In 1870-72, John Marius Wilson's Imperial Gazetteer of England and Wales described the Isle of Dogs like this:
DOGS (Isle of), a low marshy tract in Stepney parish, Middlesex; on the left bank of the Thames, opposite Deptford and Greenwich, 4½ miles ESE of St. Paul's, London. It comprises 600 acres; was originally a peninsula, with isthmus to the north; but became an island by the cutting of the West India Dock canal across its neck. ...
Baxter supposes it to be the Connennos, or Dog's island, of Ptolemy; and other writers derive its name varionsly from a royal kennel of ancient kings, a royal kennel of King John, and a dog's discovery of the body of his murdered master. It remained nearly uninhabited till 1830; but became afterwards the site of numerous iron-shipbuilding-yards, chemical works, and other establishments. The part of it still open affords a very rich pasturage; and the sweep of the Thames round it is the grand scene of the white bait fishery.
the Isle of Dogs through time
the Isle of Dogs is now part of Tower Hamlets district. Click here for graphs and data of how Tower Hamlets has changed over two centuries. For statistics about the Isle of Dogs itself, go to Units and Statistics.
GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth, History of the Isle of Dogs, in Tower Hamlets and Middlesex | Map and description, A Vision of Britain through Time.
URL: https://www.visionofbritain.org.uk/place/23629
Date accessed: 19th April 2024
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