The "phenomenal" dock is open for viewing to the public

The historic Albion dry dock uncovered near Canada Water two weeks ago will not be destroyed, according to the property developers working on the site, writes Alex Yeates…

Sellar, the developers, confirmed this week that the dock would be “retained and preserved” but it is not yet clear to what extent.

The historic find is currently open for viewing to the public for a limited time before construction work covers it.

A Sellar spokesperson said: “As part of the new, mixed-use retail and residential scheme currently on site, the dry dock will be retained and preserved, protecting the site’s history for future generations.

“The scale of the structure is phenomenal – and is definitely worth a visit. The viewing platform, which is located at the side of the Decathlon store adjacent to the site, is publicly accessible.”

On Wednesday, as the News went to press, a representative from the Museum of London Archaeology gave a short talk about the history of the site.

Dating back to the mid-1870s, it’s thought that the Dock was originally built around the same time as the Surrey Commercial Docks and was fundamental to the maintenance of boats.

By the mid-1980s, the docks was disused, leading to a period of redevelopment.

The Albion Dry Dock was preserved and backfilled during the re-development works in the 1990s and the site was transformed into a retail warehouse.