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Canary Wharf through the ages Welcome! The 1600s – Marshland The story of is the story of ’s Docklands – full ondon has been a busy port since the Romans settled in Britain, of villains, ambition, setbacks and triumphs. L nearly 2000 years ago. But the wasn’t built upon until a long time after that. This is because the area was a marshland, You’ll meet kings and queens, sailors and pirates, captains of boats regularly flooded by the . Things slowly changed as to captains of industry. walls were built on the banks of the Thames to stop the flooding. It is also the story of the people who worked on the river and in the docks, those who built the famous towers and the people who work in them every day. By the Ships constantly sailed up and 1600s, nearly Inside, you will read the story of how Canary Wharf started. You’ll also get a down the river as London became two-thirds of behind-the-scenes glimpse of what happens in the buildings today. one of the most important trading ’s trade cities in the world. went through Perhaps we’ll see you at one day. Page 12-17 the port of Page 4 Fold-out London Trade, ships Page 5 We hope you enjoy it! section of a and pirates! New docks bring tower and in a new era! The Canary Wharf today! Page 8-9 A changing Docklands

From the 13th century, landowners began building flood-protection walls. Made of mud and chalk, they were up to 4.6m high and needed constant repair. How many dogs In the late 1600s, windmills were Page 18-19 can you spot built on the western flood wall Wild herbs growing Canary in this and used to grind corn. The area on the marshland Page 6-7 Page 10-11 Wharf – the became known as . were made into book? Bombs and A new start people and medicines. gas masks! for the area their jobs

The River Thames The City No one knows where the name St Paul’s Canary Isle of Dogs comes from. Some 5 Cathedral 6 Tower of Wharf say it’s because King Henry VIII 7 London kept his hunting dogs here.

4 3 Child’s play 8 London Eye 2 In the 1600s, only boys went to 1 Houses of school. Girls, if they did study, Parliament did so at home. And there were 9 no lie-ins either! Classes started at 1. 6. 6am in the summer and an hour 2. London Bridge 7. Hungerford later in the winter. But there was 3. Bridge Bridge Isle of Dogs still time for fun – some of the 4. Millennium 8. Animals grazed on games children played then, such Bridge Bridge the lush grass, before as Hopscotch and Blind Man’s 5. Blackfriars Bridge 9. Bridge being taken to Bluff, are still played to this day. market in London.

Published by The Canary Wharf Group plc. Written and designed for The Canary Wharf Group plc by B3 Creative Ltd; www.b3creative.com. Illustrations: Martin Hargreaves. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior Canary Wharf: through the ages 3 consent of the copyright owner. © b3 Creative 2014 The 1780s – The busiest The 1800s – port in the world Brand new docks! uring the 1780s, London was the world’s busiest port. The ith parliament’s approval, the first of the Isle of Dogs’ DRiver Thames near London Bridge was so crowded it Wdocks was completed in 1802. It was opened by Prime was said you could walk from one side of the river to the Minister, Henry Addington. To try to keep out river gangs other by hopping from ship to ship! Ships could wait for who stole goods, the docks were surrounded by a high wall Hoops of fun! weeks to unload their cargoes. That meant precious food and a wide ditch with a moat. A favourite game for children in the 1800s was rolling a hoop. It doesn’t rotted, while many other goods were stolen by gangs of river The largest ship of the time Children as young as have as much variety as an iPad but pirates who went by names such as the Night Plunderers and was the SS Great Eastern. four were forced to at least the battery doesn’t run out! Heavy Horsemen. Something had to be done… Built on the Isle of Dogs and The new docks, such work long hours in tinky launched in 1858, it was as , dangerous factories. People came In 1851, there were 4000 S ! were named after the Unusual produce Over-crowded 211m long. That’s over twice Can you imagine that? to marvel at people living on the Isle The River Thames far-off colonies and came to London River Thames. the length of a football pitch! the new docks. of Dogs but not enough contained sewage and countries that goods from around the homes for them. By 1901, even dead bodies. The came from. globe, including the population had risen pineapples, ginger, whiff was so bad, you to 21,000! sugar and rum. could smell London from several miles away!

