A piece I wrote for Open City in 2022. It was never published.
The three Royal Docks, Albert, Victoria and George V, are located within the London Borough of Newham. The collective water area is nearly 250 acres (my beloved Serpentine lake in Hyde Park is a mere 40 acres) and an overall estate of 1,100 acres. This is equivalent to the whole of central London from Hyde Park to Tower Bridge. The Royal Docks were once the largest docks in the world, there was simply nothing like them. Their history, from construction through to operation is loaded with ambition and marvel. From when Royal Victoria Dock opened in 1855 through to the closure of the Royals in 1981, their contribution to London’s wealth and power is undeniable. Since 1981 the land around the Royals has changed beyond recognition, however the water remains the same. A liquid wasteland, awaiting its next lease of life.
In 2015 I headed up a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign to raise money towards developing London’s first floating pool since 1875, Thames Baths. In 30 days, £142,000 was raised by 1273 backers from all over the world. Quite astonishing support and generosity for an idea that was born out of a Royal Academy of Arts and Architecture Foundation open call. Over the last 7 years, I have not let up on this project. With the help of various consultants, we’ve developed schemes in over 15 different locations along the capital’s rivers, from Barking Riverside in the east to Kingston in the west. I’ve confronted Sadiq Khan on the Northern Line to request their support, I’ve presented to MPs in Westminster, met with some of the UK’s largest developers and received advice from some of London’s finest minds.
After a few years, I eventually succumbed to a recurring suggestion, why don’t you do this in the docks? They were right. The Thames is stupidly complex. Relentless navigational risks, 6m tides and dogged resistance from the PLA, surely makes it one of London’s most protected and inaccessible public spaces. (Just for the record, I’m not giving up on a floating lido on the Thames).
The Royal Docks offer the perfect antidote to the Thames. Placid clean water and curiously, barely a boat, swimmer or duck in sight. Our attention has focused on the Royal Victoria Dock. The dock is sandwiched between a smorgasbord of architecture synonymous with the area. Post modern brick terraced housing, 24 acres of exhibition hall, and the Mayor of London’s offices. Past proposals for the Royal Victoria Dock have been and gone, the most memorable being a mixed use floating village. Each bid collapses and energies are focused back on the land.
In an encouraging move some years ago the annual temporary pool and beach was launched. Every year I don by trunks to take the waters. The dock is deep (13m) and therefore the water is cold even in summer. The authorities proudly announce the water quality is better than a Blue Flag Beach. The docks are so deep that the temporary pool is really only a protected area of an old slipway. In recent years the install has consisted of plastic cellular pontoons in an avocado tone more suited to a 1970s bathroom suite. One year the steel pontoons were so large they looked like platforms from an oil platform had floated ashore. Of course, improving access to water should be celebrated. My practice continues to promote this mantra whether it’s in London, Cumbria, Scotland or Sydney (all places we’re currently ‘dipping’), so I won’t knock the ambition. But what does rankle with me is the short-sighted approach.
I’ve had some great meetings with the Royal Docks’ team over the last few years. I stand up and wax lyrical about swimming and floating lidos. They respond with woops and other joyous gurgling sounds but then nothing happens. This is then repeated the following year. They are always enthusiastic, always listening but someone is dragging their feet.
So let’s get serious for a moment. Newham has 3 local facilities within the borough as well as the London Aquatics Centre. Which on the face of it doesn’t sound too bad. Neighbouring borough Tower Hamlets have 5 pools but 2 haven’t reopened after covid. However, both boroughs are significantly below the average number of swimming pool sites (8) in a London borough. When you then add 250 acres of vacant water space in Newham, something isn’t right.
I would like to see the development of a strategy for the innovative use of this ‘blue’ space (now apparently done, but not published). The strategy needs to look at how models such as those in Copenhagen, Oslo or Aarhus can improve the health and care of the borough, reducing the percentage of the population who are inactive and bringing people together around a ‘blue’ space. Cold water swimmers already use a small pontoon and there are some occasional water-skiing antics but why isn’t there a multisport hub acting as a gateway to swimming and other water sports in the dock? Activation of the water in turn provides the opportunity for a reconsideration of the quayside.
In Copenhagen, the addition of timber terracing broaches this threshold. It invites a closer engagement with the water. A chance to dangle feet or swim. I fear the blurring of the edge will be seen to be a heritage ‘loss’. Is it not time to unshackle ourselves from the heritage of the docks and adopt a more radical approach? The history of these docks is one serving the citizens of London and beyond, it’s time to stitch the dock back into the community. The water needs to be reconnected with young families to give children a positive and engaged relationship with the ‘blue’ space, one where healthy choices are natural and residents are supported to lead healthy lives. It’s time to end this psyche of fear and scaremongering around water.