The Highway

Location

The Highway runs west-east from the eastern edge of London's financial district, the City of London, to Limehouse. It runs parallel to and south of Commercial Road, the Docklands Light Railway and Cable Street. It connects East Smithfield and the Limehouse Link tunnel.

The road forms an unofficial boundary of Wapping, which lies between the River Thames and The Highway. It is also close to Shadwell Basin to the southeast, Tower Hill to the west, and Whitechapel and Stepney to the north.

The Highway is in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, in postal districts E1, E1W and E98. It lies within the parliamentary constituencies of Bethnal Green and Bow and Poplar and Canning Town.

History

The Ratcliffe (sometimes Ratcliff) Highway was probably originally a Roman road, running east from the City of London, London's historic core, along the top of a plateau near the edge of the eponymous 'red cliff' which descended onto the low-lying tidal marshes of Wapping to the south.

In the late 1800s Charles Jamrach, then the world's most renowned dealer in wild animals, opened Jamrach's Animal Emporium on The Highway. The store became the largest pet store in the world as seafarers moored at the Port of London sold any exotic animals they had brought with them to Jamrach, who in turn supplied zoos, menageries and private collectors. At the north entrance to the nearby Tobacco Dock stands a bronze sculpture of a boy standing in front of a tiger, commemorating an incident where a fully-grown Bengal tiger escaped from Jamrach's shop into the street and picked up and carried off a small boy, who had approached and tried to pet the animal having never seen such a big cat before. The boy escaped unhurt after Jamrach gave chase and prised open the animal's jaw with his bare hands. The tale was the inspiration for the 2011 novel Jamrach's Menagerie by British author Carol Birch.

By 1908 Ratcliff Highway had different names for each of its sections. From west to east these ran: St. George's Street East, High Street (Shadwell), Cock Hill, and Broad Street. The whole of the central area of The Highway was named after St. George in the East church and the parish of St. George in the East.

A Roman bath house was excavated in 2004 by the junction of The Highway and Wapping Lane. The discovery of women's jewellery along with soldiers' possessions suggested that this location outside of the Roman walls allowed less restricted use of the baths than those in the City itself. The remains of the baths and under-floor heating system were re-buried (for later archaeologists) under the car-park of a development of new apartments.

Landmarks

Listed from west to east:

St Katharine Docks

Wellclose Square

St. Paul's primary school

Ensign Club — a local youth club

News International headquarters

Telford's Yard — a converted Victorian wool warehouse

The Caxton pub — displays newspaper history on the walls

Location of the Ratcliff Highway murders

Mary Sambrook school

The Travellers Rest — evangelical church

The Old Rose pub

Tobacco Dock — former warehouses for imported tobacco, converted to retail outlets

St George in the East — a white stone church that has dominated the area since 1729

St. George's recreation ground

St. George's swimming pool

Green Gables Montessori school

St. Paul's Church, Shadwell — the Church of Sea Captains

Shadwell Basin — old dock now used for watersports and fishing.

Glamis Adventure Playground - An example of the London style of Adventure Playgrounds created in the early 1970s

King Edward Memorial Park

Limehouse Link tunnel

Transport

Road

The Highway is a major arterial route into and out of the City of London and can become heavily congested during rush hour. There are two lanes in each direction throughout its length. It lies outside of the London congestion charge zone (CCZ).

Bus

There are few bus stops on The Highway, but London Buses routes 100 and D3 pass along short lengths of it. Route 100 connects to Shadwell, Liverpool Street, St. Paul's and Elephant and Castle, while D3 connects to the Isle of Dogs, Limehouse, Shadwell and Bethnal Green.

Rail

The following stations are located on or near The Highway, all in Transport for London's fare zone 2:

Wapping (East London Line)

Tower Hill (Circle and District lines)

Docklands Light Railway stations:

Shadwell

Limehouse (also a National Rail station)

People

Some names associated with the area include:

Arthur Morrison (1863-1945), author, wrote about Ratcliff Highway in his novel 'The Hole in the Wall' (1902)

Sir William Henry Perkin (1838–1907), chemist who discovered mauveine, who was baptised at St. Paul's Church, Shadwell

Oscar Wilde (1854–1900), visited the opium dens near Dellow Street

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859–1930), visited the opium dens as research for his detective character Sherlock Holmes.

Charles Jamrach (1815–1891), importer and dealer of wild and exotic animals who owned a shop on the street.

Captain James Cook (1728–1779), explorer and cartographer, who lived in the area from 1763 to 1765 and baptised some of his children at St. Paul's Church, Shadwell. A blue plaque commemorates him at No. 326, The Highway. (A slate plaque also marks another of his homes at No. 88, Mile End Road.)

Jane Randolph (1720–1776), mother of Thomas Jefferson, was baptised at St. Paul's Church, Shadwell.

John Wesley (1703–1791), the famous cleric, who preached at St. Paul's Church, Shadwell.

Nicholas Hawksmoor (1661–1736), the architect who designed the church of St. George in the East.

The following people inspired some local street names:

Nathaniel Heckford — a young doctor who founded a local children's hospital.

Daniel Solander — a Swedish botanist who travelled with James Cook exploring the Pacific islands.

Emanuel Swedenborg — a Swedish scientist, philosopher and mystic in the Georgian era.

Neighbouring streets

West of The Highway:

East Smithfield

North of The Highway, from west to east:

Cable Street — runs parallel to The Highway

Dock Street

Ensign Street — formerly Wells Street (1862)

Hard's Place — a path between Wellclose Square and the south end of Ensign Street

Grace's Alley — formerly Gracie's Alley, a path between Wellclose Square and the north end of Ensign Street, and home to Wilton's Music Hall

Wellclose Square

Swedenbourg Gardens

Betts Street — formerly connected Cable Street to The Highway

Crowder Street — formerly Denmark Street

Cannon Street Road

Dellow Street

Solander Gardens

King David Lane

Juniper Street — formerly Juniper Row

Tarbert Walk

Redcastle Close — formerly Carriage Way

Glamis Road

Glamis Place

Brodlove Lane — formerly Love Lane

Elf Row — formerly Elm Row

Glasshouse Fields — formerly Glasshouse Street

Schoolhouse Lane

Heckford Street — formerly Burlington Place, a trades wholesaler park

Ratcliffe Orchard — formerly The Orchard

East of The Highway:

Butcher Row — formerly White Horse Street

Narrow Street

Limehouse Link tunnel

South of The Highway, from west to east:

Vaughan Way

Telford's Yard

Artichoke Hill — the escape route for the Ratcliff Highway murderers

Chigwell Hill

Pennington Street

Wapping Lane — formerly Old Gravel Lane

Sovereign Close

Princes Court

West Gardens

Rum Close

Garnet Street — formerly New Gravel Lane

Newlands Quay — formerly Elbow Lane

Maynards Quay

Glamis Road

Pear Tree Lane — formerly Fox's Lane, now named after The Pear Tree, the inn where the second Ratcliff Highway murders took place

Shadwell Basin

Jardine Road

Rialto Avenue