In 1799, parliament agreed Criminals were hanged to building of a new dock at Execution Dock. They on the Isle of Dogs. Goods were left until the tide Armed men could be unloaded quickly had passed over them kept order. and safely. Plus, they would three times to make sure not be stolen nor left to rot. they were really dead! Whale I never! Oil from sperm whale’s blubber was Slaves and London The slave trade triangle used to light factories and homes right Industry In the 1700s, London became Britain’s 1 Ships travel from Europe to Africa, where up until the 1900s. Boilers and Isambard Kingdom largest slaving port. Between 1618 and traders buy slaves with goods such as copper, tanks were built in Brunel was one of 1730, it is estimated that up to one million paper, glass, guns and cloth. 2 Africans are where oil was extracted from huge Britain’s greatest Africans, including children, were trafficked shipped to the West Indies sheets of whale blubber. engineers. With his by London merchants. The sale of enslaved and Americas to work father, he built the people and the sugar they were forced to as slaves. 3 Goods first tunnel under produce created vast wealth in London. such as sugar, the Thames in 1843. 3 He went on to build But it was at a huge cost to those rum and cotton, 1 enslaved, who suffered awful produced by slaves, the ship SS Great misery and enormous hardship. are sold in Europe. 2 Whalebone was used to make Eastern (see above).

tight corsets for dresses. Ouch! London Maritime Museum, , © National

4 Canary Wharf: through the ages Canary Wharf: through the ages 5 Besides bombs, Londoners had to watch out for planes dropping incendiaries Did you (small fire bombs). know? During the Blitz, uring World War Two (1939-1945), German London Zoo had to aeroplanes bombed Britain – and one of the first put down all its D The mega-strong beam poisonous snakes and areas to be hit was the Isle of Dogs. The bombing was of a searchlight could insects in case they reach 4.5km! called the Blitz after a German word, “blitzkrieg”: it escaped! means “lightning war”. The Germans wanted to destroy the Docklands, its warehouses and its cargoes. The bombs also devastated factories and people’s homes. By the end of With their homes With factories and houses on destroyed, people the Blitz, in May 1941, thousands of Londoners had died and fire, temperatures reached had no water to many people had been made homeless and moved away. 1000°C – that’s hot enough wash, cook or even to melt aluminium! go to the toilet! Posters from the Twenty-eight bombs Fire spread quickly through Government reminded landed on St Paul’s the tightly packed factories people to recycle clothes Cathedral during the full of timber, paint, and grow their own food. Blitz but it survived. engines and flour.

Dogs were heroes in the Blitz. They Children older than 16, helped sniff out including Boy Scouts people buried and Girl Guides, helped under rubble. as messengers On some Blitz nights, and as lookouts the Thames was at for fires. low tide – and that During the Blitz, meant firefighters could not get water to Families evacuated King George VI put out the fires. from their homes and the Queen visited the Docklands to show left notes on front Butter, sugar and oil, their support for local doors so they could that was shipped into people whose lives be contacted. the Docks, burned in had been affected by smelly puddles. the bombings.

“I eat rations: baked beans and, if I’m lucky, half a sausage. We have Marmite, too! Our school gives us milk.”

“I always carry my gas mask with me just in case.” Ration books contained tokens. Shrapnel People exchanged Anderson shelters them for food, such A favourite Blitz game was People built Anderson shelters in their “Mum and Dad keep our as sugar, that was collecting shrapnel – fragments of back gardens to take cover from bombs air raid bag ready. It in short supply. shells fired by British anti-aircraft dropped in air raids. Shelters were made contains a torch, spare guns at the German bombers. The from steel panels and had a mud floor. blankets, candles, best bit was the shell’s tip, or nose. They were cramped, smelly and wet! matches, ration books and our identity cards.”

