Shad Thames

The name is a corruption of 'St John at Thames', a reference to the Knights Templar of the Order of St John who owned land locally.

Location

The nearest stations are Tower Hill (District & Circle lines) and London Bridge (Jubilee, Northern and national rail), both about 10-15 minutes' walk away. From either station the walk is extremely scenic, particularly at night, with views of many landmarks such as the new City Hall, the Tower of London and Tower Bridge.

The best route from London Bridge station is to cross Tooley St, walk left a short distance and turn right down an alley called St Olaf's Stair (marked at night by green runway lights in the pavement). This takes you to a riverside path called Queen's Walk; turn right (eastwards) along this, passing HMS Belfast, Hay's Galleria, City Hall, and under Tower Bridge to reach Shad Thames. Alternatively, from Tower Hill station, walk past the Tower of London and cross Tower Bridge, then take the steps just after the final arch of the bridge down to Shad Thames.

The area

In Victorian times Shad Thames included the largest warehouse complex in London, as well as a school. Completed in 1873, the warehouses housed huge quantities of tea, coffee, spices and other commodities, which were unloaded and loaded onto river boats. In the 20th century the area went into decline, and the last warehouses closed in 1972.

However, Shad Thames was regenerated in the 1980's and 1990's, when the disused but picturesque warehouses throughout the area were converted into expensive flats with restaurants and bars on the ground floor. Most notable in this regeneration was designer and restaurateur Terence Conran, who opened a number of now well-known riverside restaurants including Pont de la Tour, the Blueprint Cafe and the Butler's Wharf Chop House. Numerous other restaurants, cafes, bars and delicatessens have also sprung up. Shad Thames' artistic character has encouraged a variety of other businesses to move to the area, such as architects, art shops and wine merchants; the thriving local property market means that there are also many estate agents.

Terence Conran was also involved in founding the white Design Museum at the east end of Shad Thames, which houses frequently-changing exhibitions of graphic and product design, and is a fairly well-known haunt of designers and tourists. As well as an interesting shop and cafe, the museum features the 'Design Museum Tank', a large glass box on the river side outside, which contains a selection of items from the current exhibition. The museum is also used as a venue for corporate events.

The nearby Tower Bridge, Tower of London, City Hall and riverside places of interest further west such as the London Dungeon and Tate Modern mean that this once-overlooked area is now frequented by tourists. Eating or drinking by the river outside one of the local restaurants or bars is a particular attraction.

Charles Dickens set Bill Sykes's den just east of Shad Thames in Oliver Twist; it is there that he falls from a roof and dies in the mud. As it happens, in a film of Oliver Twist the warehouse called New Concordia Wharf was used as a location. Shad Thames was also used in the early 1980s as a backdrop for a Dr Who episode.

The river

Various events take place on or by the river at Shad Thames, presumably because of its proximity to Tower Bridge and City Hall. These include night-time firework displays, which take place a few times a year from a small boat, while the skipper cowers in his cabin. It is not always clear who or what these fireworks are for.

Warehouses

Many of the buildings still bear their names in the original large Victorian painted lettering. Various new buildings have been constructed, with similarly evocative names, such as Spice Quay Heights and China Wharf.

Shad Thames' proximity to the City of London, a short distance away on the north side of the river, means that many residents are now wealthy City workers, and the restaurants are frequented by City folk at lunchtime. Consequently local property prices are very high. Properties with river views are particularly expensive, having balconies, and dramatic views of Tower Bridge, the 'Gherkin' (Swiss Re Tower), and even the distant Canary Wharf; though flats nearer the bridge also command a view of the grey concrete Thistle Hotel (on the north side of the river), considered by many to be an eyesore. Most of the warehouses retain the original relatively small windows, which limit their views; some of the newer buildings have better views - for example, flats on the east end of Spice Quay Heights have wide floor-to-ceiling windows on two sides.

Perhaps the most striking feature of Shad Thames are the walkways which criss-cross high above your head as you walk along the street. These cross between the Butlers Wharf building and the Cardamom Building, and were originally used to roll barrels and the like between warehouses. Nowadays these belong to the flats to which they are attached, and are used as balconies, the flat at each end of a walkway owning half of it. Apparently one resident has purchased flats on opposite sides of the street, so they can be used as a single flat connected by a walkway.