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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 London. Alongside the City of London, it constitutes one of the main financial centres in the United Kingdom and the world, containing many high-rise buildings including the third-tallest in the UK, One Canada Square, which opened on 26 August 1991.

Developed on the site of the former West India Docks in East London, Canary Wharf contains around 16,000,000 sq ft (1,500,000 m ²) of office and retail space. It has many open areas and gardens, including Canada Square, Cabot Square, Westferry Circus, Jubilee Park, and Crossrail Place Roof Garden. Together with Heron Quays and Wood Wharf, it forms the Canary Wharf Estate, around 97 acres (39 ha) in area.

East view from Cabot Square

Canary Wharf is located on the West India Docks on the Isle of Dogs.

From 1802 to the late 1980s, what would become the Canary Wharf Estate was a part of the Isle of Dogs ( Millwall), Limehouse, and Poplar and was one of the busiest docks in the world. West India Docks was primarily developed by Robert Milligan ( c.  1746-1809) who set up the West India Dock Company.

The Port of London Authority was established in 1909 and took control of West India Dock. The enterprise of Sir Alfred Lewis Jones, a Welsh shipping magnate who was a prominent figure in the Canary Islands, led to a constant stream of ships arriving into London's South Quay Dock and the naming of Canary Wharf, after the ships' origin. It was named after No. 32 berth of the West Wood Quay of the Import Dock. This was built in 1936 for Fruit Lines Ltd, a subsidiary of Fred Olsen Lines for the Mediterranean and Canary Islands fruit trade. It is located on the Isle of Dogs, the quay and warehouse were given the name Canary Wharf.

After the 1960s, when cargo became containerised, port industry began to decline, leading to all the docks being closed by 1980. After the docks closed in 1980, the British Government adopted policies to stimulate redevelopment of the area, including the creation of the London Docklands Development Corporation (LDDC) in 1981 and the granting of Urban Enterprise Zone status to the Isle of Dogs in 1982.

The Canary Wharf of today began when Michael von Clemm, former chairman of Credit Suisse First Boston (CSFB), came up with the idea to convert Canary Wharf into a back office. Further discussions with G Ware Travelstead led to proposals for a new business district and included the LDDC developing an inexpensive light metro scheme, the Docklands Light Railway, to make use of a large amount of redundant railway infrastructure and to improve access.

The project was sold to the Canadian company Olympia & York and construction began in 1988, master-planned by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill with Yorke Rosenberg Mardall as their UK advisors, and subsequently by Koetter Kim. The first buildings were completed in 1991, including One Canada Square, which became the UK's tallest building at the time and a symbol of the regeneration of Docklands. By the time it opened, the London commercial property market had collapsed, and Olympia and York Canary Wharf Limited filed for bankruptcy in May 1992.

Initially, the City of London saw Canary Wharf as an existential threat. It modified its planning laws to expand the provision of new offices in the City of London, for example, creating offices above railway stations (Blackfriars) and roads ( Alban Gate). The resulting oversupply of office space contributed to the failure of the Canary Wharf project.

In October 1995, an international consortium that included investors such as Alwaleed, bought control for $1.2 billion. Paul Reichmann, of Olympia & York, was named chairman, and Canary Wharf went public in 1999. The new company was called Canary Wharf Limited, and later became Canary Wharf Group.

In 1997, some residents living on the Isle of Dogs launched a lawsuit against Canary Wharf Ltd for private nuisance because the tower interfered with TV signals. The residents lost the case.

Recovery in the property market generally, coupled with continuing demand for large floorplate Grade A office space, slowly improved the level of interest. A critical event in the recovery was the much-delayed start of work on the Jubilee Line Extension, which the government wanted ready for the Millennium celebrations.

In March 2004, Canary Wharf Group plc. was taken over by a consortium of investors, backed by its largest shareholder Glick Family Investments and led by Morgan Stanley using a vehicle named Songbird Estates plc.

