Queenhithe
Encyclopedia
Queenhithe is a small ward
of the City of London
, situated on the River Thames
and to the south of St Paul's Cathedral
. The Millennium Bridge
crosses into the City at Queenhithe.
It is also the name of an ancient, but presently disused, dock
and a minor street which runs along that dock, both which fall within the ward.
dock (or small harbour), but known in Saxon times as "Aedereshyd", later "Ethelred's Hythe". The dock existed during the period when the Wessex king, Alfred the Great
, re-established the City of London, circa 886 AD. It only became named "Queenhithe" (spelt archaically as "Queenhythe") when Matilda
, daughter of Henry I
, was granted duties on goods landed there. The Queenhithe dock remains today, but has long fallen out of use and is heavily silt
ed up (being tidal). The Queenhithe harbour was used for importing corn into London and continued to be in use into the 20th century, by the fur trade. Being upstream of London Bridge
however meant that large (especially sail
) ships could not gain access to the dock from the sea.
The dock, including the wharf walls and adjacent street, was designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument
in 1973; it is the only surviving inlet on the modern City waterfront. The walls were recently strengthened, as part of the area's flood defences.
Bombing in the Second World War destroyed approximately three-quarters of the buildings in the ward. The only Listed buildings in the ward are St Benet Paul's Wharf
church and the tower of the former St Mary Somerset church.
Construction of the Millennium Bridge began in 1998 and it was opened in 2000; previously there was no bridge connecting the ward with the south bank of the Thames. The construction of the bridge, which created a direct pedestrian route from the south bank (at the Tate Modern
) to St Paul's Cathedral, has dramatically increased the volume of tourists and City workers travelling through the ward.
The ward includes the City of London School
and the Painters and Stainers Hall
. The international headquarters of the Salvation Army
is situated on the corner of Queen Victoria Street and Peter's Hill (the street which runs up from the Millennium Bridge towards St Paul's Cathedral) and was recently refurbished.
The headquarters of the Aviation Environment Federation
is located on Broken Wharf. Also within the ward are the London offices of the international law company Salans
and the Japanese (global) bank SMBC
.
The ward has a complex urban
topography
, largely due to post-WWII development, with Upper Thames Street running beneath Peter's Hill and a number of large post-WWII buildings, such as Millennium Bridge House and Queensbridge House (which is planned to be redeveloped in the near future). A number of old lanes and alleys remain, some of which cross the thoroughfare by footbridge.
The Welsh church, St Benet Paul's Wharf
, is in the north west corner of the ward. Two former churches were situated within the ward, very near to one another: St Michael Queenhithe and St Mary Somerset, of which only the tower of St Mary's remains.
The ward is one of the smaller centres of residents which exists in the otherwise business-dominated City. The resident population of the ward c. 2009 is estimated to be 280. Sir John Lyon House and Globe View are recent residential developments. A small number of bars and restaurants are being established along the riverside, with views across to the Globe Theatre
and the Tate Modern.
station is Mansion House
, also on Queen Victoria Street.
, but gained ground (including the City School) to the west from the ward of Castle Baynard
. The current review of ward boundaries, which will come into effect in 2013, recommends no further changes to Queenhithe's boundaries. The ward is recognised as one of the four "residential" wards of the City (and is the smallest of those wards) and policy is to retain a predominantly residential vote (as opposed to the business vote being predominant) in these wards.
The present-day (2003— ) boundary of the ward, starting from the Thames in the west, runs north along White Lion Hill (to the west of the City School) then east along Queen Victoria Street
then down Lambeth Hill. The boundary then runs for a short distance along Upper Thames Street before heading north up Huggin Hill to include Painters Hall, after which the boundary heads south towards the river again; the ward includes all of Queensbridge House. Leading to the river, the boundary crosses Upper Thames Street and then runs along Queenhithe (the street), including the whole of the old dock.
Included within the ward boundary is the part of the Thames, adjacent to the Queenhithe shore, which is in the City (i.e. to a line mid-way across). Indeed, approximately half of the ward's area is the Thames river and shore
; with this part excluded the ward is the smallest (by area) in the City. The ward (and City) boundary is crossed halfway across the Millennium Bridge.
The ward is bounded by the City wards of Castle Baynard to the west, Bread Street
to the north, Vintry to the east, and the London borough
of Southwark
to the south (across the river). Prior to the 2003 boundary changes the ward also bounded Cordwainers' ward
.
s in the City of London
, each electing an Alderman
to the Court of Aldermen
, and Commoners (the City equivalent of a Councillor
) to the Court of Common Council of the City of London Corporation. Only electors who are Freeman of the City of London are eligible to stand.
Queenhithe currently elects two Commoners to the Court of Common Council. The present Alderman is Gordon Warwick Haines, who was re-elected on 5 October 2010.
