Description
King Edward Memorial Park occupies the site of the former Shadwell Fish Market Estate, which was acquired by the King Edward VII Memorial London Committee following the King's death in 1910. It was laid out with bowling greens, playgrounds, flower gardens, a bandstand, riverside promenade and a long balustraded terrace overlooking the park on the north boundary. A memorial to the King was placed on this terrace at the top of a flight of steps leading to the main area of the park. It was opened to the public on 24 June 1922 by King George V.
Practical Information
| Previously known as | Shadwell Park; King Edward VII Memorial Park |
|---|---|
| Site location | The Highway |
| Postcode | E1 |
| What3Words | ///prop.curl.float |
| Type of Site | Public Park |
| Borough | Tower Hamlets |
| Open to Public | Yes |
| Opening Times | 8am - dusk |
| Facilities | bowling green |
| Public Transport | London Overground/DLR: Shadwell |
| Research Updated | 1 August 2013 |
| Last Updated | 18 October 2026 |
Full description
A plaque in the park reads: 'King Edward Memorial London Committee of which Colonel the Rt Hon Sir Vezey Strong, KCVO, Lord Mayor 1910/1911, was Chairman acquired the freehold of this site for the purposes of a public park out of funds voluntarily subscribed. The Corporation of the City of London who were the owners generously co-operated with the subscribers in thus perpetuating the memory of King Edward VII'. By the early 1900s the area was populated with derelict factories, poor housing and brickfields. Shadwell Fish Market had been established along the riverfront in the 1880s as an alternative to Billingsgate Fish Market but proving unsuccessful, the site was sold to the Corporation of London in 1901, who eventually sold it to the King Edward VII Memorial Committee in 1914. Laying out the park on the site of the former Shadwell Fish Market Estate was delayed by WWI, and the cost to do so amounted to £20,000. It was finally opened to the public on 24 June 1922 by King George V, with Queen Mary and Queen Alexandra in attendance. The park was 'attractively laid out with bowling greens, playgrounds and flower gardens (. . . ) its riverside promenade [120m] affords a most interesting view of the shipping in the Thames and of the Surrey Commercial Docks on the opposite side of the river' (Clunn 1950).
A long promenade terrace runs almost the whole length of the park's north boundary adjacent to The Highway, which has a central memorial to King Edward at the top of a flight of steps leading down to the main area of the park. A strip of formal flower beds and a path separates the terrace from the rectangular expanse of grass, with some trees planted, which leads to the river promenade that is provided with seating. At the west of this promenade is the Rotherhithe Tunnel Ventilation Shaft and towards the east is a bandstand. Near the Ventilation Shaft is a stone placed here by the LCC to commemorate the 16 mariners who sailed from here to explore the Northern Seas. At the east of the park is a section of garden that is hedged off from the main area and to the west are a children's playground, tennis courts and the bowling green. A new bowls pavilion was laid out in 1975 and the park was refurbished in 1994. There are current threats to the park due to plans by Thames Water to use it as a construction site for its proposed Tideway Tunnel. A campaign to oppose this was set up in November 2010 and continues to petition against these works, which would take several years to complete and would be damaging to the park's infrastructure, planting and wildlife.
A long promenade terrace runs almost the whole length of the park's north boundary adjacent to The Highway, which has a central memorial to King Edward at the top of a flight of steps leading down to the main area of the park. A strip of formal flower beds and a path separates the terrace from the rectangular expanse of grass, with some trees planted, which leads to the river promenade that is provided with seating. At the west of this promenade is the Rotherhithe Tunnel Ventilation Shaft and towards the east is a bandstand. Near the Ventilation Shaft is a stone placed here by the LCC to commemorate the 16 mariners who sailed from here to explore the Northern Seas. At the east of the park is a section of garden that is hedged off from the main area and to the west are a children's playground, tennis courts and the bowling green. A new bowls pavilion was laid out in 1975 and the park was refurbished in 1994. There are current threats to the park due to plans by Thames Water to use it as a construction site for its proposed Tideway Tunnel. A campaign to oppose this was set up in November 2010 and continues to petition against these works, which would take several years to complete and would be damaging to the park's infrastructure, planting and wildlife.
Further Information
| Grid Reference | TQ354807 |
|---|---|
| Size in hectares | 3.3074 |
| Site Ownership | LB Tower Hamlets |
| Site Management | Leisure Services, Parks and Open Spaces/Trees for London |
| Dates | 1914-22 |
| Listed Structures | LBII: Air Shaft to Rotherhithe Tunnel; Dock Stairs |
| On National Heritage List for England (NHLE), Parks & Gardens | No |
| Registered common or village green on Commons Registration Act 1965 | No |
| Protected under London Squares Preservation Act 1931 | No |
| Local Authority | Tower Hamlets |
| In Conservation Area | Yes |
| Conservation Area Name | Wapping Wall |
| Tree Preservation Order | No |
| Nature Conservation Area | No |
| Green Belt | No |
| Metropolitan Open Land | No |
| Special Policy Area | Yes - Area of Archaeological Importance |
Gallery
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Nearby parks and gardens
The church here was first established as a chapel of ease of St Dunstan's Stepney, becoming a separate parish in 1669 and consecrated as St Paul's Shadwell in 1671. It became known as the Church of Sea Captains due to the many mariners in the congregation, including Captain James Cook. The old church was later rebuilt in 1820. It was once surrounded by trees on all four sides but in the 1840s part of the churchyard was compulsorily purchased when the London Dock Company built Shadwell New Basin. After it closed for burials, the churchyard was laid out in 1886 as a public garden by the MPGA, with a partially flagged area in front.
Albert Square was built in the early 1840s, renamed Albert Gardens in 1937. In 1899 there was a proposal to build houses on the central garden in the square but the LCC compulsorily purchased the land and opened Albert Square Garden to the public in 1902. In the north of the garden is a C19th drinking fountain topped by a statue, 'Shepherd Boy', which was erected in 1903 by the MPGA.
Arbour Square was built on land belongingto the Mercers Company as the area was rapidly developed in the early C19th. The name derives from Arbour Field on the Mercers Estate. In 1904 Arbour Square Gardens was opened to the public by the London County Council, who leased it from the Mercers Company.