6 Canary Wharf: through the ages Canary Wharf: through the ages 7 Changing docks Many locals disagreed with the he 1970s were tough for the Docklands. Factories moved development and The Queen had a busy out and the West India Docks were too small for the new, drew graffiti on T year in 1987 – she had walls. You can still huge container ships, which took their trade elsewhere. In to open London City In 1987, during the official ceremony see some of this Airport to the public, as 1980, the West India Docks closed their gates for the last time. to mark the start of work on Canary graffiti in the well as the DLR! The Government set up the Development Wharf, protestors released a herd area today! of sheep from Mudchute Farm Corporation to regenerate the area with a new City airport among the crowds of business people and the (DLR). Change came and politicians. And followed that with thousands of bees! Imagine slowly, though, and the docks remained empty for seven years. the chaos that caused!

Architects and Between 1966 and planners came to 1976, 150,000 people look around the in the Docklands lost The DLR, Britain’s empty docks. their jobs because first computerised the docks closed down railway, was opened so quickly. to the public by Queen Elizabeth II on 30 July 1987. It was Britain’s first ever train without a driver! The London Docklands Development Corporation was created by the Government to encourage people to live and work in the Docklands.

As the area changed, new flats were built and young, Mobile phones had only just been By 1980, there was urban professionals invented. They were huge – people over 20.7km2 of (nicknamed “yuppies”) nicknamed them “bricks”. They had derelict land in the moved in. They didn’t work a battery power of 20 minutes and Docklands area. in industries to do with cost about £1000 each! the docks but in areas such as finance and insurance.

Contain yourself! London’s docks were used less and less as enormous container ships took Did you over. A container is a large know? metal box, locked tight so One of the largest ever what’s inside can’t be stolen. container ships, the Matz Cranes can lift containers Getting technological Maersk, built in South off ships and onto lorries Children in the 1980s were the first kids Korea, is a whopping quickly and efficiently. to use computer games as a form of 398m long. That’s the The huge, new container entertainment. Games like Pac-Man and same length as ships were just too big for Space Invaders were all the rage! 17 tennis the Docklands’ shallow waters. courts!

8 Canary Wharf: through the ages Canary Wharf: through the ages 9 Did you The distinctive steel One ’s first know? pyramid was placed on Canary Wharf is tenants, a financial company Reaching for the sky top of One Canada called State Street, moved into named after the old Square in 1990. the tower in August 1991. n 1986 an American banker, , visited Docklands banana Ithe Docklands. He wanted to build a factory but quickly warehouses that changed his mind. London’s banks needed bigger offices traded fruit from and he thought this huge, empty plot, close to the City, was the the perfect place to build majestic skyscrapers for thousands has a sister tower in Hang on! of workers. In 1987, a Canadian company, Olympia & York, New York that is the French stunt climber, At one point, there were about same shape! Alain Robert, climbed began building the project, named “Canary Wharf”. 237 cranes in the Docklands – One Canada Square that’s the most cranes ever seen in 1995 without in a development area! ropes or safety A 1.8km tunnel, known as Warehouses and factories equipment! the Link, was were demolished to make Between 1993 and 2003, the opened in May 1993 to way for new flats and working population of the provide a connection office blocks. Docklands grew from 7000 between to an impressive 55,000! and the Docklands.

Two more towers, 8 and 25 Canada Canary Wharf Square, were underground station, both completed complete with a rooftop at the same park, was opened in late time in 2001. summer 1999.

Boots was the first There is something for retailer to sign up for everyone in Canary Wharf. the new shopping An events venue, the East centre. Wintergarden, opened in October 2003. It holds up to 800 people for concerts, plays and other events.

In 1992, was the first newspaper to Bringing toys to life! move from the traditional The 90s and early 00s brought a wave of new area of to the Back to the water! interactive toys, such as Tamagotchis. This Docklands. Other papers such With more people living and working in the hugely popular, digital toy was a virtual as the Mirror followed. By Docklands, a lot of leisure activities started. handheld pet. It needed feeding, playing with the late 90s, many national Docklands Sailing and Watersports Centre and looking after. Sounds like hard work! newspapers were produced in made a real splash when it opened in 1989. the Docklands.

