Surrey Commercial Docks

The Surrey Commercial Docks were a large group of docks in Rotherhithe, South East London, located on the south bank of the River Thames.
The docks operated in one form or another from 1696 to 1969. Most were subsequently filled in and redeveloped for residential housing, and the area is now known as Surrey Quays, although the name Surrey Docks is retained for the electoral ward.

History

The area today

During the 1980s and early 1990s, the Surrey Docks were extensively redeveloped, and renamed Surrey Quays. Over 5,500 new homes were built, ranging from individual detached housing to large apartment complexes. South Dock was converted into a marina – now the largest in London – and a watersports centre was constructed on Greenland Dock. Canada Water and the infilled Russia Dock became wildlife reserves, with a woodland park planted on the latter site. Most of Norway Dock was re-excavated to form a water feature surrounded by residential development, and another ornamental feature, the Albion Channel, was created along the eastern side of the former Albion Dock, linking Canada and Surrey Waters. Leisure facilities and a number of light industrial plants were also built, notably a new printing works for Associated Newspapers, the publisher of the London Evening Standard and the Daily Mail.
In July 1988, the Surrey Quays shopping centre was opened as the centrepiece of the redevelopment of the area. The nearby London Underground station was renamed as Surrey Quays a few months later.
Surrey Docks is also a ward of the London Borough of Southwark. The population of this ward at the 2011 Census was 13,435.