town Hall became a library and a museum. It was razed to the ground by repeated bomb hits and near misses during the Second World War (see below).[15]

Rotherhithe had its own general hospital, St Olave's Hospital, on Lower Road close to the old town hall. Built originally in the early 1870s on land adjoining Rotherhithe Workhouse, it became the infirmary of St Olave's Union in 1875, and was renamed St Olave's Hospital in 1930. Subsequently becoming part of the Guy's Hospital Teaching Group in 1966, it closed in 1985 and the site has been redeveloped into the residential Ann Moss Way.

When the roundabout facing the Rotherhithe Tunnel was redeveloped in the early 1980s, several 19th century buildings were demolished including a school and a nunnery. A public house, the "Europa", described in an early 20th-century history of the area as one its oldest, was also demolished. Max Bygraves frequently played piano there at weekends.[citation needed]

Ecclesiastical parish

The ancient parish, dedicated to St Mary, was in the Diocese of Winchester until 1877, then the Diocese of Rochester until 1905, and then finally in the Diocese of Southwark. From 1840, as the population of Rotherhithe increased, a number of new parishes were formed:[16]

  • Christ Church, Rotherhithe in 1840
  • All Saints, Rotherhithe in 1842
  • Holy Trinity, Rotherhithe in 1842
  • St Barnabas, Rotherhithe in 1873

In addition, as the population of neighbouring Deptford increased, parts of Rotherhithe parish were included in the new parish of:

  • St Katherine, Rotherhithe in 1886 with parts of St James, Hatcham

Nordic connection

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See also: Nordic churches in London
The Finnish Church, Albion Street
St Olav's, Rotherhithe's Norwegian church

Because much of the former Surrey Docks had strong trade links to Scandinavia and the Baltic region the area is still home to a thriving Scandinavian community.[17] During World War II, in fact, it housed the Norwegian Government-in-Exile. Originally established as seafarers' missions, Rotherhithe is home to a Norwegian,[18] a Finnish[19] and a Swedish[20] church. The Finnish Church and the Norwegian Church are both located in Albion Street; they were built in 1958 and 1927 respectively (Rotherhithe Library is located between them). There are also a number of "community centres" for the Nordic community in London, including hostels, shops and cafés and even a sauna, mostly linked closely to the churches.

Some of the redeveloped areas were built by Nordic architects, such as the Greenland Passage development[21] by Danish Company Kjaer & Richter. This gives some areas a distinctly "Nordic" feel in terms of house and street design.

The relationship with Scandinavia and the Baltic is also reflected in the names of some of the buildings (such as the King Frederik IX Tower),[21] the street names (e.g. Finland Street, Sweden Gate, Baltic Quay, Norway Gate, Helsinki Square) or other place names (e.g. Greenland Dock). Another major influence factor was trade with Russia and Canada (mainly timber), reflected in names such as Canada Water[22] and the Russia Dock Woodland.

Indian connection

Other connections include with the Indian subcontinent, with wharves being named Bombay Court and East India court. A neo-Indian community has also now found root there with many young upcoming Indian professionals moving to London to work in the technology, financial services and legal professions.[citation needed] The proximity to the City and Canary Wharf has made this a convenient choice and hub for graduates from the Indian Institutes of Technology.

Other connections

Rotherhithe is also a popular place to live with South Africans according to the UK census of 2011[23] and there is a South African themed pub located at 351 Rotherhithe Street.[24]

Mayflower

In July 1620, the Mayflower sailed from Rotherhithe for Southampton on the south coast of England, to begin loading food and supplies for the voyage to New England. At that time, the English Separatists, who later became known as the "Pilgrim Fathers", were mostly still living in the city of Leiden, in the Netherlands. There they hired a ship called the Speedwell to take them from Delfthaven in the Netherlands to Southampton to meet up with the Mayflower.[25]

The ship's captain, Christopher Jones, died shortly after his return in 1621 and he is buried in an unmarked grave at St Mary's Church. The Mayflower sailed from near a public house called the Shippe in Rotherhithe Street, which was substantially rebuilt in the 18th century, called the Spread Eagle and Crown,[26] and is now named the Mayflower.[27] The building itself, despite external and interior appearances dates from the 1950s.[28]

China Hall

On Lower Road, about half way between Surrey Quays and Canada Water stations, is a public house called the China Hall; at one time it was the entrance to a riparian playhouse visited by Samuel Pepys and mentioned in his diary. It is not known how long the theatre remained on the site, but it was reinvigorated in 1777 and during 1778 George Frederick Cooke acted there, but in the winter of 1779 it was destroyed in fire. The site of the theatre became a well-known tea-gardens, with the "usual arbours and 'boxes'" during the Victorian period, but by the 1920s most of the gardens had been absorbed into the Surrey Commercial Docks as part of a timber yard.[29][30]