One Canada Square was the tallest building in London and the only skyscraper in Canary Wharf in April 1995. Canary Wharf and Isle of Dogs panorama view from the Royal Observatory in Greenwich.

One Canada Square surrounded by a cluster of skyscrapers, April 2022

In addition to being a leading global financial district in the United Kingdom, Canary Wharf is famous for a cluster of the tallest modern commercial complexes and residential high-rise buildings. Building from scratch in early 1990s, the district is home to the first tallest iconic skyscraper, One Canada Square, in the United Kingdom. In 20 years, Canary Wharf's new rapid grown skyscraper cluster has dramatically transformed the skyline of London with modern architectures.

This table lists completed buildings in Canary Wharf that are at least 100 m (330 ft) tall.

1
One Canada Square
235

771

50

1991

The third-tallest completed building in the United Kingdom, the tallest being The Shard. Designed by Cesar Pelli, it was the tallest building in the United Kingdom upon completion in 1991. Multi-tenanted; occupiers include BNY Mellon, the CFA Institute, Clearstream, European Energy Exchange, Euler Hermes, the International Sugar Organization, Mahindra Satyam, MetLife, Moody's Analytics and Reach.

7
25 Canada Square
200

655

42

2001

The joint eleventh-tallest completed building in the United Kingdom. 25 Canada Square and 33 Canada Square together form a single complex known as the Citigroup Centre. Primarily occupied by Citigroup as its EMEA headquarters. Other tenants include Gain Capital, 3i Infotech, Crossrail, Instinet, Munich Re, MWB Group, FIS, Interoute, NYK and Wells Fargo.

8

Wardian London (East Tower)

187

614

55

2019

Residential tower. Awarded the Silver Award for Best Luxury Development in 2023.

9

Amory Tower (The Madison)

182

597

53

2019

Residential tower. Won Best Residential Tall Building Project at the 2022 Tall Buildings Awards.

15

10 Park Drive
Wood Wharf

150

492

43

2019

Residential tower. The first new residential development to be built in Wood Wharf. Awarded a Gold award for Best Apartment Scheme at the 40th annual WhatHouse? Awards.

16

Arena Tower (Baltimore Tower)

149

489

45

2017

Residential tower. Winner of the Best Residential High Rise Award at the International Property Awards.

17

Pan Peninsula (East Tower)

147

484

48

2008

Residential tower. Pan Peninsula was arguably the first "Ultra Luxury" development in Canary Wharf.

19

One & Five Bank Street

143

469

28

2019

Commercial tower. Bounded by water on two sides, this building marks the entrance to the Canary Wharf Estate. Achieved a BREEAM Outstanding rating, making it one of the most sustainable buildings of its type in London. European Bank for Reconstruction and Development relocated its headquarters to Five Bank Street in 2022.

21=

10 George Street
Wood Wharf

128

420

35

2018

Residential tower. It is the first of three "Build to Rent" properties commissioned by the rental arm of the Canary Wharf group, known as Vertus. Won Gold for the Best build-to-rent (BtR) Project at 2020 WhatHouse? Awards.

23

Harbour Central Block C (Sirocco Tower)

125

409

36

2018

Residential tower. Sirocco tower was the first built out of the 7 buildings planned on the Harbour Central site. Also see Maine Tower.

25
25 Churchill Place
387

24

2014

The building housed the European Medicines Agency from early 2014 until March 2019 when they relocated to Amsterdam and Ernst & Young from 2015.

26

Dollar Bay Tower

109

358

31

2016

Residential tower. Has won numerous housing and architectural awards, including: The Best New Iconic Scheme, and The Mayors award for Environmental Excellence, at the London Planning Awards in 2018.

As at 12 February 2023, there are 16 listed buildings in Canary Wharf of which 2 are Grade I and 14 in Grade II.

Grade I Listed Buildings

Quay Walls, Copings and Buttresses to Import Dock and Export Dock: The original West India Docks consists of three docks. The Import Dock, the earliest, was opened in 1800-02, and followed to south by the Export Dock of 1803-06.