. As with many place names in that country, it is named after the place in England.
Wards of the City of London
The City of London , in the United Kingdom, is constituted of 25 wards. The City is the historic core of the much wider metropolis of London, with an ancient and sui generis form of local government, which avoided the many reforms enacted to local government elsewhere in the country in the 19th and...
of the City of London
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
, situated on the River Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
and to the south of St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral
St Paul's Cathedral, London, is a Church of England cathedral and seat of the Bishop of London. Its dedication to Paul the Apostle dates back to the original church on this site, founded in AD 604. St Paul's sits at the top of Ludgate Hill, the highest point in the City of London, and is the mother...
. The Millennium Bridge
Millennium Bridge (London)
The Millennium Bridge, officially known as the London Millennium Footbridge, is a steel suspension bridge for pedestrians crossing the River Thames in London, England, linking Bankside with the City. It is located between Southwark Bridge and Blackfriars Railway Bridge...
crosses into the City at Queenhithe.
It is also the name of an ancient, but presently disused, dock
Dock (maritime)
A dock is a human-made structure or group of structures involved in the handling of boats or ships, usually on or close to a shore.However, the exact meaning varies among different variants of the English language...
and a minor street which runs along that dock, both which fall within the ward.
History
The ward's name derives from the "Queen's Dock", or "Queen's Quay", which was probably a RomanRoman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
dock (or small harbour), but known in Saxon times as "Aedereshyd", later "Ethelred's Hythe". The dock existed during the period when the Wessex king, Alfred the Great
Alfred the Great
Alfred the Great was King of Wessex from 871 to 899.Alfred is noted for his defence of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of southern England against the Vikings, becoming the only English monarch still to be accorded the epithet "the Great". Alfred was the first King of the West Saxons to style himself...
, re-established the City of London, circa 886 AD. It only became named "Queenhithe" (spelt archaically as "Queenhythe") when Matilda
Empress Matilda
Empress Matilda , also known as Matilda of England or Maude, was the daughter and heir of King Henry I of England. Matilda and her younger brother, William Adelin, were the only legitimate children of King Henry to survive to adulthood...
, daughter of Henry I
Henry I of England
Henry I was the fourth son of William I of England. He succeeded his elder brother William II as King of England in 1100 and defeated his eldest brother, Robert Curthose, to become Duke of Normandy in 1106...
, was granted duties on goods landed there. The Queenhithe dock remains today, but has long fallen out of use and is heavily silt
Silt
Silt is granular material of a size somewhere between sand and clay whose mineral origin is quartz and feldspar. Silt may occur as a soil or as suspended sediment in a surface water body...
ed up (being tidal). The Queenhithe harbour was used for importing corn into London and continued to be in use into the 20th century, by the fur trade. Being upstream of London Bridge
London Bridge
London Bridge is a bridge over the River Thames, connecting the City of London and Southwark, in central London. Situated between Cannon Street Railway Bridge and Tower Bridge, it forms the western end of the Pool of London...
however meant that large (especially sail
Sailing ship
The term sailing ship is now used to refer to any large wind-powered vessel. In technical terms, a ship was a sailing vessel with a specific rig of at least three masts, square rigged on all of them, making the sailing adjective redundant. In popular usage "ship" became associated with all large...
) ships could not gain access to the dock from the sea.
The dock, including the wharf walls and adjacent street, was designated a Scheduled Ancient Monument
Scheduled Ancient Monument
In the United Kingdom, a scheduled monument is a 'nationally important' archaeological site or historic building, given protection against unauthorized change. The various pieces of legislation used for legally protecting heritage assets from damage and destruction are grouped under the term...
in 1973; it is the only surviving inlet on the modern City waterfront. The walls were recently strengthened, as part of the area's flood defences.
Bombing in the Second World War destroyed approximately three-quarters of the buildings in the ward. The only Listed buildings in the ward are St Benet Paul's Wharf
St Benet Paul's Wharf
The Church of St Benet Paul's Wharf is the Welsh church of the City of London. Since 1555, it has also been the church of the College of Arms, and many officers of arms are buried there. The current church was designed by Sir Christopher Wren.-History:...
church and the tower of the former St Mary Somerset church.
Construction of the Millennium Bridge began in 1998 and it was opened in 2000; previously there was no bridge connecting the ward with the south bank of the Thames. The construction of the bridge, which created a direct pedestrian route from the south bank (at the Tate Modern
Tate Modern
Tate Modern is a modern art gallery located in London, England. It is Britain's national gallery of international modern art and forms part of the Tate group . It is the most-visited modern art gallery in the world, with around 4.7 million visitors per year...
) to St Paul's Cathedral, has dramatically increased the volume of tourists and City workers travelling through the ward.
