About St Katharine Docks Then AND Now

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Sir Robin Knox-Johnston (From his own pen)

As you will discover the docks never really paid commercially as an investment.   We knew that the docks could not stand alone as a financial business, the costs of the lock and the rates imposed by Tower Hamlets were too high, but it provided an attraction that raised the value of the office space being developed in the old warehouses.  

When I came on the scene in 1975 there were some pontoons in the central basin but that was all. There were 4 Thames Barges, but being charged at the same rate as yachts.  I halved the rate, to the disgust of the accountant, but 3 months later I had 16 Thames Barges in which doubled the income and made the place more attractive, and very lively as we still had barge skippers who had been in barges all their lives and had some wonderful tales.  

 I organised relay sailing races around the docks in laser dinghies, Olympic sailors, sailing journalists and eventually, protesting loudly, the barge skippers.  Much to everyone’s surprise the barge skippers won!  Of course the real objective was publicity to draw attention to the Haven’s existence, which it did, and soon we were putting more pontoons in the East and West basins.    

Our main problem however, was the distance from any sailing waters.  So we “Sold” the Haven as a place to bring your boat if you wanted to visit London (A bit of a problem with Tower Hamlets council who did not want people living aboard their boats!) and gave a special lower berthing rate for the winter six months when visitors stayed at home.   It was to give these boat owners some fun that I organised the Valentine’s Day Frostbite Race in 1976, on, of course 14th February.  Down the Thames on the ebb tide, anchor for the night at a suitable location, this became the Erith Yacht Club, and race back on the flood the next day.  

There is plenty more but this is a start. (To be continued).

- RKJ

Great news! St Katharine Docks is to host the 2013-14 Clipper Round The World Yacht Race. The start date is September 1st and will cover an incredible 40000 miles around the oceans of the world, before returning to St Katharine's in July 2014. The starting and finishing line will be the approach to Tower Bridge. The idea of the race is to encourage amateurs from all walks of life to take part, giving them the opportunity, thrills and personal development involved in sailing around the World- this has inspired thousands of participants, as well as encouraging countless others towards sailing and sea going experience. Up to 650 crews will be involved in this race.

The founder and Chairman is Sir Robin Knox-Johnston, who founded the competition  back in 1996. He was the first person to sail around the world single handed without stopping. Sir Robin was born in Putney and knew the Thames well, both from his time in the Merchant and Royal Navies, but also as harbour master, here at St Katharine's in the 1970's. Sir Robin has many recollections and memories from his time here, some of which will be recorded in my forthcoming book about St Katharine's.

The competition is well described on its website (see below); there is detailed  information about the route, the fleet, the crews and much more- and they are still recruiting if you are interested.

Mayor Boris Johnson is rightly delighted about the race starting and finishing in London and said "Those who take part are an inspiration to us all and exhibit the very best of the human spirit.... As they battle through everything the elements can throw at them, I wish everyone on board these stunning vessels the very best of luck."

But we should also say 'hats off to Sir Robin, his inspiration is wonderful and worthy of deep respect.' 

A most important figure locally (and, of course, nationally), Taylor loves the Docks and has been influential in its development and growth. In the book written about her, Edward Lucie-Smith says, ‘She is unique because of the nature of her work – and also because of its wide dissemination and the frequency with which the public comes in contact with it. The probability is that she has more major sculptures on permanent public display in Britain than any other living artist… 

Timepiece often appears prominently in the foreground of photographs which are meant to conjure up the image of modern London, a city rooted in tradition, but looking hopefully to the future. Significantly, however, the sculptor herself is seldom credited in the caption to the picture. Wendy Taylor’s work is now so much a part of the public consciousness that her own identity often seems to be concealed, rather than revealed by the success of what she does.

Disappointed at London not being short-listed for a competition to produce a piece of outdoor sculpture for one of six specific cities, Wendy Taylor pressed ahead with an idea for what she would have produced had she and London been selected. She lived and worked in St Katharine Docks at this time, with all its maritime associations. Her idea was for a large sundial, which would also be a contemporary sculpture. She chose common dock materials to symbolize the local area, using chains and shackles to support the sundial: the ring is a large washer and the gnomon (pointer) represents a traditional dockyard nail. This work came to the attention of directors of Strand Hotels, who were the owners of the Tower Hotel, being built close to her studio on the waterfront. They commissioned her to complete this important sculpture, ready for their opening. Incidentally, Strand Hotels was part of J Lyons and Co., who famously imported tea from across the world to their warehouses at Butlers Wharf, on the other side of the Thames, directly opposite Timepiece. In 2004 the Heritage Minister, Andrew McIntosh, declared Timepiece as a Marathon Landmark, to be protected from today. ‘Because so many exist, a post-war structure needs to be of exceptional quality and character in order to qualify for listing. ‘Timepiece’, the well-loved landmark sculpture by Wendy Taylor, is just such an exception.’