Warehouses and General Offices at Western End of North Quay: originally a range of nine warehouses was built 1800-04 at the western end of North Quay, West India Dock Road. Only two warehouses survived the bombing raid in World War II.

These docks with Nos 1 and 2 warehouses are now the only surviving examples of the first intensive period of London Docklands construction: 1800-10.

Grade II Listed Buildings

Most of the Grade II Listed buildings in Canary Wharf sit to the north-west of West India Dock North, and are located within the West India Dock Conservation Area. In addition to architectural values, "these buildings and structures are of significance due to their association with the development of the docks and the community that grew up around them".

Photograph

Building Name

Construction Date

Location (E14)

Listing Date

Description

1800s, early
West India Dock Road
19 July 1950

Two rusticated Portland stone piers with a capping of four dwarf pediments and acroteria.

1900s, early

Westferry Road

Stock brick curved wing walls and Portland stone gatepiers. Modern brick wall blocks entrance. Two cast-iron obelisk pattern bollards with the inscription WIDC (West India Dock Company).

1800s, early
West India Dock Road
30 September 1981

Cast iron railings approximately 70 yards in length.

Former Excise Office

1807
West India Dock Road
30 September 1981

Also known as Dockmaster's House, by the architect and engineer Thomas Morris.

Railings and Gatepiers to Former Excise Office

1807
West India Dock Road
30 September 1981

Contemporary iron railings with six rusticated stucco gatepiers on street front. The stucco decoration of the piers elaborated mid 19th century.

1825
West India Dock Road
30 September 1981

Also known as Cannon Workshops, by engineer John Rennie the Younger. A rare survival of an early purpose built illustrative of the workings of the Docks Company.

1803
West India Dock Road
27 September 1973

A one storey, small circular building designed by architect George Gwilt. It originally formed one of a pair built by Docks Company as a lock-up and armoury.

1803-05

Westferry Road

By civil engineer William Jessop, built as the west entrance lock to the City Canal, later taken into the West India Docks system.

1870-80

Westferry Road

A good example of the smaller warehouses in the historical West India Docks, with built in retail outlet on ground floor, a now rare feature.

1987-88

Westferry Road

18 April 2018

A 20-storey residential tower by CZWG.

An exemplary of the celebrated British Post-Modernist architecture practice

An important residential scheme of the late 20th century British town planning and industrial reclamation in London Docklands

An iconic local landmark building on the River Thames shore of the Isle of Dogs

Canary Wharf contains around 16,000,000 sq ft (1,500,000 m ²) of office and retail space, of which around 7,900,000 sq ft (730,000 m ²) (about 49%) is owned by Canary Wharf Group. Around 105,000 people work in Canary Wharf, and it is home to the world or European headquarters of numerous major banks, professional services firms, and media organisations, including Barclays, Citigroup, Clifford Chance, Credit Suisse, Ernst & Young, Fitch Ratings, HSBC, Infosys, JPMorgan Chase, KPMG, MetLife, Moody's, Morgan Stanley, Royal Bank of Canada, Deutsche Bank, S&P Global, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, State Street, The Economist Group and Thomson Reuters. Until 2018, Canary Wharf also hosted two European Union agencies, European Medicines Agency and European Banking Authority, that moved to Amsterdam and Paris respectively due to Brexit.

West India Quays and Poplar Dock are two marinas that are used as moorings for barges and private leisure river craft and is owned by the Canal & River Trust.

A local public library, called Idea Store Canary Wharf, is in Churchill Place shopping mall and run by Tower Hamlets Council which opened on Thursday 16 March 2006 as part of the Idea Store project and is the borough fourth Idea Store.

Canary Wharf hosts two multiplexes (cinemas), one on West India Quay run by Cineworld. and another at Crossrail Place called Everyman Cinema.

Canada Square is one of the central squares at Canary Wharf. It is a large open space with grass, except during the winter when it is converted into an ice rink. The square is named after Canada, because the original developers of modern Canary Wharf, Olympia & York, wanted to reflect their heritage. Underneath the square is Canada Place shopping mall.

