Granaries, Shipyards and Wharves - Cycling from Guildford

The change in the paving marks the boundary with
DURANDS WHARF. A timber yard for many years, in
the later 19th century it was operated by the civil
engineering contractors BURT, BOLTON & HAYWARD.
Their speciality was building railways and no doubt
the wharf was used for handling sleepers and rails in
connection with these projects. DURAND’S WHARF
LTD. succeeded them, handling timber and general
cargo, and were still operating here as late as 1975.
The site was then preserved as an open space, with
old anchors and a CANNON. The origin of this is not
known. It is very badly corroded – even the trunnions
have rusted off, but it appears to be of Georgian
date, and is probably a “Long 9-pdr.” DURANDS
WHARF was used as a construction site for the Jubilee
Line extension project and large quantities of spoil
excavated from the tunnels were brought up through
a shaft here and removed by barges on the river. The
modernistic structure over to the left is a ventilation
and escape shaft from the Jubilee Line tunnels.
Yet another change in the paving marks the boundary
with LAWRENCE’S WHARF. From about 1870, there
was a large seven-storey warehouse on this site with
an ornate tower topped with battlements. At various
times cereals and grain were dealt with here, but the
warehouse was yet another wartime casualty, after
which this was a timber wharf. It was still working as
such until 1983. The family resemblance of the new
blocks of apartments here to those at GREENLAND
DOCK ENTRANCE will be noted. They were by the
same Danish developer ISLEF, in 1986-1988. The
redevelopment has obliterated all trace of three small
wharves at the far end, just prior to the NELSON
DOCK SHIPYARD.
SOMERSET WHARF was THOMAS FALDO’S ASPHALT
WORKS. FALDO was the son and grandson of ship’s
figurehead carvers who had worked in Rotherhithe for
many years, and were originally called FALDONETTI.
ALBION WHARF was an old established barge building
and repair yard, and in 1931 H. A. OLIVER & SONS
built here the very last wooden Thames sailing barge,
Lady of the Lea. The reason for such a “retro” vessel
was that she was intended to convey gunpowder
from Waltham Abbey to Woolwich Arsenal, and had
to use the narrow canal at the powder mills, without
SHIPYARDS, GRANARIES AND WHARVES 27