The inscription on the stainless steel plaque at the base of sculpture says: ‘The sundial is one of man’s oldest astronomical instruments. In this particular form, known as an Equinoctial Sundial, the dial is in the same plane as the earth’s equator and the gnomon, or rod, is parallel to the axis of the earth pointing true north. The shadow of the gnomon moving across the dial indicates the time. In summer the shadow falls on the face of the dial, in winter on the inner edge. Due to a combination of the tilt of the earth’s axis and the varying speed of the earth’s progress on its elliptical path around the sun the time indicated differs by several minutes from the time shown by a clock which measures mean time – an average of these variations. This sundial was designed by Wendy Taylor and commissioned by Strand Hotels Limited in March 1973.

Taylor also sculpted the Dove Memorial, at the nearby Hermitage Riverside Memorial Gardens. After twenty years of struggle and fund raising by dedicated local residents, the Council was persuaded to build the Gardens instead of concreting over the site of Hermitage Wharf. The Gardens were dedicated to the memory of the East End civilians who died in the Second World War, a sentiment shared in the Dove Memorial: while it represents hope, the cutaway shape of the bird symbolises the civilians who lost their lives. The sculptor donated her fee to the local resident fundraisers.

Peter Drew died, following a heart attack, on the 4th June 2007, aged 79. He was the chairman of the property and construction group Taylor Woodrow, and recognised as inspirational and pivotal towards the regeneration of the other docks in East London, following his successful redevelopment of St Katharine Docks. Born to Quaker parents in Thetford, Norfolk, in September 1927, his father worked for Fisons, the fertiliser company, until he lost his job and built up his own fishing business, which went bankrupt when Peter was only six years old. This shaped Peter’s personal views in later life, making him cautious and wary about debt and business risk. Peter was an accomplished watercolour painter and he designed Taylor Woodrow’s Christmas cards for many years. He was a good cook, and cherished his charming home and garden. A favourite relaxation when under pressure was boating around the Norfolk Coast – the famous sailing barge, Lady Daphne, was present to pay homage to his connection with the water at his memorial service. Drew was never afraid of difficult situations and would face them head on rather than sidestep or avoid confrontation. After school Peter studied on an Engineering course at Kingston College, then went on to Hendon College to study architecture. In 1965 he joined the property sector of Taylor Woodrow, working on planning for the St Katharine Docks project under the close eye of Frank (later Lord) Taylor, the legendary chairman at that time. By 1979 Drew was a member of the main board, while remaining in charge of the St Katharine’s development. He was made chairman in 1989 and remained in that post until his retirement in 1992.

Drew oversaw the rebuilding of the Docks and the building of the Tower Hotel, refurbished the Ivory House warehouses into luxury flats for short lets, rebuilt extensive office accommodation, developed more than 650 private and social housing flats, moved the eighteenth century warehouse to its new position as the picturesque Dickens Inn and provided numerous outlets for cafes, restaurants and retail. 

He saw the area as a developing community and the Docks became his home, moving into the house that Telford had built for himself to live and work in just below Tower Bridge. He was considered a fine business manager, being bold, energetic, flexible, imaginative and ruthless if absolutely necessary. Peter was a church warden at All Hallows by the Tower from 1972 to 1994. In 1973 he founded the World Trade Centre, London, and then became Chairman of the World Trade Centre’s Association in 1974.

His international interests  helped to secure his OBE in 1979. He went on to establish The Guild of World Traders in 1985 and advise Margaret Thatcher’s Government on the regeneration of Canary Wharf and other issues involving the Thames and East London. Other interests included being an actively involved governor of Sadlers Wells and the Museum of London and its new associate, the Docklands Museum. Peter Drew was married to Wendy Ferris, who lived with him both in the Dockmaster’s House and later in Bury St Edmunds, until his death. He had a son and two daughters by previous marriage.