Ward Attractions

Within the Billingsgate ward you will find Watermen’s Hall, home to the Company of Watermen & Lightermen, built in 1780 and the city’s only surviving Georgian hall, the Custom House and the Roman baths, which lie within the basement foundations of Centennium House in Lower Thames Street.

WATERMEN’S COMPANY AND HALL
The Company of Watermen and Lightermen is a working guild and is still actively involved with the life of the River and those that work on it. In 2015 the Company celebrated its 500th anniversary.

The first London Bridge was built by the Romans and the next bridge across the Thames at London didn’t appear until 1729. So, for many years the only way to get across the River Thames was by ferry and in 1598 a survey showed that some 40,000 men earned a living on the river transporting people and goods.

It wasn’t unknown for the Waterman rowing these boats to ‘renegotiate’ the fare halfway across the Thames leaving their passengers with little choice. In 1514 an Act of Parliament to regulate watermen, wherrymen and bargemen received Royal Assent from King Henry VIII. The Act was intended to regulate the fares charged and improve safety.

However, the Watermen who carried passengers continued to act “independently” and another Act of 1555 appointed ‘Rulers of all Watermen and Wherrymen working between Gravesend and Windsor’. Thus the Company of Watermen was born. The 1555 Act also introduced apprenticeships for a term of one year for all boys wishing to learn the watermen’s trade which was extended to seven years by yet another Act in 1603. In 1700 the Lightermen (carriers of goods & cargo) joined the Watermen’s Company.

THE DOGGETT’S RACE
Thomas Doggett was a successful actor appearing in Drury Lane productions in the early 1700s and after productions, he used a Waterman to ferry him home. The Watermen varied greatly in their speed and ability, from young strong oarsmen to those who were well beyond the age of retirement.

In 1715 Doggett organised the first Doggett’s race between London Bridge and Cadogan Pier in Chelsea, a distance of 4 miles. The winner was, and still is today, awarded a red coat with silver badge on the arm. The bright red coat was to make it easy to identify the best Waterman to take you across the Thames when selecting your ‘taxi’. The solid silver badge displays the White Horse of Hanover and the word “Liberty”, in honour of George I’s coronation. The idea was that when the Waterman was too old to work, the badge could be melted down to provide a pension.

The Doggett’s Race continues to be run every year and lays claim to be the oldest continually staged annual sports event in the world.

THE CUSTOM HOUSE
The Custom House, on the north bank of the Thames in the City of London, is a building which was formerly used for the collection of customs duties. The first toll regulations, which charged boats arriving at the wharf based on their size and goods, date back to 1016, and mention traders from France and Belgium.

With Billingsgate Water Gate and then Billingsgate Wharf being such a busy quay, a Custom House was introduced in the 14th century, and a building on its current site has been rebuilt on a number of occasions.

More recently, the Custom House was used by His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs but is now awaiting redevelopment. On Lower Thames Street, the building is neighboured on the waterfront by Sugar Quay to the east and Old Billingsgate Market to the west.

THE ROMAN BATHS
Lower Thames Street is home to one of Roman London’s most fascinating remains and the only Roman private residence found in London. Discovered in 1848 it has survived 2,000 years of building, fires and bombings and is one of the best-preserved Roman bathhouses in Britain.

Wealthy citizens built luxurious homes from which to enjoy the thriving city of Londinium and the house at Billingsgate was one such private residence, enjoying river views. This Roman house was erected in the late 2nd century on the waterfront of the Thames and had at this time a north and an east wing around a courtyard. The rooms in the east wing had underfloor heating. There was most likely also a west wing but nothing of it survived. The house was occupied until the early 5th century AD and the remains under Centennium House are accessible to the public through guided tours.

Billingsgate Ward includes two churches, St Margaret Pattens and St Mary-at-Hill.
Ward Club members take part in the candlelit Christmas service in St Mary-at-Hill and the Fish Harvest Festival held in October each year.

St Mary at Hill, originally known as “St Mary de Hull,” dates back to at least the12th century and the steep ascent from the River Thames to the church gave it the name “St Maryat Hill”. The church suffered significant damage during the Great Fire of London in 1666, which destroyed much of the medieval structure. Sir Christopher Wren was commissioned to oversee the reconstruction, which retained some medieval walls while introducing a new interior design featuring a coffered dome and Cornithian columns. The church’s organ, built in 1848 by William Hill, is recognized
as one of the most important organs in the UK.

St Margaret Pattens church, dedicated to Saint Margaret of Antioch, was first recorded in 1067. Originally built from wood it was later rebuilt in stone.
It suffered significant damage during the Great Fire of London in 1666 but was rebuilt by Sir Christopher Wren in 1687. The church is notable for its 200-foot-high spire and is one of the few city churches to have escaped major damage in the second world war. It is now a Guild Church serving as a community centre for city office workers.

St Dunstan’s in the East church had a chequered career. Originally built in about 1100, it was repaired at vast expense in 1631 but then severely damaged in the Great Fire of London in 1666. Rather than being completely rebuilt, the damaged church was patched up and a steeple was added to the designs of Sir Christopher Wren.

In 1817 it was found that the weight of the nave roof had thrust the walls seven inches out of the perpendicular and the decision taken to rebuild the church from the level of the arches, but the state of the structure proved to be so bad that the whole building was taken down. The foundation stone of the new building was laid in November 1817 and the church re-opened for worship four years later. Wren’s tower was retained in the new building.

Sadly, the church was severely damaged in the Blitz of 1941. Wren’s tower and steeple survived the bombs’ impact but only the north and south walls remained of the rest of the church. It was decided not to rebuild St Dunstan’s and in 1967 the City of London Corporation voted to turn the ruins of the church into a public garden, which opened in 1971. A lawn and trees were planted in the ruins, with a low fountain in the middle of the nave. St Dunstan’s is now an important haven of calm for City workers.