Granaries, Shipyards and Wharves - Cycling from Guildford

�RETRACE YOUR STEPS, PAST THE PROCESSION OF BRONZE ANIMALS
(VARIOUS ARTISTS, 1992) MAKING FOR THE SURREY DOCKS FARM, AND
TAKE THE FIRST TURN RIGHT
Continue straight on through the housing estate to
the T junction with ROTHERHITHE STREET and turn
right, at the next corner turn right again, and pause
opposite the TRINITY HALLS.
As part of their scheme to make a new entrance lock,
the COMMERCIAL DOCK CO also bought land on the
other side of ROTHERHITHE STREET (at that time, this
section was known as TRINITY STREET). The parish
church of St. Mary’s was some distance away from
what was by now quite a large community in
DOWNTOWN. The Rev. Edward Blick, rector of
Rotherhithe 1835 – 1867 began raising funds to build
a new church and school and the COMMERCIAL
DOCK CO responded by donating the site. The
schoolrooms (now TRINITY HALLS) opened in 1836
and TRINITY CHURCH, the following year. Blick was a
remarkable man, who during his 32 years in
Rotherhithe encouraged numerous charities and
oversaw the establishment of three new parish
churches, a chapel of ease, and five new schools.
TRINITY CHURCH, a pleasant building in 19th century
gothic style, by Sampson Kempthorne, was destroyed
by incendiary bombs on 7 September 1940. The
present modern replacement by T. F. Ford was
consecrated in 1960.
�WALK ON TO THE GATE OF THE SURREY DOCKS FARM AND PAUSE
In 1881 this part of BARNARDS WHARF was
purchased by the Metropolitan Asylums Board, which
built a river ambulance station. This was called SOUTH
WHARF in partnership with a similar establishment on
the other shore, which took the name North Wharf.
Infectious patients were collected by road in south
London and brought here for transfer to small
steamers, which took them to isolation. At first this
was in hospital ships, later to a shore establishment at
Darenth. London County Council took over this
operation but phased it out in the 1930s. For a time,
London Fire Brigade floats were moored here, but
when war broke out in 1939 the site was in use as a
SHIPYARDS, GRANARIES AND WHARVES 25