With the weather warming up, it’s a great time to check out the revitalised Canada Dock.
The dock restoration project was completed in November last year, and celebrated with the opening of Rafter Walk – attended by over 2,000 people. Delivered by Townshend Landscape Architects in collaboration with the London Wildlife Trust and contractor Galldris, it has recently been shortlisted for the UK Green Business Awards’ Nature-Based Project of the Year.
As we head into the nesting season, the dock’s resident swans, ducks and other waterfowl have new wetland habitats in which to rear their young, with seven islands and more than a kilometre of shallow edges designed to encourage breeding. The reed beds and varied planting are also designed to attract amphibians and invertebrates, which begin to emerge at this time of year.
The 170m red timber boardwalk, designed by award-winning architect Asif Khan, enables people to get close to the dock’s wildlife without disturbing it. At night, sensitively designed lighting illuminates the walkway for pedestrians without creating light pollution for the creatures underneath.
Transforming the space
The first bid to create a wetland habitat in Canada Dock came back in the 1980s, making use of the freshwater supply pumped from a deep borehole that had been used to supply paper mills in the days of the working dock. Over time, however, despite efforts from the community to maintain the area, it degraded to poor-quality scrubland with self-seeded invasive trees, providing a poor habitat for wildlife. The unchecked growth of trees also obscured the view of the Deal Porters sculpture by Diane Gorvin and Philip Bews that was commissioned to celebrate the history of the docks.