Westferry Circus is on the west side of Canary Wharf. It is a garden at ground level, and below is a roundabout allowing traffic to flow through. The garden is enclosed by bespoke hand-crafted ornamental railings and entrance gates by artist Giuseppe Lund. The area has a long history, dating back to 1812, when the Poplar and Greenwich Roads Company operated a horse ferry between Greenwich and the Isle of Dogs. It operated on the West Ferry and East Ferry Roads, which the names survived. Westferry Circus was chosen as the name for the roundabout and park by virtue of its proximity to Westferry Road.

Cabot Square is one of the biggest squares at Canary Wharf, with a large fountain at the centre. The inner perimeter has additional fountains covered by trees. The square has large circular glass ventilation holes to allow gases to escape from the underground car park. The square is named after John Cabot and his son Sebastian, who were Italian explorers who settled in England in 1484.

Churchill Place is an area on the east side of Canary Wharf. It is named after Winston Churchill.

A small square on the west side of Canary Wharf named after Christopher Columbus. The first phase of Canary Wharf was completed in 1992, 500 years after Columbus arrived in America.

A passageway south of Cabot Square. Named after Richard Chancellor who sailed with Sir John Willoughby from Greenwich on their voyage through the White Sea to Moscow.

Small area north of Cabot Square. Leads to North Dock footbridge towards Port East. Named after British architect Christopher Wren.

Located at the east end of Jubilee Park, Montgomery Square is an outdoor location for socialising. Events include street food markets, beach volleyball tournaments, padel tennis competition, and minigolf.

Canary Wharf Group is enthusiastic about adding more green spaces and gardens to the dense urban environment. A total of 20 acres of landscaped parks, gardens and verdant squares complete with 1,000 trees, 4,000 shrubs and 70,000 seasonal plants are added each year. Visitors are welcome to explore these parks and green spaces, which are ideal places for relaxation, social gatherings, performances, viewing outdoor public art, as well as hosting outdoor events and festivities.

Jubilee Park is a 10,000m² roof garden located above Jubilee Place, a shopping mall, and Canary Wharf Jubilee Station, an underground railway station. The park, opened in 2002 and was named in honour of the Golden Jubilee of Elizabeth II. Jubilee Park is located in the financial district of Canary Wharf. The park's central feature is a raised serpentine water channel with rough stone walls. The curvilinear design of the water channel is intended to contrast to the scale and straightness of the surrounding buildings. In 2023, Jubilee Park won the Green Flag Award, recognising Jubilee Park as one of the United Kingdom's best parks

A 4,160 m ² (44,800 sq ft) roof garden, one of London's largest, houses on the top of seven-storey Crossrail Place structure, which contains the Elizabeth line Canary Wharf station. Opened to public in 2015, it lies almost exactly on the Meridian line splitting eastern and western hemispheres. The plants originating from the eastern hemisphere are planted to the East of the Meridian line in the garden, with those from the Western hemisphere on the opposite side. The design and development of Crossrail Place Roof Garden was honored by winning numerous prestigious international and United Kingdom awards. Selected notable awards include: "Best Urban Regeneration Project" at 2016 MIPIM awards in France, the first prize for the best "Innovative Design of a Contemporary Garden" at the 2017 European Garden Awards in Berlin, and a Highly Commended accolade at the 2016 Landscape Institute Awards in the category 'Design for a Small-Scale Development'.

A newly opened garden, located at the strand of Wood Wharf, features a boardwalk for waterside wandering. The garden also offers family-friendly picnic spots and outdoor fitness equipment on the green lawn, where visitors can relax, view outdoor public art, and watch the water. Just around the corner, it has access to a new garden square, Harbord Square Park.

Harbord Square Park, the newest garden square in Wood Wharf, continues the great London tradition of garden squares. It is open 24/7 and offers green space available for mindfulness activities and to support nearby residents' general wellbeing.