Second World War

Smoke rising from fires in Surrey docks, following bombing on 7 September 1940

Like the rest of the London Docks, the Surrey Commercial Docks were targeted by the Luftwaffe. On 7 September 1940, on the first day of the London Blitz, the deal yards of Surrey Docks were set ablaze. The raid ignited over a million tonnes of timber in Quebec Yard, causing the most intense single fire ever seen in Britain.[31][32]

The bombing of the old Rotherhithe Town Hall during the Second World War gives an indication of how heavy the bombing in Rotherhithe was. The first damage to the building occurred when Luftwaffe bombs landed nearby in April 1941, and there was more bomb damage in February and June 1944. Later the same month (June 1944) the Town Hall was very severely damaged by a direct hit by a V1 doodlebug. In November 1944 it was further damaged by near misses, and it was finally destroyed by one of the last V1s to land on London during the Second World War.[33]

King Haakon VII made many of his famous radio broadcasts to occupied Norway from Saint Olav's Norwegian Church in Rotherhithe, where the Norwegian Royal Family were regular worshippers during their exile in London.[34]

Geography

Rotherhithe is joined to the north bank of the Thames by three tunnels. The Thames foot tunnel to Wapping was the first underwater tunnel in the world.[35] Built by the Brunels and originally intended to carry cross-river freight, it became a pedestrian tunnel, due to the money running out to build the necessary ramps for vehicle traffic. It was used as a railway tunnel from 1869, and is now part of the London Overground network, which on 27 April 2010 started running trains on the route of the former East London Line. The later Rotherhithe Tunnel (opened 1908) carries a two-lane road to Limehouse. The Jubilee line extension (opened 1999) has a railway tunnel to Canary Wharf in the Isle of Dogs.

Parts of Rotherhithe Street were at one time or another called Jamaica Street, Lavender Street, Low Queen Street, Queen Street, Redriff Wall, Redriff, Rotherhithe Wall, Shipwright Street and Trinity Street.[5]

Rotherhithe is part of the SE16 postcode district. Electorally, the western half is Rotherhithe ward of Southwark London Borough Council and the eastern half in Surrey Docks ward.

As much of Rotherhithe was occupied by the now-defunct Surrey Commercial Docks, the district is sometimes referred to as "Surrey Docks" or (since the late 1980s) "Surrey Quays", though the latter name tends to be used more for the southern half of the peninsula. An eastern part, which became an island when the docks were in use and the locks open, is called "Downtown". This name was never related to the idea of a "downtown" in the American sense, and indeed this part of Rotherhithe has since the 1980s been quiet and suburban in nature. Durand's Wharf is a park located in Rotherhithe Street and holds an Outdoor Gym[36]

Neighbouring districts, geographic features, and places
River Thames, Wapping River Thames, Limehouse River Thames, Westferry
Canada Water, Bermondsey River Thames, Canary Wharf
  Rotherhithe  
South Bermondsey, Peckham Surrey Quays, New Cross Deptford, Greenwich

Notable people

Memorial of James Walker at Greenland Dock

Cultural references

  • In the popular television drama series Upstairs, Downstairs the character James Bellamy stands as a Conservative Party candidate for the constituency of Rotherhithe East.
  • The James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies used Harmsworth Quays Printing as the scene for Carver's print works.
  • Redriff was the fictional birthplace of Jonathan Swift's character Lemuel Gulliver, of Gulliver's Travels fame, and where his family waited for him.
  • Rotherhithe is alluded to in the British Sea Power song Carrion and the Elvis Costello song New Amsterdam.
  • Adam Carter from Spooks supposedly lives in Canada Wharf on Rotherhithe Street, and much of the series is filmed on locations around Rotherhithe and the Docklands.
  • The final chapter of Charles Dickens's Oliver Twist (1839) provides a lively depiction of a Rotherhithe slum-district of the mid-19th century.
  • The famous Gujarati poem, 'Rajashahi Ghodi', talks about a bicycle, allegorically a royal steed as it passes by the narrow by-lanes of Rotherhithe every morning, describing landmarks and monuments like the Mayflower Pub, the Picture Library and Southwark Park, along its way.
  • A song from the musical Cats, "Growltiger's Last Stand", mentions the cottagers of Rotherhithe.
  • "The man from Rotherhithe" is an unnamed, recurring character in the long poem In Parenthesis by David Jones.
  • A period costumier, picture library and minor film producer Sands Films is located at Rotherhithe Street, close to the Mayflower pub.
  • Long-running ITV series London's Burning was based at local fire station Dockhead for the first few series, with most scenes filmed in Bermondsey and Rotherhithe. For example, leading character 'Vaseline' was filmed drowning in Greenland Dock, and another leading character, Bert, campaigned to save the local city farm, filmed at Surrey Docks Farm in Rotherhithe.
  • The 2004-2005 ITV drama series The Brief often filmed in Rotherhithe, with internal scenes filmed at the Mayflower pub. Lead character Henry Farmer, played by Alan Davies, lived a few doors away.
  • 2007 film "The Riddle", starring Vinnie Jones and Derek Jacobi, was largely filmed on location in Rotherhithe. It features the interior and exterior of the genuine Blacksmiths Arms, Rotherhithe, although the rear of the pub in the film was a temporary set built adjacent to the Downtown nightclub, close to the Surrey Docks Farm.
  • In "The Adventure of The Dying Detective", Sherlock Holmes pretends to Dr. Watson that he has contracted a contagious disease in Rotherhithe, while working on a case.
  • The first and last episodes of Dempsey and Makepeace were filmed at the Mayflower public house and in the area.[citation needed]