Features
City of London School
The City of London School is a boys' independent day school on the banks of the River Thames in the City of London, England. It is the brother school of the City of London School for Girls and the co-educational City of London Freemen's School...
and the Painters and Stainers Hall
Worshipful Company of Painter-Stainers
The Worshipful Company of Painter-Stainers is one of the Livery Companies of the City of London. An organisation of stainers, or painters of metals and wood, is known to have existed as early as 1268. A similar organisation of painters, who generally worked on cloth, existed as early as 1283...
. The international headquarters of the Salvation Army
Salvation Army
The Salvation Army is a Protestant Christian church known for its thrift stores and charity work. It is an international movement that currently works in over a hundred countries....
is situated on the corner of Queen Victoria Street and Peter's Hill (the street which runs up from the Millennium Bridge towards St Paul's Cathedral) and was recently refurbished.
The headquarters of the Aviation Environment Federation
Aviation Environment Federation
The Aviation Environment Federation is the principal UK non-profit making organisation concerned with the environmental effects of aviation. These range from aviation noise issues associated with small airstrips or helipads to the contribution of airline emissions to global warming...
is located on Broken Wharf. Also within the ward are the London offices of the international law company Salans
Salans
Salans is an international, full-service law firm operating from 22 offices across 17 countries.-Profile:With 22 offices located in the world’s main commercial centres and emerging markets, Salans’ lawyers advise on complex transactions using a combination of local and international expertise...
and the Japanese (global) bank SMBC
Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation
is a Japanese bank based in Yurakucho, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. It is a member of the Sumitomo Group and Mitsui Group. As of the year 2009, SMBC was the second largest bank in Japan in terms of assets.-History:...
.
The ward has a complex urban
Urban area
An urban area is characterized by higher population density and vast human features in comparison to areas surrounding it. Urban areas may be cities, towns or conurbations, but the term is not commonly extended to rural settlements such as villages and hamlets.Urban areas are created and further...
topography
Topography
Topography is the study of Earth's surface shape and features or those ofplanets, moons, and asteroids...
, largely due to post-WWII development, with Upper Thames Street running beneath Peter's Hill and a number of large post-WWII buildings, such as Millennium Bridge House and Queensbridge House (which is planned to be redeveloped in the near future). A number of old lanes and alleys remain, some of which cross the thoroughfare by footbridge.
The Welsh church, St Benet Paul's Wharf
St Benet Paul's Wharf
The Church of St Benet Paul's Wharf is the Welsh church of the City of London. Since 1555, it has also been the church of the College of Arms, and many officers of arms are buried there. The current church was designed by Sir Christopher Wren.-History:...
, is in the north west corner of the ward. Two former churches were situated within the ward, very near to one another: St Michael Queenhithe and St Mary Somerset, of which only the tower of St Mary's remains.
The ward is one of the smaller centres of residents which exists in the otherwise business-dominated City. The resident population of the ward c. 2009 is estimated to be 280. Sir John Lyon House and Globe View are recent residential developments. A small number of bars and restaurants are being established along the riverside, with views across to the Globe Theatre
Shakespeare's Globe
Shakespeare's Globe is a reconstruction of the Globe Theatre, an Elizabethan playhouse in the London Borough of Southwark, located on the south bank of the River Thames, but destroyed by fire in 1613, rebuilt 1614 then demolished in 1644. The modern reconstruction is an academic best guess, based...
and the Tate Modern.
Public transport
London Buses route 388 runs along Queen Victoria Street and stops (for both directions) near the College of Arms/Salvation Army HQ (the stop is named "Millennium Bridge"). The nearest London UndergroundLondon Underground
The London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...
station is Mansion House
Mansion House tube station
Mansion House is a London Underground station in the City of London, near Mansion House . It is a sub-surface station served by trains on the Circle and District Lines. It is between Blackfriars and Cannon Street stations. The station is located at the junction of Queen Victoria Street and Cannon...
, also on Queen Victoria Street.
Riverside walk
A public riverside walk exists along the entire shoreline of the City, except for a short stretch at Queenhithe. A new section, facilitated by recent development, between Broken Wharf and Stew Lane was hoped to be open to the public in 2010, but as of 2011 has not. The final "missing link" is then around Queenhithe dock itself, from Stew Lane to Queenhithe (street). Any future development of Queensbridge House would include the walkway, however in the meanwhile a temporary walkway may be erected around the dock. At present, with the riverside walk unavailable between Broken Wharf and Queenhithe, users have to head up to and walk along High Timber Street.Ward boundary
In 2003 the ward boundaries of the City of London were altered quite considerably, including those of Queenhithe, as it was the first comprehensive review of ward boundaries. Queenhithe lost some ground to the north and east to the ward of VintryVintry
Vintry is a ward of the City of London, within the boundary formed by Queen Victoria Street, Cannon Street, Queenhithe and Cousin Lane....
