Burrells Wharf is a riverside residential estate, owned by its leaseholders, in

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 ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

. It is situated in Docklands on the

Isle of Dogs The Isle of Dogs is a large peninsula bounded on three sides by a large meander in the River Thames in East London, England, which includes the Cubitt Town, Millwall and Canary Wharf districts. The area was historically part of the Manor, Ha ...

and the North bank of the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...

(facing

Deptford Deptford is an area on the south bank of the River Thames in southeast London, within the London Borough of Lewisham. It is named after a Ford (crossing), ford of the River Ravensbourne. From the mid 16th century to the late 19th it was home ...

). The residential estate is one of 18 buildings or groups of buildings on the peninsula to be architecturally

listed Listed may refer to: * Listed, Bornholm, a fishing village on the Danish island of Bornholm * Listed (MMM program), a television show on MuchMoreMusic * Endangered species in biology * Listed building, in architecture, designation of a historicall ...

as buildings of special interest or importance.

History

For centuries all of Millwall and Cubitt Town was an occasionally flooded but fertile meadow land, supporting a small

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a historic county in southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the ceremonial county of Greater London, with small sections in neighbour ...

fishing,

watermen A waterman is a river worker who transfers passengers across and along city centre rivers and estuaries in the United Kingdom and its colonies. Most notable are those on the River Thames and River Medway in England, but other rivers such as th ...

and farming community. By the 19th century

Millwall Iron Works The Millwall Iron Works, London, England, was a 19th-century industrial complex and series of companies, which developed from 1824. Formed from a series of small shipbuilding companies to address the need to build larger and larger ships, the hol ...

had been built on this land. From 1855-58 Sir

William Fairbairn Sir William Fairbairn, 1st Baronet of Ardwick (19 February 1789 – 18 August 1874) was a Scottish civil engineer, structural engineer and shipbuilder. In 1854 he succeeded George Stephenson and Robert Stephenson to become the third pre ...

built early iron ships here and undertook the model tests for the development of the box girder original

Britannia Bridge Britannia Bridge ( cy, Pont Britannia) is a bridge across the Menai Strait between the island of Anglesey and the mainland of Wales. It was originally designed and built by the noted railway engineer Robert Stephenson as a tubular bridge of w ...

which connected

Anglesey Anglesey (; cy, (Ynys) Môn ) is an island off the north-west coast of Wales. It forms a principal area known as the Isle of Anglesey, that includes Holy Island across the narrow Cymyran Strait and some islets and skerries. Anglesey island ...

until damaged by fire and replaced with a different type of tall bridge.

John Scott Russell John Scott Russell FRSE FRS FRSA (9 May 1808, Parkhead, Glasgow – 8 June 1882, Ventnor, Isle of Wight) was a Scottish civil engineer, naval architect and shipbuilder who built '' Great Eastern'' in collaboration with Isambard Kingdom Brune ...

bought the works and was instrumental in building here '' The SS Great Eastern'', where it was launched. This was a steam and sail ship designed by engineer

Isambard Kingdom Brunel Isambard Kingdom Brunel (; 9 April 1806 – 15 September 1859) was a British civil engineer who is considered "one of the most ingenious and prolific figures in engineering history," "one of the 19th-century engineering giants," and "on ...

, and the largest ship in the world for its time, when built in 1858. The ship may not have lasted long in its commercial use, but the shipyard and site where it was launched have fared better. Some of the land developed in the 20th century into a pigment/dye factory, having immediate access to the various imports required in Poplar. According to local lore, the local bird-life would get into the factory buildings and become contaminated with the dyes: it was reputedly common to see pigeons in various unusual colours flying around the area. The factory relocated elsewhere in the late 1980s, with the decline of the Poplar docks as a functioning commercial port in favour of larger facilities for

container ship A container ship (also called boxship or spelled containership) is a cargo ship that carries all of its load in truck-size intermodal containers, in a technique called containerization. Container ships are a common means of commercial intermoda ...

s. In 1988 Burrells was converted to residential use and consists of 400 apartments with central leisure facilities.

Architecture

Two structures in the Burrells Wharf estate are listed at Grade II: *Plate House (1860) The eye-catching former water tower and surrounding building, once part of the Millwall Ironworks which also included the Forge building on the other side of Westferry Road (also with a Grade II listing, but not forming part of the Burrells Wharf estate). *Former Offices (1-37 Burrells Wharf Square)(1860) This administration block served the former iron works and Burrell's Colours business in the latter 20th century. Inlaid with various depth brickwork, this three-storeyed stock brick block is arranged parallel to the above units, separated by Burrells Wharf Square where a construction dock once stood. Upper floors have glazing bar sash windows with flat-gauged arches and stucco sills.

Burrells Wharf today

Burrells Wharf is owned and managed by Burrells Wharf Freeholds Ltd (BWFL), a company formed by and wholly composed of leaseholders of the estate. Currently some 75% of leaseholders have taken up a share in the freehold company. BWFL has a Board of Directors, all of whom are shareholders on the estate and act in a voluntary capacity; they have appointed managing agents whose role includes the management of all supply contracts; the collection of service charges; the placing of any contracts to meet the capital investment programme, and advice to the Directors of BWFL on the setting of budgets. BWFL also employ a team of staff for the day-to-day running of the estate, including a 24 hour concierge service through the Estate Office and management of contractors such as cleaners, plant and electrical maintenance, gardening, decorating and general estate management duties. In addition to the amenity of its central square, where an annual communal barbecue is held, the estate has a leisure centre with a gym and swimming pool, and a Function Room open for residents and non-residents to book for a range of activities, such as yoga groups, mother and toddler groups, private parties and so on. A social committee organises various events through the year. There is a website and a Facebook group for residents to share comments and discussions, lost and found and items for sale, and the like.

Local amenities

Masthouse Terrace Pier is located beside the estate; and so is the

Santander Cycles Santander Cycles (formerly Barclays Cycle Hire) is a public bicycle hire scheme in London in the United Kingdom. The scheme's bicycles are popularly known as Boris Bikes, after Boris Johnson who was Mayor of London when the scheme began operati ...

dock, “Napier Avenue, Millwall”. Within a short walk are Millwall Park and Mudchute Park and Farm, Island Gardens, and the foot tunnel to Greenwich. At north are the multiple shops and restaurants of

Canary Wharf Canary Wharf is an area of London, England, located near the Isle of Dogs in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. Canary Wharf is defined by the Greater London Authority as being part of London's central business district, alongside Central Lon ...

References

External links