A journey on the Docklands Light Railway

Leaving from Tower Gateway Station

Now there’s a misnomer. 

In 1294, the Abbey of the Minoresses of St. Clare without Aldgate was founded, and gave a version of its name to the street which runs southwards from the church of St Botolph without Aldgate, passed the more recent Aldgate Bus Station, passed the end of St Clare Street (guess what/who that was named after) and on to the north east corner of the Tower of London.  Google maps mentions that St Botolphs’ Church was the burial place of Tudor rebels and you can see that the church must have been very handy for deceased prisoners.  The road was, and is, called Minories, a name which puzzled a member of Team Terroir very much, when a small child.     

In 1840, a station was opened towards the southern end of Minories and was called - Minories (none of this Tower Gateway stuff).  The station was the western terminus of the Commercial Company which quickly changed its name to the London and Blackwall Railway Company whose railway was built to serve the docks when ‘London docks’ meant ships and trade and empire.  The station closed in 1853 but the railway infrastructure was retained, and was used as a goods yard until 1951. 

In 1987, the station and railway was reborn as the western terminus of the Docklands Light Railway, when ‘London docklands’ meant money, tower blocks and a different sort of trade.  The station was called ‘Tower Gateway’, a name which nowadays puzzles a member of Team Terroir as an adult, as the platforms are a good 10 minutes’ walk from both the Tower of London and Tower Bridge.

What follows is a brief tale of two railways: the Commercial/London and Blackwall railway, and its latest incarnation, the DLR.

Shadwell

Not to be confused with Shadwell Overground Station. The first station was opened in 1841 as plain Shadwell Station, on the Commercial/London and Blackwall railway line to the docks. Even more confusingly in 1900, this station was re-named Shadwell and St George-in-the-East, to distinguish it from the second Shadwell station which was built later, and eventually became the London Overground Station. By the way, the church of St George in the East was also known as the Church in the Ruins, during the blitz of WWII.

The DLR station was built a short walk to the east of the Overground station and opened in 1987. Confused? Believe me, it’s going to get worse.

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a view of the brick railway viaduct and the fascinating, myriad of uses, to which railway arches can be put.

Cable Street, famous for the eponymous Battle when Shadwell turned out en masse to block the march of Mosley’s fascists in 1936.  

St Georges Town Hall, Grade II listed, built around 1860 and now a registrar office.

Views from the train:

a wonderful range of 20th century low rise residential building styles, earlier churches and later mosques.

Limehouse

Not to be confused with the original, 1840, Limehouse station (built, of course, by the Commercial/London and Blackwall Railway), which closed in 1926 and was located one mile to the east of the current DLR station.

or

Stepney station (also Commercial/London and Blackwall Railway) built and opened in 1840; renamed Stepney East in 1923; converted to DLR use in 1987 and changed its name to - Limehouse.

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Limehouse Basin, formerly known as the Regent’s Canal Dock, and used for transhipping goods from seafaring ships to canal boats

St Anne’s Limehouse

Views from the train:

ie between this station and the next

leisure/house boats in Limehouse basin, a mix of narrow boats, broader beam barges and much larger motor yachts, able to escape to the Thames and beyond

low to mid rise housing including modern ‘docklands’ style residential development, part warehouse conversions, part attempts at stylish modern new builds

accumulator tower for hydrostatic operation of docks machinery (images below) and …

Westferry

In Terroir’s view, Isle of Dogs North might have been a logical name, but no one seems to have felt that was appropriate.  It does appear, however, that Westferry station was named after the nearby Westferry Road, which did at least go to a passenger ferry, albeit located at the southern tip of the Isle of Dogs, some two miles away.      

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the start of Poplar High Street

A2161 West India Dock Road

many remnants of industrial archaeology and docks-related architecture

Views from the train:

roads, highways, streets

Dockmasters House (former Excise House) listed grade II

a huge willow

a slew of Boris Bikes

A2161 West India Dock Road …

… the swerve when the DLR leaves the old London and Blackwall Line and heads south on a new section of railway line towards West India Dock, Canary Wharf and the Isle of Dogs (below left)

The DLR, unlike most buses and larger trains, provides a wonderful roller coaster experience, especially if you are sitting at the front.

West India Quay

Not to be confused with the 1840 West India Docks station on the Commercial/London and Blackwall Railway.  The Docks station was demolished in the early 1930s and the DLR railway line runs through the site on a new viaduct.  The DLR West India Quay station, itself, is located approximately half a mile to the south east on that new bit of railway line described above.

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London Docklands Museum – highly recommended although you may need a strong constitution for the - excellent - exhibition on the lives led by enslaved and indentured people in the Caribbean and elsewhere in the Empire; building listed Grade I (image below centre)

the Ledger Building - former West India Docks ledger store (image below left)

Dock Master’s House (former Excise House) listed grade II

West India North Dock

the northern side of the mighty Canary Wharf Complex (image below right)

Views from the train:

Serious high rise Docklands conversion

Canary Wharf

Not to be confused with Canary Wharf Elizabeth Line (on an island in the North Dock) or Canary Wharf Jubilee Line (next to Jubilee Park and the Middle Dock).

