| Surrey Quays | |
|---|---|
The River Thames and Canary Wharf as viewed from behind Greenland Dock | |
Location withinGreater London | |
| OS grid reference | TQ356789 |
| London borough | |
| Ceremonial county | Greater London |
| Region | |
| Country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | LONDON |
| Postcode district | SE16 |
| Dialling code | 020 |
| Police | Metropolitan |
| Fire | London |
| Ambulance | London |
| London Assembly | |
| 51°29′31″N0°02′40″W / 51.492°N 0.0445°W /51.492; -0.0445 | |
Surrey Quays is a largely residential area ofRotherhithe in south-eastLondon, occupied until 1970 by theSurrey Commercial Docks. The precise boundaries of the area are somewhat amorphous, but it is generally considered to comprise the southern half of the Rotherhithe peninsula fromCanada Water toSouth Dock; electorally, Surrey Docks is the eastern half of the peninsula. The area is served bySurrey Quays railway station on theWindrush line of theLondon Overground.Surrey Docks are so called because the borders ofSurrey andKent met in this area until 1889.
After the closure of the docks, the area remained derelict for over a decade; much of the warehousing was demolished and over 90% of the docks filled in. The only surviving areas of open water wereGreenland Dock,South Dock, part of Canada Dock (renamedCanada Water), remnants of Norway Dock and a basin renamed Surrey Water.
In 1981, theConservative government of Prime MinisterMargaret Thatcher established theLondon Docklands Development Corporation to redevelop the former dockyard areas of east London, including the Surrey Docks.
Surrey Quays shopping centre was opened in 1988[1] and Surrey Docksunderground station was renamedSurrey Quays. A massive building programme took place in the area during the late 1980s and early 1990s, with 5,500 new homes being built; this ranged from individual detached housing to large apartment complexes, such asBaltic Quay.South Dock was converted into amarina – now the largest in London – and a sailing facility (namedSurrey Docks Watersports Centre) was constructed onGreenland Dock. The northern part of Canada Water and the infilledRussia Dock became wildlife reserves. Leisure facilities and a number of light industrial plants were also built, notably a new printing works for Associated Newspapers, the publisher of the LondonEvening Standard and theDaily Mail. This site was the headquarters ofMetro (British newspaper) from its launch in 1999 until 2006, when the newspaper's production was relocated to Kensington, west London.[2] A further phase of development at Canada Water began around 2005 and is still underway. The location ofCanada Water Surrey Quays lends its name to local property developerCWSQ.[3]
Since 2007, there have been campaigns to change the name of the railway station back toSurrey Docks.[1][4][5]
The area is served bySurrey Quays railway station on theLondon Overground route. The nearestLondon Underground station is atCanada Water, on theJubilee line.
Surrey Quays is served byTransport for London bus services1, 47,188, 199, 225, 381, C10 and P12;night buses N1, N199 and N381 also call here.[6]
Greenland Dock Pier is the nearest place for boardingLondon River Services, operated byThames Clippers.
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