The arts at SKD - A space for creativity
Celebrating the art and artists of the docks through time, including our collection and notable influences from the docks.
Arts 1. - Commissioned by developer Taylor Woodrow and installed in 1998, artist Dale Devereux Barker created vibrant enamel panels in collaboration with students from Paul’s Way Trust, Stepney, and St. Saviour’s and St. Olave’s Church of England schools. The panels vividly portray the story of the docks and marine environment using archive photography and painting techniques, resulting in a striking and distinctive art piece that’s become a visual landmark of SKD.
Arts 2. - Wendy Taylor, Timpiece 1973, features a steel sundial that resembles a large washer, with raised dots indicating the hours. This sundial is suspended by three chains and includes a gnomon or pointer shaped like an oversized dockyard nail, all originating from a common point. As a contemporary rudimentary equinoctial sundial aligned with the equatorial plane, it functions specifically as an 'upper' equinoctial dial, displaying time only when the sun is north of the equator. Taylor has distilled the sundial concept to its essence.
Arts 3. - At St. Katharine Docks, one of the most recognisable attractions is the Girl with a Dolphin Fountain. This masterpiece is dedicated to the legendary tennis player Virginia Wade. Created by David Wynne, the iconic artwork features a girl suspended in water, reaching down to a dolphin swimming up towards her. The sculpture, made of bronze, beautifully captures the motion of the dancing duo and has been described as "full of joy and life" by Virginia Wade.
Arts 4. - Over the years, St. Katharine Docks has hosted numerous film crews seeking a backdrop of iconic historical London. From the 1969 Battle of Britain to the 1980s The Long Good Friday, we’ve even welcomed David Attenborough and his story of Jumbo, PT Barnum's superstar elephant.
Arts 5. - When Stanley Kubrick sought a monolith for the making of 2001, he contacted the local company Stanley Plastic to create the monolith from a solid piece of transparent plastic. However, Kubrick was not pleased with the screen tests, and the sparkling clear polymer block was eventually replaced with the dense, black basalt. This massive, unwanted perspex lump remained at the Borehamwood film studios until Arthur Fleischmann, a talented sculptor born in Bratislava and residing in London, acquired it. Fleischmann transformed it into a stunning crystal crown for the Queen’s Silver Jubilee Celebrations in 1977.
Arts 6. - Gloriana is a royal barge from Britain, commissioned privately to honour Queen Elizabeth II during her 2012 Diamond Jubilee. She was the principal ship in the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant. The initiative to build Gloriana was led by Lord Sterling of Plaistow, inspired by a waterborne tribute idea from her eldest son, Charles, Prince of Wales. Since her completion, she has visited SKD many times, where she now resides as her home berth.
Arts 7. - In the 1960s, London revived interest in St. Katharine by the Tower. The cultural and industrial boom led to a rental space shortage due to new tenure laws, impacting small startups, artists needing studios, and those seeking temporary workspaces, like photographers and designers. In 1967, artist Peter Sedgley visited a friend with a yacht in St. Katharine’s Eastern dock, where the last vessel remained before the docks' closure. Inspired by the setting, he had a sudden idea for a studio that could also help other artists. After inquiries, Sedgley, along with Bridget Riley and Peter Townsend, founded a charity to assist struggling artists in finding affordable studio rentals.
Arts 8. - The Royal Foundation of St Katharine has its roots in the medieval church and monastic hospital known as St Katharine's by the Tower, officially referred to as the Royal Hospital and Collegiate Church of St. Katharine by the Tower, founded in 1147 near the Tower of London. The church, considered a royal peculiar, was central to the Precinct of St Katharine by the Tower, a small yet densely populated area. In 1825, both the church and the district were demolished to pave the way for the new St Katharine Docks, which were named after the church and district they replaced.
Arts 9. - The original church was established in 1147 by Queen Matilda, the wife of King Stephen, to honour her two children, Baldwin and Matilda, who tragically passed away in infancy and interred at the Priory Church of Holy Trinity in Aldgate. The church's endowment was further enriched by two queen consorts: Eleanor of Castile, who contributed manors, and Philippa of Hainault. The community was composed of three brothers, three sisters, a bedeswoman, and six "poor clerks," all under the supervision of a master. It functioned as a religious community and a medieval hospital for the poor and infirm, located near the Tower of London.
There’s more to discover across the docks at the locations marked.
Proudly Supporting the foundation of St. Katharines
St Katharine Docks is a proud sponsor of the Royal Foundation of St Katharine’s which supports the local community. If you can, please consider donating via the link below.
St Katharine Docks is proud to sponsor the Royal Foundation of St Katharine, which was based on this site for over 600 years and now is a community charity, retreat house and meeting and event space five minutes away in Limehouse. It hosts over 1500 meetings a year, mainly for charities and not-for-profits. The Foundation supports local communities through initiatives like food banks, lunch clubs, gardening projects, and arts groups, promoting well-being and mental health.