Canada Water Block C is located on the site of the former Surrey Commercial Docks. It’sorigins lie in the late 17th century with the creation of some of London’s earliest wet docks, built to provide secure moorings and storage for ships trading with the growing capital. Over the following centuries the dock system grew steadily, reaching its peak in the late 19th century with the construction of Canada Dock in 1876. Designed to handle vast quantities of timber, grain and food imports, particularly from North America, the docks become an integral part of London’s global trading network. The complex remained highly active into the early 20th century, but during the Second World War the area was heavily bombed, causing extensive damage and marking the beginning of long-term decline.
Post-war changes in shipping technology, especially containerisation, further undermined the docks viability, leading to the closure of the Surrey Docks in the late 1960s.
Most basins were filled in during the 1980s under the London Docklands Development Corporation, with parts of Canada Dock infilled to create land for the Surrey Quays Shopping Centre and housing, meanwhile the northern half became the ornamental lake now known as Canada Water and wildlife refuge. Since then, the area has undergone regeneration, including transport links such as the London Underground Jubilee line and Canada Water Overground station as well as major residential and mixed-use developments.
Block C delivers over 130 apartments in a 15-storey tower that also features a cinema, gym and terrace in form of shared amenities.
The ongoing regeneration seeks to transform the area from a landscape of abandoned docks into a major residential and mixed-use district, while traces of its maritime heritage remain embedded in its urban form.
