A mosaic at the ancient harbour illustrates London's history since Roman times.
Queenhithe is the only remaining inlet of the Thames in the City of London, an echo of the past when the waterfront featured many such harbours. Its origins certainly go back to Saxon times and quite likely to the Roman period.
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The word 'hithe', also spelt 'hythe', is Saxon for 'dock' or 'harbour'. In Saxon times, the dock here was known as Ethelred's Hythe.
After the Saxon king Alfred the Great resettled the ancient City of London in 886, Ethelred's Hythe soon became an important dock. The area around the harbour was one of the first to be redeveloped by the Saxons after the resettling of the City.
Prior to that, Saxon London had mainly been to the west of the City, around the Covent Garden area and was known as Lundenwic . The modern street Aldwych ('old market') is a reference to this. King Alfred moved into the City to use the Roman walls to help defend against invading Danes.
Saxon traders brought goods by river into Queenhithe, selling on the shore directly from their boats.
Its size and location make it very likely that it was in use also in the Roman period, between the first and early fifth centuries. Indeed, some archaeological traces of Roman quayside infrastructure have been found under the buildings on the east side of the inlet.
Its current name derives from the early 12th century when Queen Matilda, wife of King Henry I, was granted the duties levied on goods landed at the harbour. This right was passed on to a number of English queens after Matilda.
It became an important dock for bringing corn and other produce to feed the increasing number of Londoners in the medieval poeriod.
However, the completion of the stone London Bridge in 1209 and the advent of larger ships by the 15th century led to decline for Queenhithe in favour of docks around Billingsgate, downstream of the bridge.
However, it remained important enough to be marked on Civitas Londinum, the earliest complete map of London, showing the City in the 1560s.
During the Great Fire of London in September 1666, King Charles II stopped to encourage men engaged in fire-fighting around Queenhithe, leaving his brother, the Duke of York (later James II), at the dock to direct the effort.
Queenhithe was used as a dock for the fur and tanning trades well into the 20th century. It is no longer in use, although its form - an inlet from the river - is a clue to its past.
The only working wharf left in the City of London, Walbrook Wharf, is less than 400 yards east of here, but it is not in an inlet. See my previous post about Walbrook Wharf to learn about its history.
Queenhithe is now an easily missed curiosity with no obvious purpose.
Nevertheless, it does serve important purposes in conservation, flood defences and historical research.
The foreshore - the area revealed at low tide and submerged at high tide - is very significant in supporting wildlife. The Queenhithe foreshore, the most extensive in the City of London, is home to some 350 species of invertebrates and 115 species of fish.
In addition, the timbers on the front of the wall at Queenhithe provide a base for seaweeds and invertebrates, adding to the biodiversity of the river.
The wall is also part of the City's flood defences and was strengthened and improved by the Environment Agency and the City of London in 2008.
At low tide, the remains of 19th century barge beds can still be seen on the foreshore in front of Queenhithe. These were wooden structures designed to ensure that the foreshore was sufficiently level and stable to allow flat-bottomed barges to berth.
A series of historic wooden waterfront structures at Queenhithe, built by successive generations in reclaiming land from the Thames, have also yielded much information to historians.
The timbers, often taken for these structures from ships and other buildings, have provided insights into woodworking techniques in the Saxon and medieval periods. Moreover, a number of well preserved historical objects have been found in the foreshore.
The buildings around Queenhithe are now mostly modern developments, the most recent being the 21st century Westin hotel on the northern side of the dock. The only former quayside warehouse visible from (the east side of) Queenhithe is the light brick building that is now home to the Samuel Pepys pub.
Just to the west, and inland, of Queenhithe stands St Paul's Cathedral.
Just to the east of Queenhithe the 21st century skyscrapers of the Eastern Cluster rise up above this tiny and ancient inlet.
The view from Queenhithe across to Bankside on the south of the Thames contains a number of well known London landmarks. These include the Shard, Southwark Bridge, Shakespeare's Globe, the Millennium Bridge, the Tate Modern and the One Blackfriars skyscraper.
Queenhithe's central location, its longevity and its status as a scheduled ancient monument make it an appropriate site for a visual record of London's history.
Completed in 2014, the Queenhithe Mosaic illustrates the entire history of London from the first century BC until 2012. It runs in chronological order from left to right along the landside of the wall on the east of Queenhithe. It was designed by mosaicist Tessa Hunkin and made by South Bank Mosaics, a group of artists, volunteers and school children.
The central feature of the mosaic is the River Thames, itself central to London's history. The upper and lower borders of the mosaic include items of pottery, glass, shells and other artefacts found in the foreshore nearby.
My video below is a poor substitute for visiting the mosaic in person, but it gives some idea of its scope and visual impact.
For some of the events depicted, the mosaic includes the year in which they took place. In addition, each century is shown along the top of the mosaic, which provides a kind of scale or calibration of the historical narrative.
The Mosaic is a remarkable work, illustrating the sweep of London's long history.
Queenhithe is one of London's most historic locations.
Yet Queenhithe remains almost unknown to most Londoners, let alone to visitors to London.
Walks available for booking
For a schedule of forthcoming London On The Ground guided walks, please click here.
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