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The moorings have always been used by different kinds of vessels.
Commercial freight, and boats both residential and recreational
all moored at Downings Roads, and they were also used for boat building
and repair. Like many of the vessels moored here today, historic
barges were both commercial and residential, with their crews living
and working onboard.
Adjacent
to the moorings lies Reeds Wharf, a Listed nineteenth century
warehouse. Together with the other surviving former industrial
buildings it forms part of the St. Saviour's Dock Conservation
Area.
By the 1960s and 1970s, with the advent of containerisation
and the departure of the working docks from central London,
many of these buildings became derelict and several were demolished. |
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These included a find pair of warehouses which stood on the site
of what is now Providence Tower.
The surviving buildings such as Reeds Wharf, constructed originally
to handle the grain trade from North America, have been converted
to new uses, notably living and work spaces.
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The
moorings continued to be used at Downings Roads and from the
early 1980's have been owned by the architect Nicholas Lacey.
Lacey, in acquiring the 3 acres of Ancient Moorings, is committed
to maintaining their historical usage. |
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Through this unique example of community regeneration, the Downings
Roads Moorings demonstrate a continuation of Southwark’s traditional
links with the activities and life of the river.
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