Sheet 12 of Stanford’s Library Map of London and Its Suburbs records London’s eastern docklands in 1862, covering Limehouse, Poplar, Blackwall, the Isle of Dogs and parts of Canning Town. The sheet is dominated by docks, basins, canals, wharves and the broad sweep of the Thames.
Map Details
- Original title: Stanford’s Library Map of London and Its Suburbs
- Sheet: 12 of 24
- Publisher: Edward Stanford
- Published: London, 15 February 1862
- Scale: Six inches to one mile, approximately 1:10,560
- Area shown: Limehouse, Poplar, Blackwall, the Isle of Dogs, Canning Town and adjoining docklands
- Orientation: North at the top
- Original appearance: Printed linework with hand-coloured roads, water, boundaries and open ground
Limehouse, Poplar and the Isle of Dogs
Limehouse and Poplar sit beside an extraordinary concentration of maritime infrastructure. The West India and East India Docks, dock basins and surrounding warehouses occupy much of the sheet, while the Isle of Dogs still contains a mixture of industry, riverside works and more open ground.
Docks, Canals and Railways
The River Thames, Limehouse Cut and dock entrances show how water transport shaped the district, while railway lines connect the docks with the wider city. Together they illustrate why this area became one of the most important centres of Victorian London’s global trade.
Postal and Administrative Detail
The large red E and coloured boundary lines are part of the original map, recording the East London postal district and contemporary parish divisions.
Modern Postcode Coverage
The area shown broadly corresponds with parts of:
- E14 – Limehouse, Poplar, Blackwall and the Isle of Dogs
- E16 – Canning Town and the eastern edge
- E1 – the north-western edge around Stepney
Modern postcode boundaries do not precisely follow the historic divisions shown on the map.