Canary Wharf shopping centre, ranked as one of the best in London, has five interconnected shopping malls: Canada Place, Cabot Place, Jubilee Place, Crossrail Place, and Churchill Place. The malls provide over 102,193 m ² (1,100,000 sq ft) of retail space, more than 310 shops from beauty, fashion, lifestyle, luxurious brands, health, and homeware, as well as 70 cafés, bars, and restaurants, eight grocery stores, five health clubs and a cinema. There are also numerous bars, restaurants, and food halls at street level, alongside plenty of outdoor seating enabling visitors to see the stunning wharf and riverside views.

Every four years, residents of Canary Wharf ward elect two councillors to represent them on Tower Hamlets Council.

† Andrew Wood was elected for the Conservative Party in 2018, but resigned to sit as an Independent in 2020.

Canary Wharf is served by London-wide, regional, national and international transport connections.

Canary Wharf is in London fare zone 2, and several stations can be found throughout the estate.

Canary Wharf tube station on the Jubilee line

Stations in Canary Wharf only offer direct connections to London and Berkshire destinations. Regional and national National Rail connections can be found elsewhere in London, including at Liverpool Street, Lewisham, London Bridge, Stratford, Stratford International and Waterloo.

The A1020 Lower Lea Crossing, heading towards Canary Wharf. A shared use path for cycles and pedestrians also crosses the bridge.

Major roads near Canary Wharf include:

Air pollution

Transport for London (TfL) and the London Borough of Tower Hamlets monitor the air quality around Canary Wharf.

In 2017, an automatic monitoring station in Blackwall found that local air quality failed to meet UK National Air Quality Objectives, recording an annual average Nitrogen Dioxide (NO ₂) concentration of 56 μg/m3 ( micrograms per cubic metre). The National Objective is set by the government at 40 μg/m3.

Alternative stations nearer Canary Wharf recorded cleaner air. Monitors at the Limehouse Link/Westferry Road junction and on Prestons Road recorded a 2017 annual average NO ₂ concentration of 40 μg/m3, which Tower Hamlets argue fails to meet the UK National Objective.

London Buses routes 135, 277, D3, D7, D8, N277 and N550 call at bus stops near Canary Wharf. Bus 135 links Canary Wharf directly to Liverpool Street in the City of London, and bus D8 to Stratford.

Canary Wharf Pier

Several Riverboat services call at Canary Wharf Pier, including:

Tower, London Bridge City and Blackfriars are in the City of London. Oyster Cards are valid for travel on TfL-coordinated riverboat services.

London City Airport is 3 miles (4.8 km) from Canary Wharf. Over 4.8 million passengers passed through City Airport in 2018. The airport serves domestic and international destinations, including New York.

London City Airport is on the DLR. Passengers from Canary Wharf can change trains at Poplar for services to the Airport.

The Canary Wharf Group, London Borough of Tower Hamlets and Transport for London (TfL) provide cycling infrastructure in and around Canary Wharf. Several leisure and commuter routes pass through or near the estate, including:

Cycle Superhighway 3 passes to the north of Canary Wharf and links the estate to the City of London, Westminster and Hyde Park on a predominantly traffic-free route.

National Cycle Route 1 (NCR 1) - a leisure cycle route from Dover, Kent to Shetland, Scotland. The route is indirect, running through London on low-traffic paths. In North London, the route runs from the Greenwich Foot Tunnel to Enfield Lock via Canary Wharf, Mile End and Tottenham. The route runs to the west of Canary Wharf, parallel to the River Thames.[126]

EuroVelo 2 ("The Capitals Route") - an international leisure cycle route from Moscow, Russia to Galway, Ireland. In North London, EV2 follows the route of NCR 1.[127]

National Cycle Route 13 (NCR 13) - a leisure cycle route from the City to Fakenham, Norfolk. The route is indirect, running through East London on low-traffic paths. The route leaves London near Rainham.[128]

Cycle Superhighway 3 (CS3) - a commuter cycle route from Barking to West London. The route runs east-west through nearby Poplar on low-traffic or residential streets. The route is signposted and unbroken.[129]