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finance and commercial hub, retail therapy, entertainment and everything else that Canary Wharf stands for - until the ‘working at home’ trend makes the offices financially untenable…

Views from the train:

a tunnel

the docks

the buildings

Heron Quays

Not to be confused with anything as important as big brother Canary Wharf. Heron Quays is a new build and was originally an open air station when first built. It was reconstructed at the beginning of the century to fit inside a new high rise development above it. Well, you would, wouldn’t you?

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the southern side of the Canary Wharf extravaganza. 

Views from the train:

pretty much as for Canary Wharf

another swerve as the DLR line heads back towards the original 19th century railway and arrives at:

South Quay Station

Not to be confused with the original 1987 South Quay DLR station.  Its location, close to a tight right angle bend, limited the platform length so, sometime in the Noughties, the station was relocated about 400m to the east, to a straight stretch of track which accommodated longer platforms.  The switch-over was made in October 2009. 

The straight stretch of track was actually contained between two right angle dog-legs as the DLR line veered wildly back to head eastward and link up with the original Blackwall and London Railway Company, who had built a branch line called the Millwall Extension Railway from Poplar, straight down the Isle of Dogs. 

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West India Docks south and Millwall Dock and everything Millwall needs from Monday to Sunday (except maybe custard powder and boot polish). Football comes later.

Views from the train: 

the Isle of Dogs; much is new but there are still low rise vestiges of the old Island community.   

Crossharbour Station

Not to be confused with Millwall Docks Station (1871 – 1926) a fraction to the north of the current DLR station.  Yes, we are back on the Blackwall and London Railway Isle of Dogs branch line. 

The new DLR station opened in 1987 and was named after the bridge which had carries the road across Millwall inner dock.  In 1994, the station was renamed Crossharbour and London Arena, in honour of the new, 15,000 seater indoor arena and exhibition space, located nearby.  In 2006 the arena building was demolished and replaced with housing.  The DLR station was renamed – Crossharbour!

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Millwall inner dock and its 1990 Dutch-style double-leaf bascule bridge.

Asda

lots of residential development, low, medium and, occasionally, high

Views from the train:

Asda

lots of housing

the north End of MudChute Park

Mudchute Station

Not to be confused with oh dear – it’s a long story.  The Millwall Extension Railway didn’t bother with a station here but the DLR opened a high-level station in 1989, to be called Millwall Park.  But, well, you know Millwall fans - a team with a tough reputation.  Wikipedia reports that the local population was also worried that visiting fans, not realising that Millwall had moved south of the river at the beginning of the (20th) century, might come to Millwall Park by mistake.  So the station was called Mudchute instead.  Why?  After the mud shoot/chute located here, to take the spoil and silt from the excavation of Millwall Dock.  Wait, I’ve not finished.

The DLR used to terminate at the next station (Island Gardens), located at the southern end of the Isle of Dogs.  But the DLR was extended under the Thames to Lewisham, and Mudchute station had to be significantly lowered from its elevated position to the bottom of a shallow cutting close to the entrance of the new tunnel. 

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Mudchute Park and Farm

Various bits of archeology (you might enjoy https://islandhistory.wordpress.com/2019/05/11/the-chimneys-of-the-isle-of-dogs/)

Island Gardens

Not to be confused with the North Greenwich & Cubitt Town Station, aka North Greenwich station, which was the terminus of the Millwall Extension Railway.  The station opened in 1872 (closing to passengers in 1926) and connected with the aforementioned ferry service to Greenwich proper, ie the south side of the river.  The ferry was later replaced by the Greenwich Foot Tunnel. 

Not to be confused with the North Greenwich station on the Jubilee line, which is also located south of the river.

Built on the north end of the original North Greenwich station site, the Island Gardens station was another elevated station, located to the west of the Park, and was also the terminus of the DLR when it opened in 1987.  When the DLR extended under the Thames to Lewisham in the 1990s, a new station was built underground, close to the tunnel mouth, and a block of flats constructed on the old station site.

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Island Gardens (Victorian Park, opened in 1895 with views across the river to Greenwich Park, the Old Royal Naval College, the National Maritime Museum, the Cutty Sark and Trinity Hospital)

Millwall Park

Waterman’s Arms

Greenwich Foot Tunnel

Our journey didn’t end here, as we took the train through the tunnel, and on to Greenwich, Deptford and finally to Lewisham.  But Greenwich and beyond is ‘south of the river’ and therefore, a foreign country.  This is a ‘north of the river’ story, concentrating on London’s east end, and the docklands, old and new.  We may well, however, return to the Greenwich to Lewisham section, and perhaps other DLR routes, another time. 

As a ‘light railway’ the DLR always seems to Terroir like a cross between a ‘Puffing Billy’ town tourist train and a bus.  I suspect tourists actually see it as a very confusing form of transport which doesn’t go anywhere that they believe might interest them.  No doubt those working or living in Docklands still find it useful: it can carry more passengers than a bus and runs much more frequently.  But for longer distances, it’s beginning to feel old and bumpy, and lacks the comfort and speed of the rival Jubilee and Elizabeth Lines. 

But locals do love it.  The views are, actually, very good, the line has some almost thrilling switch back and roller coaster sections and, best of all, you can sit up front and drive.  Want to keep the kids happy during the school holidays?  Take them on the DLR and hustle for those front seats.  Bad luck if a train Captain is occupying one of them, but then you do get to see all those wonderful buttons and knobs.