Shadwell isn't the loveliest of spots. It might have been once, a very long time ago, but the Tudor villagers and wealthy sea captains are long gone. Thomas Jefferson's mother Jane was born here, but even her family quickly upped and left. "Poverty-stricken" is probably the best adjective to describe the area, and has been for well over a century. Tower Hamlets council owns much of the housing round the station, and it shows. In fact there are two stations here, one on the East London line [photo] and one on the DLR. It's a very short walk between the two, round the corner into Watney Street past a pie and mash shop, a Bangladeshi supermarket and a closed-down pub [photo]. A huge turquoise sign on the railway viaduct dominates the view - Shadwell, it blares, as if to say "there is a way out". In a couple of years' time, when the East London line extension is built, both stations will be shut down and remodelled. A gleaming future beckons, but it's most definitely not arrived yet.
• n.b. This is not Shadwell, Virginia - the American settlement where Thomas Jefferson was born.
• n.b. This is not Siadwel - the shambling Welsh poet played by John Sparkes in 80s hit comedy NakedVideo.
Sights of Shadwell:CableStreet[photo]
A giantmural on the side of the Old Town Hall commemorates the 'Battle of Cable Street' in 1936. Sir Oswald Mosley tried to stir up racial tension by marching his fascist Blackshirts through the Jewish East End of London. Ordinary Londoners, however, were determined that the march should not pass and set up a series of barricades along Cable Street. A pitched battle was fought which resulted in the arrest of several participants but also the dispersal of Mosley's walkabout. Sir Oswald is long dead, but he would no doubt be shocked and appalled by modern Shadwell and its integrated multi-ethnic mix.
Sights of Shadwell:News International[photo]
Fifty years after Cable Street another series of pitched battles was fought in the streets of Shadwell. Rupert Murdoch bought up a cheap patch of land here under pretence of setting up a new London newspaper, but instead constructed his new News International headquarters. Striking print workers found they had no defence against the activities of Fortress Wapping and, after a violentyear ofconfrontation, gave in to his cost-cutting working practices. The Sun has been shining out of Shadwell ever since. It's probably no coincidence that one of the nearest shops to the main entrance is an Oddbins off-licence.
Sights of Shadwell:Tobacco Dock[photo]
In the midst of rampant 80s retail optimism, the old tobacco warehouse in Pennington Street was transformed into an extensive exclusive shopping centre. The building was most impressive, from the inside if not from the outside, blessed with brick-lined vaults, great timber roof trusses and cast iron fittings. Unfortunately the shops were too far from the tourist trail, and too pricey for the locals, so it wasn't long before Tobacco Dock closed down. You can still visit and see the two full-size 'pirate' ships they left outside, but unless the side gate is open you won't be able to get up close, peer in through the dirty glass and wonder what might have been [photo].
Shadwell Opened: 1884 Distance from Wapping: 800m Platforms: wide arched brick space, open to daylight at each end [photo] Platform mural: charming and lively yellow-ish sketches of local landmarks, by Sarah McMenemey[photo] Exit: ticket barriers Outside the station: Cable Street, a dedicated cycle path, Peter's Pie and Mash shop, Itthadi supermarket, joyridden cars abandoned in the canal [photo] Annual passenger throughflow: 1.5 million
The East London line: Shadwell
Shadwell isn't the loveliest of spots. It might have been once, a very long time ago, but the Tudor villagers and wealthy sea captains are long gone. Thomas Jefferson's mother Jane was born here, but even her family quickly upped and left. "Poverty-stricken" is probably the best adjective to describe the area, and has been for well over a century. Tower Hamlets council owns much of the housing round the station, and it shows. In fact there are two stations here, one on the East London line [photo] and one on the DLR. It's a very short walk between the two, round the corner into Watney Street past a pie and mash shop, a Bangladeshi supermarket and a closed-down pub [photo]. A huge turquoise sign on the railway viaduct dominates the view - Shadwell, it blares, as if to say "there is a way out". In a couple of years' time, when the East London line extension is built, both stations will be shut down and remodelled. A gleaming future beckons, but it's most definitely not arrived yet.
Sights of Shadwell: Cable Street [photo]
Sights of Shadwell: News International [photo]
Sights of Shadwell: Tobacco Dock [photo]
Opened: 1884
