Franklyn James - Limehouse

The history of Limehouse is rich, varied and significant in many ways. The name ‘Limehouse’ finds its origins in the fourteenth century lime kilns built in the area which produced quick lime for building mortar.

The fourteenth century lime kiln industry in Limehouse was later followed by pottery making in the seventeenth century and a number of the converted warehouses along Narrow Street were once the site of pottery and porcelain manufacture. Limehouse was the original Chinatown in the late nineteenth century and a place of inspiration for both Conan Doyle and Dickens. Ships have been built here, the first people to travel to Australia left from Limehouse and ale has been brewed and exported to India from this short stretch of the Thames.