About City Canal
The City Canal was a short, and short-lived, canal excavated across the Isle of Dogs in east London, linking two reaches of the River Thames. Today, it has been almost completely reconstructed to form the South Dock of the West India Docks. HistoryThe West India Docks Act of 1799 allowed the City of London Corporation to construct a canal from Limehouse Reach to Blackwall Reach, across the Isle of Dogs. It was intended to provide a short cut for sailing ships, to save them travelling around the south of the Isle of Dogs to access the wharves in the upper reaches of the river. If winds were unfavourable, this journey could take some time. The idea had been suggested by Ralph Walker in 1796. The West India merchants employed him as an engineer, and with assistance from William Jessop, John Foulds and George Dance, who was the City of London's surveyor, he produced the detailed plans which enabled the Act of Parliament to be obtained. Jessop was appointed as engineer with Walker as resident engineer, in August 1799, but Walker departed in 1802 after a disagreement with Jessop following a structural failure of part of the works. The canal was 3710ft long with a surface width of 173ft and a depth of 45ft. The two locks were 193by, with the floors built as inverted arches. The lock walls were 6ft thick, built of bricks with a stone facing. The depth over the lock cills varied between 20and at high tide, allowing ships of up to 500 tons burden to use the canal. Banks 12ft high had to be built, because the high tide level was above that of the surrounding land, and the tops were 6ft above water level. The surrounding land also had to be raised to the same height.
City Canal Description
The City Canal was a short, and short-lived, canal excavated across the Isle of Dogs in east London, linking two reaches of the River Thames. Today, it has been almost completely reconstructed to form the South Dock of the West India Docks. HistoryThe West India Docks Act of 1799 allowed the City of London Corporation to construct a canal from Limehouse Reach to Blackwall Reach, across the Isle of Dogs. It was intended to provide a short cut for sailing ships, to save them travelling around the south of the Isle of Dogs to access the wharves in the upper reaches of the river. If winds were unfavourable, this journey could take some time. The idea had been suggested by Ralph Walker in 1796. The West India merchants employed him as an engineer, and with assistance from William Jessop, John Foulds and George Dance, who was the City of London's surveyor, he produced the detailed plans which enabled the Act of Parliament to be obtained. Jessop was appointed as engineer with Walker as resident engineer, in August 1799, but Walker departed in 1802 after a disagreement with Jessop following a structural failure of part of the works. The canal was 3710ft long with a surface width of 173ft and a depth of 45ft. The two locks were 193by, with the floors built as inverted arches. The lock walls were 6ft thick, built of bricks with a stone facing. The depth over the lock cills varied between 20and at high tide, allowing ships of up to 500 tons burden to use the canal. Banks 12ft high had to be built, because the high tide level was above that of the surrounding land, and the tops were 6ft above water level. The surrounding land also had to be raised to the same height.