Isle of Dogs, Middlesex

Historical Description

Dogs, Isle of, a low marshy tract in Stepney parish, Middlesex, on the left bank of the Thames, opposite Deptford and Greenwich, 4¼ miles ESE of St Paul's, London. It comprises 600 acres, was originally a peninsula with isthmus to the north, but became an island by the cutting of the West India Dock Canal across its neck. Baxter supposes it to be the Connennos (or Dog's Island) of Ptolemy, and other writers derive its name variously from a royal kennel of ancient kings, a royal kennel of King John, and a dog's discovery of the body of his murdered master. It remained nearly uninhabited till 1830, but became afterwards the site of numerous iron shipbuilding yards, chemical works, and other establishments. It was for many years a bustling and thriving district, but owing to strikes and labour disputes much of its prosperity has disappeared.

Administration

The following is a list of the administrative units in which this place was either wholly or partly included.

Any dates in this table should be used as a guide only.

Directories & Gazetteers

We have transcribed the entry for Isle of Dogs from the following:

• Samuel Lewis' A Topographical Dictionary of England, by Samuel Lewis, seventh edition, published 1858. (Dogs, Isle of, or Stepney-Marsh)

Maps

Online maps of Isle of Dogs are available from a number of sites:

• Bing (Current Ordnance Survey maps).
• Google Streetview.
• National Library of Scotland. (Old maps)
• OpenStreetMap.
• old-maps.co.uk (Old Ordnance Survey maps to buy).
• Streetmap.co.uk (Current Ordnance Survey maps).
• A Vision of Britain through Time. (Old maps)