Wapping has a long history that goes all the way back to Anglo Saxon times. Before it was even part of London and it took its name from the old word Wapol, meaning ‘Marsh’. Â This whole area has been shaped by the river whether it is the great voyages of exploration, Victorian heavy industry and the docks, terrible Dickensian slums that hugged the river, the dreadful destruction of the Blitz or its modern day resurgence with big business and leisure. Along the way we will also pass by some of the oldest and most famous pubs in the East End of London. Experience it all with our Private Wapping and docks tour
See the old and the new
We start off in the heart of the very modern Docklands with its skyscrapers and driverless train systems. It was built around the old docks and we will see their transformation before heading to Wapping itself.
We will pass by The Grapes Pub where Sir Walter Raleigh set sail from. The pub also has strong links to Charles Dickens, Oscar Wilde, Sherlock Holmes amongst others! Then we will head down Narrow Street which was home to many prominent painters. The steps down to the Thames here was where Martin Frobisher departed from.
See some of the oldest pubs in London
The Prospect of Whitby is another fine old Wapping Pub with a clientele rich in literature and art and even royalty. Â Taking its name from an old Tyne Collier that would bring coals from Newcastle to power the Industrial Revolution in London. Old smooth coal pebbles can still be found on the beach below on low tide… along with all sorts else.
We’ll visit old steam powered bridges and the very oldest Police Force in the world. See the site where the infamous Captain William Bligh of Mutiny in the Bounty called home! Then on to the pub where perhaps our greatest painter, William Turner was born and real life witches roamed.
It’s not all bad as we will see when we learn about Henry Raine who was a wealthy brewer and owned a family business and yearned to help the terrible poverty in the area and whose school he set up is now one of the finest in the country.
Learn of the notorious history of Wapping in the East End
Others pubs and sites we’ll visit include ones where Pirates once frequented and where others were executed where the fortunate were hanged whilst others were tied to wooden posts where the tide would wash over them. Â It is here the notorious Captain Kidd met his end and further on where the hated hanging, Judge Jeffreys, was captured trying to flee the country and incredible event involving the Crown Jewels took place.
We finish off in the shadows of Tower Bridge and the Tower of London at St Katherine’s Dock. It’s now a marina for the boats and yachts of the rich and famous.
Departure Time:10 am
City Location: London
Duration of Tour: 2-3 hours
(Approximate times as all tours are bespoke)
Standard Adult Prices per person excluding entry fees (child prices available upon request).
How to book the Private Wapping and docks tour
1 Adult = £140
2 Adults = £120
3 Adults = £110
4 Adults = £100
5 – 10 Adults = £80
To make a booking please use our automated booking calendar system below or email us at yeoldeenglandtours@gmail.com
Alternatively you can book by using the automated booking process with Viator. For a similar tour along the south of the Thames through Bermondsey and Rotherhithe try our Mayflower Tour. For another East End Tour why not try our Secrets of Spitalfields Tour.
