The Limehouse Cut

The Limehouse CutĀ opened in 1770, about 2.5 miles in length and its purpose was to facilitate trade by shortening the passage between The Lee Navigation and the City of London. The area was named after the lime kilns, used in the pottery trade in the area.

The Limehouse Cut in Carey's New and Accurate Plan of London, 1795
The Limehouse Cut in Carey’s New and Accurate Plan of London, 1795

By 1850 this part of London was still surprisingly undeveloped, although the Regent’s Canal had been built, with two entries to the river, for ships and barges. The Limehouse Cut had its own entrance.

Limehouse Cut on Cross's New Plan of London, 1850 (Mapco)
Limehouse Cut on Cross’s New Plan of London, 1850 (Mapco)

Commercial traffic on the Cut lasted until the 1980s. In 1968 the Limehouse Basin was linked to the Regent’s Canal Basin with a new section of canal and redevelopment started in earnest in the 1980s.

The Limehouse Cut, today's Google map
The Limehouse Cut, today’s Google map

It was a gloomy afternoon, draining all the light from everything, including my camera, and quite different from the trendy Regent’s Canal!

The Limehouse Cut entrance to the Limehouse Basin
The Limehouse Cut entrance to the Limehouse Basin
The Commercial Road crossing the Cut
The Commercial Road crossing the Cut

 

The Limehouse Cut
The Limehouse Cut
A 'gentrified' place along the Cut
A ‘gentrified’ place along the Cut
The Bow Locks
The Bow Locks
The Lee Navigation (L) & Lea River (R)
The Lee Navigation (L) & Lea River (R)

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