Main sights

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Transport

Rotherhithe is served by three stations. Near the river, in the north, Rotherhithe, formerly a London Underground station, was rebuilt as a London Overground station, and reopened on 27 April 2010, together with Surrey Quays to the south. In between lies Canada Water in central Rotherhithe. Canada Water station is now an important transport interchange, as it connects the London Overground (formerly East London line) and the Jubilee line of the London Underground, as well as having a bus station. This station is at the centre of a major regeneration project, with rapid construction of new flats. Other nearby stations are Bermondsey (also on the Jubilee line), South Bermondsey railway station to the south west, and London Bridge railway station to the west.

Walking and cycling

The riverbank carries part of the Richmond to Thames Barrier (28 miles – 45 km) section of the Thames Path through London. Most of the riverbank is accessible, apart from sections where warehouses and estates have established rights to the riverside.

A new bridge for pedestrians and cyclists has been proposed between Rotherhithe and Canary Wharf.

Buses

The area is served by TfL bus services 1, 47, 188, 199, 225, 381, C10 and P12; and night buses N47 and N381.[39]

Taxis

London Taxis (black cabs) can often be found on Salter Road.

River boat service piers
Preceding station   London River Services   Following station
Terminus
 Rotherhithe to Canary Wharf Service Terminus
Commuter Service

Gallery

  • Rotherhithe Mayflower.jpg

    Mayflower public house

  • Rotherhithe Albion.jpg

    Albion Channel

  • Rotherhithe Riverside.jpg

    Riverside developments

  • Stave Hill View Docklands.jpg

    View from Stave Hill towards Canary Wharf

  • Stave-Hill-Scene.jpg

    Russia Dock woodland

References

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 A Dictionary of British Place-Names, A.D. Mills Rotherhithe, Oxford University Press, 2003, ISBN 0-19-283131-3
  3. ↑ BBC London, A Thames Tour of Rotherhithe
  4. ↑ John Wells’s phonetic blog, Redriff, 31 October 2007
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Shipbuilding in Rotherhithe – An historical introduction by Stuart Rankin
  6. ↑ http://www.jbutler.org.uk/London/Southwark/Rotherhithe.shtml
  7. ↑ Sustrans London Route News accessed 4 July 2007
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. St Marychurch Street, SE16 4JE
  10. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Bryan Road, SE16 5HF
  11. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  12. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. 72 Paradise St, SE16 4QD
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. St. Elmos Road, SE16 6SJ
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  15. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  16. ↑ [1], 'Parishes: Rotherhithe', A History of the County of Surrey: Volume 4 (1912), pp. 83-92. Date accessed: 10 March 2014.
  17. ↑ http://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/48-hours-in-scandinavian-london-5365972.html
  18. ↑ Norwegian Church and Seamen's Mission, St Olav's Church accessed 4 July 2007
  19. ↑ The Finnish Church in London accessed 4 July 2007
  20. ↑ The Swedish Church in London accessed 4 July 2007
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 Greenland Passage development accessed 4 July 2007
  22. ↑ Canada Water Campaign and Canada Water Consultative Forum accessed 4 July 2007
  23. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  24. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  25. ↑ www.mayflower.com Route and Maps of the Voyage
  26. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  27. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  28. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  29. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  30. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  31. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  32. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  33. ↑ Blackman 2009.
  34. ↑ The Diocese of Southwark, The Bridge, December 2009 - January 2010: Scandinavia in Rotherhithe
  35. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  36. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  37. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  38. ↑ Original Letters from India (New York: NYRB, 2010 [1925]), ed. E. M. Forster. ISBN 1-59017-336-8]
  39. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

Further reading

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History

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