10 Canary Wharf: through the ages Canary Wharf: through the ages 11 A local’s view Canary Wharf area “Lots of local people worked on the building of Canary Wharf – and they still work here today. We have seen Canary Wharf anary Wharf isn’t just the tower at One grow from a few buildings to the wonderful shopping and CCanada Square. It’s a whole area of over it has become today. When the docks closed, 392,545m2, filed with state-of-the-art office who would have believed we would soon have such a wonderful buildings, theatres, hotels, cinemas, parks, place to work, shop and eat. Lots of jobs have been created – this is a wonderful opportunity for young local people to carve restaurants, stations, shops and more! a career on their own doorstep.” Rita Bensley, The Association of Island Communities Voluntary Council

12 Canary Wharf: through the ages Canary Wharf: through the ages 17 The aircraft warning light on top of One Canada Square flashes 40 times a minute. A towering That’s 57,600 times a day! Many onlookers have achievement called the fire brigade he area of Canary Wharf is home to various to report smoke coming from the top Ttowers including the tallest of them all – One of One Canada Square. Canada Square. Huge effort goes into the building But it’s actually steam rising from the roof! and maintenance of a tower. With 9000 people working in One Canada Square alone, there is a lot happening inside. Take a look! One Canada Square’s roof is a perfect home for birds, including falcons and swifts. Local children helped to build bird boxes – One Canada Square is they are installed on the built so that it can sway top of the building. 35cm from side to side in the strongest winds!

One Canada Square has a total of 4388 steps.

One Canada Square has 32 passenger lifts, two freight lifts and two lifts just for firemen How many windows?! and women. Going up! Imagine cleaning all of One Canada Square’s 3960 windows! Skilled window cleaners do the The tower at One Canada Square job every month, moving up and down in an is an office building so it is not automatic cradle. In winter, the soapy water open to the public. You have to freezes; in hot summer, it turns to steam. Once work there to see the incredible a year, abseilers clean the tower’s pyramid. views stretching more than 30km!

One Canada Square has 50 floors and is 244m high. That’s taller than 55 double decker buses stacked on top of one another!

More than 27,500tonnes of British steel were used to build One Canada Square.

Money, money, money! Many banking and finance companies have offices in One Canada Square. Canary Wharf is often referred to as “The Second Square Mile”. The original Square Mile is in the and full of financial companies.

The big market Four floors in One Canada Square have extra high ceilings, for use as stock market trading floors. Computer screens and air conditioning, to keep the traders cool, take up the extra space.

The lifts at One Canada Square can travel from the ground floor to the 50th floor in just 40 seconds. Better Smooth moves than walking up 1000 or so steps! Companies move in and out of offices in One Canada Square – as their The average floor at businesses grow, they need more One Canada Square is room. It is not easy to relocate, so 2600m2. That’s as big as companies hire professionals to help. six basketball courts.

There are over 500,000 iron bolts used to hold One Canada Square together!

Do you believe the number 13 is unlucky? At One Canada Square, the 13th floor doesn’t contain offices – it’s where you’ll find all the air conditioning equipment.

Read all about it! In the 1990s, lots of national newspapers moved Work-out at the wharf into Canary Wharf. The Mirror Group, which Canary Wharf is home to a state-of-the-art publishes The Mirror newspaper, still operates Reebok gym, where members can enjoy all from One Canada Square today. sorts of sports from golf and football to rock climbing on a 13m-high wall. The water fountain in is controlled by a computer. A sensor Canary Wharf, Heron Quays and detects if the wind is too strong and DLR stations are adjusts the water height so that the world’s three closest train stations passers-by don’t get drenched! to be on the same line. Cosy! Green roofs – eco spaces planted with grasses and even trees – are More than 500 trees such grown on roofs in Canary Wharf. as London planes, English They absorb rainwater, help to oaks and Norway maples insulate offices, provide habitats grow around Canary for wildlife and help to lower the Wharf. Look out for over area’s air temperatures. 20 different varieties!

Around 4500 people work in the shops at One Canada Square. Around 100,000 people shop at Canary Wharf each day.

