The Tobacco Dock Shopping Village and Restoration Project, 1985-1990, comprised the restoration and conservation of a significant Grade 1 listed dockside building located on Pennington Street, Wapping. The building, dating from 1806, represented part of the original early 19th century expansion of London docks.
The building had six bays, each spanning 54 feet with a clearance height of 12 feet 6 inches. As a structure it represented a unique system of prefabricated internal supports which could be interlinked. The first part of the project was the restoration of the original building fabric, involving careful repair and the replacement of missing sections of the warehouse structure with fragments from adjoining buildings that were threatened with destruction. The second phase involved inserting shopping and entertainment facilities into the restored historic fabric, including the rebuilding of the original dockside. Shops were organised around two main courts on two floors. The removal of the roof and industrial skin floor provided natural light and ventilation to the vaults below.
Construction Partners:
Client: Tobacco Dock Developments Ltd