, but gained ground (including the City School) to the west from the ward of Castle Baynard
Castle Baynard
Castle Baynard is one of the 25 wards of the City of London, the historic core of the English capital. It covers an irregular shaped area, somewhat akin to a tuning fork bounded on the east by the wards of Queenhithe and Bread Street, the River Thames to the south and Farringdon Without to the...
. The current review of ward boundaries, which will come into effect in 2013, recommends no further changes to Queenhithe's boundaries. The ward is recognised as one of the four "residential" wards of the City (and is the smallest of those wards) and policy is to retain a predominantly residential vote (as opposed to the business vote being predominant) in these wards.
The present-day (2003— ) boundary of the ward, starting from the Thames in the west, runs north along White Lion Hill (to the west of the City School) then east along Queen Victoria Street
Queen Victoria Street, London
Queen Victoria Street, named after the British monarch from 1837 to 1901 is a long street in the City of London which runs east by north from its junction with New Bridge Street in Castle Baynard Ward, along a section that divides those of Queenhithe and Bread Street , then lastly through the...
then down Lambeth Hill. The boundary then runs for a short distance along Upper Thames Street before heading north up Huggin Hill to include Painters Hall, after which the boundary heads south towards the river again; the ward includes all of Queensbridge House. Leading to the river, the boundary crosses Upper Thames Street and then runs along Queenhithe (the street), including the whole of the old dock.
Included within the ward boundary is the part of the Thames, adjacent to the Queenhithe shore, which is in the City (i.e. to a line mid-way across). Indeed, approximately half of the ward's area is the Thames river and shore
Intertidal zone
The intertidal zone is the area that is above water at low tide and under water at high tide . This area can include many different types of habitats, with many types of animals like starfish, sea urchins, and some species of coral...
; with this part excluded the ward is the smallest (by area) in the City. The ward (and City) boundary is crossed halfway across the Millennium Bridge.
The ward is bounded by the City wards of Castle Baynard to the west, Bread Street
Bread Street
Bread Street is a ward of the City of London and is named from its principal street, which was anciently the bread market; for by the records it appears that in 1302, the bakers of London were ordered to sell no bread at their houses but in the open market...
to the north, Vintry to the east, and the London borough
London borough
The administrative area of Greater London contains thirty-two London boroughs. Inner London comprises twelve of these boroughs plus the City of London. Outer London comprises the twenty remaining boroughs of Greater London.-Functions:...
of Southwark
London Borough of Southwark
The London Borough of Southwark is a London borough in south east London, England. It is directly south of the River Thames and the City of London, and forms part of Inner London.-History:...
to the south (across the river). Prior to the 2003 boundary changes the ward also bounded Cordwainers' ward
Cordwainer (ward)
Cordwainer is a small ward in the City of London, England. It is named after the Cordwainers, the professional shoemakers who historically lived and worked in this particular area of London; there is a City livery company for the trade — the Worshipful Company of Cordwainers...
.
Politics
Queenhithe is one of 25 wardWards of the United Kingdom
A ward in the United Kingdom is an electoral district at sub-national level represented by one or more councillors. It is the primary unit of British administrative and electoral geography .-England:...
s in the City of London
City of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
, each electing an Alderman
Alderman
An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members themselves rather than by popular vote, or a council...
to the Court of Aldermen
Court of Aldermen
The Court of Aldermen is an elected body forming part of the City of London Corporation. The Court of Aldermen is made up of the twenty five Aldermen of the City of London, presided over by the Lord Mayor...
, and Commoners (the City equivalent of a Councillor
Councillor
A councillor or councilor is a member of a local government council, such as a city council.Often in the United States, the title is councilman or councilwoman.-United Kingdom:...
) to the Court of Common Council of the City of London Corporation. Only electors who are Freeman of the City of London are eligible to stand.
Queenhithe currently elects two Commoners to the Court of Common Council. The present Alderman is Gordon Warwick Haines, who was re-elected on 5 October 2010.
Queenhythe, Jamaica
A rural community called Queenhythe (or Queen Hythe) exists in the Saint Ann parish of JamaicaJamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
. As with many place names in that country, it is named after the place in England.
External links
- City of London Corporation Queenhithe Ward
- Queenhithe Ward Club
- Queenhithe Plaque - as displayed on the Queenhithe dock wall, on Queenhithe (street)
- 18th century map of area
- City of London Corporation - map of Queenhithe ward boundaries (2003 —)
- Map of Early Modern London: Queenhithe Ward - Historical Map and Encyclopedia of Shakespeare's London (Scholarly)
