The people of SKD - The heart of the community
Curating the faces of the docks from its origins featuring figures such as Queen Matilda and St Katharine herself.
People 1. - The Company of Watermen and Lightermen (CWL) is a historic guild situated in the City of London. Watermen were tasked with ferrying passengers, whilst lightermen handled the transfer of goods and cargo between the Port of London and vessels anchored in the River Thames. Today, although modern river workers are licensed by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, the company continues to play a role in organising apprenticeships, advocating for river-related issues, and hosting traditional annual ceremonies and events.
People 2. - Queen Matilda (circa 1105 – May 3, 1152) was the Countess of Boulogne in her own right from 1125 and served as Queen of England following the ascent of her husband, Stephen, in 1135 until her passing in 1152. She was a strong ally to Stephen in his quest for the English throne against their shared cousin, Empress Matilda. Matilda took on a notably proactive role for a woman of her era, particularly when her husband was captured, proving herself as a capable leader who successfully pressured the Empress to free Stephen. The civil war concluded with an agreement stipulating that the Queen's children would not inherit the English throne; instead, her three surviving offspring governed Boulogne successively as Eustace IV, William I, and Marie I.
People 3. - Bridget Louise Riley - Born 24 April 1931, is a celebrated British artist known for her Op Art paintings. By using sharp lines, colour arrangements, and geometric precision, she creates captivating visual effects, as seen in Cataract 3 (1967). Inspired by Pointillist Georges Seurat, Riley employs gradients and tonal variations. She states, “The eye can travel over the surface like in nature. It should feel caressed and soothed, experience frictions and ruptures, glide and drift.” Riley currently resides in London, United Kingdom. Her works are part of notable collections, including The Museum of Modern Art in New York, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., the Tate Gallery in London, and the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice.
People 4. - Thomas Telford (9 August 1757 – 2 September 1834) was a Scottish civil engineer renowned for his work. After making his mark with road and canal projects in Shropshire, he created many infrastructure developments in Scotland, including harbours and tunnels. His prolific contributions to the design of highways and bridges earned him the nickname 'Colossus of Roads,' a play on the Colossus of Rhodes. Reflecting his expertise in civil engineering during the early 19th century, he became the first president of the Institution of Civil Engineers, a position he held for 14 years until his passing.
People 5. - In 1882, the American showman P.T. Barnum acquired Jumbo, the African elephant, from the Zoological Society of London. The British press closely followed Jumbo's departure to America, with The Illustrated London News featuring a double-page spread detailing his journey to St Katherine's Dock. He was transported in a large timber cage pulled by dray horses through the streets of London. Once at the docks, a derrick lifted the cage onto a barge for its journey down the river to Millwall Docks. For the 13-day journey across the Atlantic, Jumbo's provisions included two tonnes of hay, three sacks of oats, two sacks of biscuits, and a sack of onions, which he particularly enjoyed.
People 6. - St Katharine Docks derived their name from the former St Katharine's by the Tower hospital, established in the 12th century, which occupied the site. A densely developed 23-acre (9.5 hectares) area was designated for redevelopment by an Act of Parliament in 1825, with construction beginning in May 1827. Approximately 1,250 houses were demolished, along with the medieval St Katharine's hospital.
People 7. - The Silver Jubilee marked a notable occasion both domestically and globally. Queen Elizabeth II and HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, covered around 56,000 miles on jubilee tours that took them to Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands. Upon returning to the United Kingdom, they visited 36 counties across Scotland, England, and Wales. In 1977, the Coronarium was built to honour the Queen's Silver Jubilee. Initially an open-air chapel that housed the "crystal crown," the Coronarium hosted an official visit from the Queen for the unveiling of this piece as part of the celebrations along the River Thames.
People 8. - The initial threat of redevelopment for St. Katharine’s occurred in 1796, as the City of London Corporation pursued an Act of Parliament to convert the area into a wet dock. Protected by Queen Charlotte, the consort of George III and a patron at the time, the proposal did not succeed. Consequently, as we have seen, city merchants opted to build their new docks at Wapping, the Isle of Dogs, and Blackwall.`
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.