Online Encyclopedia
Canary Wharf
Canary Wharf in Tower Hamlets, London, United Kingdom, is a large business development on the Isle of Dogs centred on the old West India Docks.
Rivalling London's traditional financial centre, The Square Mile, Canary Wharf contains the UK's three tallest buildings, 1 Canada Square, commonly known as the Canary Wharf Tower; HSBC Tower; and Citigroup Centre.
It takes its name from seatrade with the Canary Islands, whose name comes from the dogs (Latin canis) which the Spaniards found there, producing the linguistic coincidence of trade between the Dog Islands and the Isle of Dogs.
The Canary Wharf project began with the establishment of the London Docklands Development Corporation by the government of Margaret Thatcher.
Canary Wharf tenants include major banks, such as HSBC, Citigroup and Barclays, as well as major newspaper firms, including The Independent, Reuters, and the Daily Mirror. Increasingly Canary Wharf is also becoming a shopping destination, with many high street names and a large John Lewis/Waitrose.
Nearby stations are Canary Wharf DLR station, Canary Wharf tube station on the Jubilee Line and Heron Quays DLR station. London City Airport is only several miles further to the east and can be most easily accessed by regular bus connections or by taxi.
In January 1996, the IRA planted the largest bomb seen until that time on the mainland, with almost three tons of explosives. It was safely defused. Later that year, they succesfully detonated a slightly smaller bomb near South Quay DLR station.