The Limehouse Cut
The Limehouse cut or canal is actually the oldest canal in
London and provides a short cut from the river Thames to the The River Lee
avoiding a difficult and at times possibly dangerous alternative of the
lower reaches of the River Lee at Bow Creek, and the waiting for a suitable
tide to circumnavigate the Isle of Dogs. The Cut leaves the Lee at
Bromley-by- Bow to pass through Tower Hamlets on its way to Limehouse basin,
being its terminus as a result of changes made in 1968.
The Cut was originally authorised by an act of parliament
in 1766, to offer a safe direct passage from the Lee or Lea to the Thames,
it originally cut its way directly to the Thames, but this lock was replace
d in 1968 with a short canal leading into the Regent’s Canal at what is now
Limehouse basin.
The cut ws built to accommodate Thames Sailing Barges up
to 88 ft x 19ft , though headroom is now limited to 7ft.
Today the area has undergone a regeneration program aimed
at making the area more attractive and includes new walkways, one a floating
towpath. Old factory buildings are being demolished to make way for new
waterside flats and offices, which now mark the canal as an interesting
feature of the landscape rather than an industrial eyesore.