WELCOME TO SHAD THAMES, AN ICONIC DESTINATION, TWO MINUTES WALK FROM London’s TOWER BRIDGE.
Here, reminders of London’s vibrant industrial history coexist with many of the city’s modern attractions. Its most photogenic street, Shad Thames, buzzes with visitors and residents exploring the chic restaurants, galleries, boutiques and apartments that are carved from the historic wharves and warehouses once known as “London’s larder”.
In the Victorian era, Butler’s Wharf was the neighbourhood near the busiest stretch of river in the world, as ships docked in the still waters between London Bridge and Rotherhithe to unload goods from around the globe. A network of warehouses emerged from this riverside hustle and bustle with Shad Thames at its centre; completed in 1873, the handsome cobbled street stored much of the country’s supply of grains, spices, tea, fruit, and sugar.
Its cobbled charm still draws a crowd with visitors dipping into neighbourhood favourites WatchHouse for expertly made coffee and Legare, an Italian bistro nestled in the Cardamom Building, awarded a Michelin Bib Gourmand award for it’s daily changing menu. Soon to open will be Luna, opposite its big sister, Legare on Shad Thames; an intimate wine bar, bottle shop and restaurant.
BUTLERS WHARF
With the move towards industrial shipping in the 1970s, Butler’s Wharf might have been abandoned completely but for the intervention of a visionary designer in the late 1980s. Inspired by the area’s design and history, Sir Terence Conran redeveloped the Shad Thames warehouse complex and launched the glittering restaurant Le Pont de la Tour there in 1991. Today this riverside location is a foodie’s dream destination. Le Pont de la Tour remains a local legend decades after Tony Blair and Bill Clinton ordered from its modern French menu, while Butlers Wharf Chop House serves impeccable Sunday roast flavours all week long.