Special delivery! Every year, more than 108,000 deliveries are made to One Canada Square’s loading bay.

The world on a plate You can eat your way around the world at Canary Wharf! There are more than 70 food and drink spots, including British, Italian, Japanese and Malaysian. You’re never short of a bite to eat!

More than 50,000 people travel by tube to Canary Over 40 million people Wharf every day! Wheel to wheel pass through Canary Wharf Canary Wharf has 3000 car parking spaces – underground every year. and many cycling tracks if you prefer your bike!

13-16 Canary Wharf: through the ages Dave – Crane Driver Lin – Bank Trader John – Cleaner Emma – Journalist Dave’s crane lifts heavy building Lin works for a bank, John’s job is to keep the Emma works for a big newspaper – materials used for new buildings. buying and selling different buildings sparkling clean she finds out the news every day investments. Sometimes and smart. and writes it into an article for People and jobs at she will buy and sell tomorrow’s front page. When £1 billion-worth of stocks she’s written her piece, it goes and shares in one day! on the newspaper’s website and Canary Wharf around the world for millions of here are thousands of people working in the Tahir – IT specialist people to read. TCanary Wharf estate every single day. There are Tahir works with computers, Dale – Community Officer many different opportunities for people to work in the writing software to track the Dale works with local community stock markets. Some of his groups and schools, telling them area, ranging from a chef or journalist to a banker or computers actually buy and about Canary Wharf. He also security guard. Take a look at all the people working in sell shares by themselves! helps organise sponsorship of local events. Canary Wharf on these pages. How many of their jobs Dusty – can you imagine doing when you are older? Environment Expert Dusty is in charge of making Dan – Window Cleaner sure buildings at Canary Wharf Susan – Personal Trainer Dan cleans the windows on the use as little energy as possible. Susan works in a gym and helps towers – high up in a cradle He also helps companies recycle people get fit. When she’s not hanging 150m above the ground! paper and waste they don’t need. working, she’s out jogging around Canary Wharf! Langson – Intern Nicola – Human It’s Langson’s first day – he’s at Resources Fiona – Chaplain school normally but today he’s Fiona’s job is to listen to people’s Nicola helps people get doing work experience at Canary the right job and also problems and help them when Wharf to find out more about a they want to talk. Jacob – sorts out extra training career in business. for people who want to Fashion Store Manager learn while they work. Jacob is in charge of a big clothes shop where more than 100 people work – it’s one of the busiest shops on the estate and there is always something new to see! Raymond – Chef Jack – Pirate Raymond works in a Jack’s not really a pirate! busy restaurant making He works for a law delicious meals for all Ellie – Arts and Events company. He’s on his the hungry workers, Ellie puts together all the way to a work event as well as visitors. equipment for music and video in fancy dress! shows in Canada Square Park and the East Wintergarden. Abad – Gardener Abad keeps the trees pruned, the grass short, the flowers growing and the paths clear – it’s an all-year-round job for him!

Fatima – Security Dustin – Guard Maintenance Fatima and her dog Dustin’s job is to fix things make sure everyone at when they go wrong. A Canary Wharf is safe. broken pipe, a light which They also help visitors has stopped working – no find their way around. job is too hard for him!

18 Canary Wharf: through the ages Canary Wharf: through the ages 19 Canary Wharf through the ages For over 400 years, London’s Canary Wharf and the Isle of Dogs have been a place of great change. Never standing still for long, the area changed rapidly from open marshland and became one of the busiest ports in the world. During its colourful history, the area has survived flooding and fires, pirates and protesters. Now, though, Canary Wharf is one of the greatest commercial and business districts in the world.

This book takes you on a journey through the history of Canary Wharf, and introduces you to some of its characters and adventures, which have helped make it the vibrant area it is today.

An accompanying teachers’ guide can be downloaded from www.canarywharf.com

Canary Wharf

Additional copies of this book through the ages can be ordered from: Education Liaison Office Canary Wharf Group One Canada Square London E14 5AB Tel: 020 7418 2000 ISBN 978-0-9563648-0-7 Email: [email protected] £4.99 RRP