Canary Wharf is the financial center located in the East End of London (Tower Hamlets). Canary Wharf contains many of Europe's tallest buildings, including the second-tallest in Great Britain.
Today the main attraction of Canary Wharf is the offer of one million square meters of land in a forbidding city that generated its’ own housing bubble. The land is less costly than in the City of London, and also offers the advantage that skyscrapers and tall buildings can group an entire company’s staff in one building. It is believed that the name of Canary Wharf relates to merchandise originally from the Canary Islands that arrived there at the former docks.
History
Canary Wharf was a vision of the Canadian Jewish mogul Paul Reichmann, born in Vienna. Impressed with the opening reforms of Margaret Thatcher in the late eighties he presented a project, which then seemed almost utopian, to build a financial city in former loading docks at a bend in the Thames. Thatcher promised to take the subway there and in 1991 the first buildings were opened. The beginnings were difficult, with many doubts and many empty lots for many years. But time has proven the vision of Reichmann, who died in 2013 and confirmed the dream that had created.
Constructions
1.One Canada Square is a skyscraper in Canary Wharf, London. It was the tallest building in the United Kingdom from 1990 to 2010, standing at 770 feet (235 m) above ground level and containing 50 storeys. In late 2010, it was surpassed by The Shard (completed in July 2012) which stands at 309.6 metres (1,016 ft).
One Canada Square was designed by principal architect Cesar Pelli, who based the design and shape mainly on the World Financial Center and the Elizabeth Tower. The building is clad with expensive stainless steel. One of the predominant features of the building is the pyramid roof which contains a flashing aircraft warning light, a rare feature for buildings in the United Kingdom. The distinctive pyramid pinnacle is at 800 feet (240 m) above sea level.
2.HSBC Group Head Office or HSBC Tower: Is a skyscraper located at Canary Wharf in London Docklands, Borough of Tower Hamlets. The building serves as the global headquarters of the HSBC Group.
The tower was designed by Sir Norman Foster's team of architects. Construction began in 1999 and was completed in 2002. There are 45 floors in the 200 metres (656 ft) high tower, the joint fourth tallest in the United Kingdom with the nearbyCitigroup Centre, and the second tallest in Canary Wharf.
3.Citigroup Centre: Is a building complex in London. It houses Citigroup's EMEA headquarters and is located in Canary Wharf in the city's Docklands. The centre provides 170,000 square metres (1,800,000 sq ft) of floor space across two merged buildings - 33 Canada Square (known as "CGC1") and 25 Canada Square (known as "CGC2"), and houses the bulk of Citi's UK employee base. Together, both buildings form the Citigroup Centre complex.
4.One Churchill Place: Is a 156 m tall skyscraper with 32 floors, serving as the headquarters of Barclays Bank. It is in the Docklands area of London Borough of Tower Hamlets in Canary Wharf. The building is the seventh tallest office block in the Great Britain and the fourth tallest building in the Docklands after One Canada Square, the HSBC Group Headquarters and the Citigroup Centre.
The building was formally opened in June 2005 by the Chairman of Barclays, Matthew Barrett, and merged Barclays offices across London into one building. The former corporate HQ was at 54 Lombard Street in the City of London.
Barclays occupy approximately 90% of the building, floors 18-20 are leased to BGC Partners/Cantor Fitzgerald.
5. 40 Bank Street: Is a skyscraper in Heron Quays, Docklands, London. It is 153 meters (502 ft) tall and has 32 floors. The building was designed by Cesar Pelli & Associates and it was built by Canary Wharf Contractors.
Interesting things to do in Canary Wharf
Museum of London Docklands - Free entry, this museum goes over the growth of the Docklands area and the revitalization of the River Thames. It wasn’t always a banker’s paradise, and in fact the area has a rich & interesting history. You can walk through a reproduction of a historical dock area, with costumed actors telling stories about life in that era!
Public Art Collection - There is lots of art publicly on display in Canary Wharf, so just having a wander around will net some interesting photography shots and perhaps even give you something to think about. The website linked will give you a bit of an overview of what to look for.
Surrey Docks Farm - A farm so near Canary Wharf? Well, it’s true! Children especially enjoy the opportunity to hang out with some donkeys, cows, and pigs. Another very cool feature on this working farm is the blacksmith - it’s the only farm in the city where a blacksmith will put on live demonstrations. It’s certainly an interesting craft that few of us have ever seen done in person!
Balfron Tower - Balfron Tower was an intriguingly designed social housing project that has many unique architectural features. While the former residents have been moved out now to make way for a more upmarket tenant (Canary Wharf’s property values have, of course, skyrocketed since the 1960s) for now it has been converted into a temporary museum of sorts. You can explore the inside of the building, and see the way the architect would’ve lived upon the time of its construction.
Pumphouse Educational Museum - Originally in use to pump water from the River Thames, this building has been converted into a museum - perhaps the only one in the world housed in a former pump house? Outside of the museum there is also a lovely green park to visit - it’s all just about 15 minutes out of Canary Wharf walking.
Public Art Collection - There is lots of art publicly on display in Canary Wharf, so just having a wander around will net some interesting photography shots and perhaps even give you something to think about. The website linked will give you a bit of an overview of what to look for.
Surrey Docks Farm - A farm so near Canary Wharf? Well, it’s true! Children especially enjoy the opportunity to hang out with some donkeys, cows, and pigs. Another very cool feature on this working farm is the blacksmith - it’s the only farm in the city where a blacksmith will put on live demonstrations. It’s certainly an interesting craft that few of us have ever seen done in person!
Balfron Tower - Balfron Tower was an intriguingly designed social housing project that has many unique architectural features. While the former residents have been moved out now to make way for a more upmarket tenant (Canary Wharf’s property values have, of course, skyrocketed since the 1960s) for now it has been converted into a temporary museum of sorts. You can explore the inside of the building, and see the way the architect would’ve lived upon the time of its construction.
Pumphouse Educational Museum - Originally in use to pump water from the River Thames, this building has been converted into a museum - perhaps the only one in the world housed in a former pump house? Outside of the museum there is also a lovely green park to visit - it’s all just about 15 minutes out of Canary Wharf walking.
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