London Corpse Walks

The Walk

I’ve included the notes I used during the walk. These are also available as placemarks in the above map. The letters below are keyed to the placemarks above.

A. Millwall Docks

The Millwall Docks were built between 1864 and 1869, and were originally designed in the shape of an inverted T (what was actually built resembles a backwards L).

The docks handled mainly timber and grain, which was in keeping with the areas milling history (thus the name Millwall).

The docks were closed in 1980.

B. McDougall’s & Company Mill (1871-1985)

Originally built between 1871 and 1872 as a fertilizer factory. The mill was extended and repurposes between 1879 adn 1895 to produce and store flour. In 1865, Alexander McDougall had pioneered a new kind of baking powder. His five sons decided to focus on producing “McDougall’s Self-Rising Flour.”

In 1898 the mill burned down, and was rebuilt between 1899 and 1900 as Wheatsheaf Mill.

In 1957, McDougall merged with Hovis to become Hovis-McDougall. In 1962 Hovis-McDougall was aquired by Ranks Ltd, itself a company that began with a flour mill, to become RHM ltd.

RHM closed the mill in 1982, and the buildings were demolished in 1984–5.

C. The “Mill Wall”

Along this stretch of the Thames, there were a large number of mills that ground grain into the flour. Thus the name “Millwall.”

D. West India Docks

The 2 Northern Docks (of which this is one) were built between 1800 and 1802. They opened on 27 August 1802.

The Southern Dock was built in the 1860s.

Like Millwall Docks, they closed in 1980.

E. Dunbar Wharf

The first voluntary emigrants to Australia left from Dunbar Wharf.

F. The House They Left Behind

So called because it is the only remaining house of a row of Victorian terraced houses.

G. Limehouse Basin

Opened on 1 August 1820 as Regent’s Canal Docks, the same time as the Camden to Limehouse section of Regents Canal (part of which we’ll be walking on today).It was used to transfer cargo to canal boats.

H. Regent’s Canal

The Camden to Limehouse section of Regent’s Canal, which we walked along, opened on 1 August 1820 (the same day as Regent’s Canal Docks). The Paddington to Limehouse section opened four years earlier.

I. First V-1 Landing Site

The V-1 missiles, in German “Vergeltungswaffe 1″ = “vengeance weapon 1″, were fired from the shore of France and Holland.

On 13 June 1944, just a week after the Normandy landing, the first V-1 misile landed here. Eight civilians were killed.

By September 1944, most of the launch sites had been captured. The “last V-1″ landed in Datchworth in Hertfordshire on 29 March 1945.

J. The Crown

The pub!

The Details

The first London Corpse Walk began at Canary Wharf, and ended at The Crown near Victoria Park.

We met just at Canary Wharf tube station at 10:30am (see map below).