Cycleway from Hackney to the Isle of Dogs - proposed cycle link which would link Canary Wharf directly to Mile End on traffic-free cycle track.[130]

Limehouse Cut towpath - shared-use path from nearby Limehouse to Stratford. The route is traffic-free.[131]

Regent's Canal towpath - shared-use path from nearby Limehouse to Angel. The route is traffic-free and passes through Mile End, Haggerston, and Islington.[131]

Opened in a Grade I listed Georgian warehouse by Queen Elizabeth II in June 2003, the Museum of London Docklands is one of the main attractions in the area. It is dedicated to the history of London's river, port, and people from Roman settlement to the present day. The museum offers a range of activities for children and families, including interactive displays and immersive activities.

Canary Wharf has been reported since 2017 as part of the augmented reality game to being the home for the most wanted Pokémon gyms in London including Canary Wharf DLR station and Montgomery Square.

Canary Wharf Group published an official Pokémon map for PokéStops and Pokémon Gyms, the managing director for retail Camille Waxer said in 2016 that Pokémon Go has serious potential to attract new audiences to the area, particularly food and drink outlets are seeing an increase in footfall.

Incepted in 2014, the Canary Wharf Winter Lights Festival turns on January of the year. Public are free to visit a range of outdoor light art and interactive installations created by artists from around the world. The festival has awarded the Best Creative Lighting Event award by the [d]arc awards in 2017 and 2019. The 2023 Canary Wharf Winter Lights Festival is described as the largest light art festival in London.

It is an annual fundraising event organized by WaterAid, an international charity, in collaboration with the Canary Wharf Group. The funds raised through this event are used to combat the escalating water crisis that leaves people globally unable to access clean water and without a basic toilet. The Dragon Boat Race, based on a Chinese tradition dating back over 2,000 years, takes place in South Dock of Canary Wharf on summer, and is open to corporate teams of between 11 and 17 participants. In 2022, 15 teams participated the race, and the event raised £26,000. With 19 teams taking place in the 2023 race, the raised funds was increased to £31,744.

Hosted by the Canary Wharf Group, the festival was a four-day event from 21 to 24 July 2022. It hosted over 60 live acts including music, theatre, dance, poetry, comedy, family funs and children's activities throughout the estate. The majority of acts were free to attend, and the event transformed the estate's numerous parks, plazas, and open spaces as they hosted a line-up of artists and performers from across the world. The second year of Festival14 is extended to a five day event from Wednesday 26th to Sunday 30 July 2023.

Canary Wharf has partnered with Love Open Water to launch its first outdoor swimming since summer 2022. The venue, located in the 220-year-old Middle Dock, offers 600 m ² (6,500 sq ft) of open water swimming.

Couple on Seat by Lynn Chadwick, located at Cabot Square, Canary Wharf[149]

The Canary Wharf Art Trail is the largest outdoor public art collection in London. People are free to visit more than 100 pieces of stand-alone sculptures, integrated architectural works, and outdoor art exhibiting outside buildings around the Canary Wharf area. Two printed maps are regularly updated by the Canary Wharf Group for visitors to discover and identify artworks permanently on display all over the estate.

Canary Wharf Art Map: over 100 pieces of artworks, with a brief description, are numbered sequentially as to their exhibition locations at Canary Wharf.

Children's Art Trail: a smaller trail of 12 sculptures and artworks for children.

The Canary Wharf website provides information about Raise Your Art Rate, an ongoing event that allows visitors to explore the outdoor public art collection while exercising. The event offers 1, 3, and 5 km walking, jogging or running routes that traverse the artworks. The routes are tailored to showcase the over 100 artworks on display throughout the estate. The event is free and open to all visitors.

The East London Advertiser (formerly The Docklands & East London Advertiser) is a local newspaper printing weekly and also online.

Wharf life is a fortnightly publication of 15,000 copies for Canary Wharf, Docklands and east London. An E-edition is also available.

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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 London.

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