Limehouse Reach Chart:


Limehouse Reach Chart: Click for full screen, zoomable, scrollable version

NB Click divider icon bottom left for distances and bearings

Going upstream the reach starts as the river turns north after passing Greenwich and the Cutty Sark.
On the RIGHT (north and then east) bank is the Isle of Dogs, and then, to the north east, Poplar, and to the north, Limehouse.
On the LEFT (south and then west) bank is Deptford and then Rotherhithe.

1820s: Deptford by William Anderson -


1820s: Deptford by William Anderson

1825: Deptford by John Thames Serres -


1825: Deptford by John Thames Serres -

Masthouse Terrace

RIGHT (north east, Isle of Dogs) bank landing stage


Thames Clippers Routesmap


Masthouse Pier

Slipway (old entrance to West India Millwall Docks)

RIGHT bank, (Isle of Dogs)

South Dock Marina

LEFT (west) bank (Deptford). South Dock Marina website -

South Dock Marina is London's largest marina. lt's conveniently located in South Dock and Greenland Dock on the south bank of the Thames, two and a half miles downstream from Tower Bridge and one-and-a-half miles upstream from Greenwich.

As well as providing a highly central and secure London mooring, the marina makes an excellent base for cruising the Thames and the Medway and for exploring further afield, to the east coast of England and the northern European coastline.

Offering over 200 berths and plenty of facilities, the Marina is popular all year round. Locking in from the tidal Thames is fast and efficient, with the added advantage of holding pontoon.

Although large, the marina is a haven of peace with parks, attractions and facilities nearby. Public transport links are within walking distance, giving easy access to central London and the West End.

Greenland Pier

LEFT (west) bank between the two locks of Greenland Dock. Thames Clippers

Surrey Docks City Farm

LEFT (west, Rotherhithe) bank 500m upstream of Greenland Pier.
Surrey Docks City Farm website -

Surrey Docks Farm is a working city farm in the heart of London. It provides visitors with unique opportunities to learn about farming and food production and become actively involved. The herds and flocks are farmed with specific attention to animal welfare. Farm produced meat is on sale whenever available, so are plants, honey and other produce too.

”Our mission is to provide educational and practical opportunities for all people in the local community and beyond to learn about farming, food production, animal care, horticulture, crafts, cooking and nutrition. We promote teamwork, responsibility, respect for people and nature, sustainability, health and recreation”.

Hilton Docklands Pier

LEFT (west, Rotherhithe) bank. Thames Clippers

Canary Wharf Pier

RIGHT (east, Canary Wharf, Isle of Dogs) bank. Thames Clippers
Isle of Dogs? 1758: A Description of The Thames, Binnell & Griffiths

Opposite to Greenwich, is a Neck of Land or Peninsula, between Limehouse and Blackmail, remarkable for its Number of Windmills on the Shore, and its rich Pasture within the Marshes; and it is called the Isle of Dogs, as is reported, from a Waterman's murthering a Man in this Place, who had a Dog with him, which would not leave his dead Master, till Hunger constrained him to swim over to Greenwich; which being frequently repeated, was observed by the Watermen plying there; who, following the Dog, by that Means discovered the Body of the murthered Man. Soon after, the Dog returning on his accustomed Errand to Greenwich, snarled at a Waterman, who sat there, and would not be beaten off, which encouraged the By-standers, who knew of the Murder, to apprehend him, who thereupon confessed the Fact, and, after due Prosecution at Law, was hanged on this Spot.

Peter Ackroyd on Canary Wharf -

The emergence of the new financial district in the area now known generically as 'Canary Wharf' has transformed the social and economic life of the immediate riverine neighbourhood. It coincided with the 'deregulation' of the markets of the City, so that it became an emblem of change itself. It facilitated the development of a new railway network known as the 'Docklands Light Railway', an extension of the Jubilee Underground line and the development of new Docklands highways. In the process both banks of the Thames were rejuvenated.

There are now large blocks of apartments where there were once derelict wharves. The old canals of the docks have been replaced with marinas. Shopping areas, apartments, public houses and walkways are now, for example, situated where once St Katharine's Dock lay huddled beneath the Tower. Tower, having been closed in 1968, remained in a broken and dilapidated state before its restoration as a new centre of urban life. In one sense the neighbourhood of the river is recovering its ancient exuberance and energy, and is reverting to its existence before the residents and houses were displaced by the building of the docks in the nineteenth century.

There are also buildings along the Thames that have been lent a pharaonic or Egyptian appearance, in honour of the fact that in legend the Thames has also been known as Isis. The great skyscraper of Canary Wharf, Cabot House in Canada Square, has been constructed according to its architect Cesar Pelli as 'a square prism with pyramidal top in the traditional form of the obelisk'. This powerful talisman has now become one of the river's landmarks.

Going upstream the river then starts a 120 degree turn to the west.
Above here on the RIGHT (north east) bank is Poplar.

Cuckold's Point

Cuckold's Point is opposite the Canary Wharf Pier. The name came from a post surmounted by a pair of horns – indicating a cuckold: a man whose wife had cheated on him – that used to stand at the location, commemorating the starting point of the riotous Horn Fair.
It is said that King John, or another English monarch, gave the fair as a concession, along with all the land from the point to Charlton, to a miller whose wife he had seduced after a hunting trip.
A morning with a view of Cuckold's Point, 1750-60 -


Cuckold's Point, 1750-60

Limehouse Basin

RIGHT (north, Limehouse) bank. Limehouse Basin Website -


Limehouse Basin

Limehouse Marina is located to the East of London, and connects the River Lee (via the Limehouse Cut), the Regents Canal and the River Thames.

This is an ideal location for all river, canal and sea going pleasure craft. The 90 berth marina with excellent modern facilities is an oasis of calm in London. The marina makes a perfect base from which to explore London and the surrounding waterways.