Shadwell, Middlesex

Historical Description

Shadwell, a parish in Middlesex, which derives its name from a spring anciently dedicated to St Chad. The parish lies on the river Thames, 2½ miles ESE of St Paul's, London, was part of Stepney till 1669, continued till then to be a hamlet, belonging to the Neales, and is now a compact portion of the metropolis, divided into Lower Shadwell and Upper Shadwell. It was inhabited in its lower part chiefly by ship-chandlers, provision merchants, sailmakers, coopers, and seamen, but Lower Shadwell is now occupied by the London Dock entrance and basin, wharves, warehouses, and the new Shadwell Fishmarket. Acreage, 110; population, 10,246. The living is a rectory in the diocese of London; gross value, £400 with residence. Patron, the Bishop of London. The church was rebuilt in 1821 at a cost of £14,000, and is a brick edifice with a handsome steeple. A Roman grave was found in 1615, and in 1745 a mineral spring called Shadwell Spa was discovered, which was found useful in the treatment of cutaneous diseases.

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 Shadwell from the following:

• Samuel Lewis' A Topographical Dictionary of England, by Samuel Lewis, seventh edition, published 1858. (Shadwell (St. Paul))

Land and Property

A full transcript of the Return of Owners of Land in 1873 for Middlesex is online.

Maps

Online maps of Shadwell 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)