Limehouse (and Victoria Wharf) is an area steeped in history.
When you step off the train there, the Docklands Light Railway, descend the steps and head east, you get something of a Dickensian flavour. You’d half expect Bill Sykes, Nancy and Bull’s Eye to greet you (no not Jim Bowen, the bull terrier). It was perhaps redolent of “Oliver Twist” as the dusk was gathering, the skies were pudding grey and a gentle mizzle was falling on Narrow Street.
Now I know from playing “Monopoly” that street names can be misleading – The Angel, Islington is a cornflower blue cheaper square, but Islington is not far behind “Mayfair” and “Park Lane” with its darker blue, end of circuit rectangles.
Narrow Street, Limehouse
My destination was Narrow Street and I immediately expected it to be a misnomer – but, no, it was indeed narrow and a street.
To my left sat Limehouse Basin, or the Regent Canal, with houseboat lights twinkling like little stars, though I never wondered where I are? I was in the start of the east of London, heading for Victoria Wharf.
Shades of Liverpool and Manchester
I lingered, thinking how it reminded me of Liverpool, where the Mersey abuts the Leeds-Liverpool canal, and the mercantile architecture had many similarities.
I looked around for a “Gail’s” the modern day equivalent of a Waitrose, but Limehouse top-trumped it with the inclusion of a Gordon Ramsey Bread Street Kitchen and Bar.
To my right after the bakehouse, crossing a foot and road bridge that reminded me of home in Manchester, I spotted Victoria Wharf. I did feel a tinge of regret that I couldn’t capture this block from the other side – facing from the Thames, where I’m sure it would be even more impressive, but beggars can’t be choosers, so I stayed on land, on Narrow Street, and began snapping away.
Superbly symmetrical
It’s a lovely symmetrical building with a central pedestrian gate flanked by a flat fore and two sections jutting out, like a capital E, laid on its side.
I liked what I saw and instead of being rapt in drizzly contemplation, I realised it was gone 9pm and I didn’t want to be accosted by some Artful Dodger and incarcerated for loitering, learning pick-pocketting as penance.
In this delightful apartment block, Block Compliance Ltd carried out three primary services:
- Fire Risk Assessments
- Fire Compartmentation Surveys
- Building Safety Case Reports
in a complex managed by Pinnacle Group.
Riverside living at its finest
This is a well-established riverside development completed in 1997 by Barratt Homes. The scheme comprises 68 modern residential apartments, many with private balconies offering scenic views of the Thames and Limehouse Basin. The building provides secure access, lift service, daytime concierge and parking spaces, where available.
The design spans approximately 6 storeys, resulting in a low-rise, well-proportioned community feel that blends historical charm with contemporary comfort. The apartment, ranging from one- to two-bedroom units, feature river and skyline outlooks and are arranged around communal internal layouts, making best use of the waterside position.
Happy residents
Residents benefit from daytime concierge, secure underground parking, and lift access throughout the development. It’s located a short walk from Limehouse DLR and National Rail stations, offering fast connections to Canary Wharf, the City and beyond.
Oliver Twist
Shooting done and notes dictated into my iPhone, I narrowed my gaze down Narrow Street, thought again of poor Oliver Twist and headed back to Farringdon, knowing that I’d be asked later by Richard Dempsey, “Please Stuart can I have some more?”
Blogs and footage.
It’s a gruel life, but someone has to do it.
Block Compliance services
We offer a raft of passive fire protection services, nationally, with headquarters near Halifax and in central London.
If this riverside case study has whetted your appetite, drop the team an email at: info@blockcompliance.net
