Talk:Isle of Dogs

Etymology
Does anyone know the etymology of the Isle of Dogs? - David Stewart 11:05 9 Jul 2003 (UTC)

This is indeed a vexed question! There are those that maintain that it got its name from the King's kennels, which, it is claimed, were handy for the royal palace at Greenwich. Unfortunately this explanation is belied by the fact that there never were any kennels on the Island. Others say that the flotsam washed up by the entrance to Poplar Gut became a regular source of food for local canines. Certainly the first reference is generally recognised as referring to the corner of the Island by Empire Wharf in a document referring to concerns that the Spanish Armada might sail up the Thames. The hope was they would be stopped before they got a chance to pillage Greenwich.

However the term I favour is that it refers to the number of dog tacks required to circumnavigate the Island. In days gone by, ships would stock up with victuals and other supplies in Deptford or Wapping before setting off on a long voyage. However sailing around the Island always proved difficult because no matter which quarter offered a fair wind, the ship would soon be sailing into the wind. Passengers would then journey to Blackwall to embark there after the boat had rounded the Island, and thus save themselves some time on board boat. Blackwall Stairs has been the kicking-off point of a number of expeditions, including that of the Virginia Invaders.
 * There never was, nor is there, a Royal Palace at Greenwich.Lion King 20:43, 5 November 2005 (UTC)
 * Wrong - Henry VIII had a palace there, the Palace of Placentia. -- ChrisO 10:13, 6 November 2005 (UTC)
 * You are correct ChrisO - my mistake!Lion King 15:25, 6 November 2005 (UTC)


 * Can someone tell me what the "dog tacks" are that are mentioned in the second paragraph above?


 * An editor has just added complete b*ll*cks about the name. Since there is a Jacobean play entitled The Isle of Dogs, and the docks were not built until the 19th century, can we do something a bit more credible?
 * I had heard that it was named the Isle of Doges (a la Venice), for the number of watermen that lived there, but also that it was called the Isle of Dogs for the wild dogs that roamed the marshes - since I have no certainty about this, I'm not going to change it ... for the moment! The previous version was little better, as there was no point landing cargoes there (before the docks), as there was only one road across the marsh to the ancient ferry (at Ferry Lane). Kbthompson 14:54, 9 February 2007 (UTC)

The last bullet item is written as if King Henry was mentioned previously which doesn't seem to be the case: "A later king, Henry VIII also kept deer in Greenwich Park. Again it is thought that his hunting dogs might have been kept in derelict farm buildings on the Island." — Preceding unsigned comment added by 128.222.37.58 (talk) 11:42, 24 September 2011 (UTC)

A rather obvious guess would be that it is a corruption of Isle of Docks. I’m surprised this possible etymology has not been proposed. — Chameleon 04:14, 26 May 2012 (UTC)
 * The name long precedes the building of the first docks on the 'island'. Pterre (talk) 10:02, 28 May 2012 (UTC)

Batman Begins?
Can anybody verify the statements about Batman Begins? I know that some of it was filmed on Canary Wharf, but to the best of my knowledge Wayne Tower was the Chicago Board of Trade building.

The scene with Bruce Wayne coming out of a building with a woman on each arm and then lying down in the water feature was filmed at Plateau restaurant in Canary Wharf. Bottom of page 6 here Ikonos45 (talk) 11:30, 1 April 2008 (UTC)

In The Media pruning?
The In The Media section is turning into a huge mess of text with no real purpose. It's longer than the main article. Perhaps it could be pruned? --Dtcdthingy 03:30, 27 May 2006 (UTC)


 * Good idea. I was bold and shortened that section drastically. We don't need to know every single detail about each scene featuring the Isle of Dogs. This is an article about the island, not the film industry. There are so many other topics barely mentioned that are much more important (landmarks, housing, education, transport, economy, inhabitants). --84.227.51.123 20:52, 3 June 2006 (UTC)

I agree - can we just not link to this? Ikonos45 (talk) 11:32, 1 April 2008 (UTC)

Island vs Peninsula
I've removed the references to "peninsula" as that description is reserved for bits of land jutting out to sea. I believe the area was only a true island prior to its development, when the Thames was in flood and took a "shortcut" across the top of the top where Canary Wharf is now, rather than flowing around the ox-bow. In any case, the "Island" is not an island anymore - as not even the man-made shipping canals link the East and West sides of the Thames anymore. Just to clarify, there's no bridge on the West side anymore - only a pumping station next to the Cascades apartment block that circulates water between the dock and the Thames. Socrates2008 (talk) 12:29, 26 November 2007 (UTC)
 * Thanks for that, I wasn't aware that the dock entrance had been filled in. I think the reason the article got sprinkled with references to peninsula is by extension from the nearby Greenwich peninsula. That also does not fit the geographic epithet, but appears to be the official name for the area formerly covered by the gas works. As far I am aware, the Poplar meadows did not flood after drainage works in the middle ages (see BritHistory online article). The area that flooded was the area either side of Ferry Road (essentially the road that leads past Asda, cut off by the building of the docks). This again was subjected to extensive works from the middle ages onwards. Kbthompson (talk) 13:11, 26 November 2007 (UTC)

How often, if ever, is this referent ever referred to as simply "Dog" or "Dogs", without the modifier "Isle of.."? I ask because I'm thinking of removing it from the page Dog (disambiguation), but I wouldn't want to do that if there were any chance that a person might search for it by simply typing "d-o-g" or "d-o-g-s". Is there a rational expectation that no one would ever do that and therefore be helped by the fact that "Isle of Dogs" appears on that disambigation page?

Thank you for your kind attention to this matter.Chrisrus (talk) 02:40, 16 May 2010 (UTC)

Verification of information?
Following section is unverified and contains a great number of exaggerations and grave inaccuracies. Can this section be marked for citation required to indicate that there is nothing in the article that suggests that these claims are supported?

"===Industry=== The Docks brought with them many associated industries, such as flour and sugar processing, and also ship building. On January 31, 1858, the largest ship of that time, the SS Great Eastern designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, was launched from the yard of Messrs Scott, Russell & Co, of Millwall. The 211 m length was too big for the river, and the ship had to be launched sideways. Due to the technical difficulties of the launch, this was the last big ship to be built on the Island, and the industry fell into a decline. The ship was doomed from the beginning, apparently when it was launched sideways it became stuck in the mud and remained there for three days. It also set up a massive wave that travelled across the river and a number of people that were watching on the opposite bank were hit by the wave and dragged into the Thames where they drowned. When it was taken out of service the remains of three ship builders were found in the hold and the bad luck of the ship was blamed on the loss of the men. "

Coincidence worth noting?
The etymology for the term "Isle of Dogs" may be uncertain, but an unrelated sourced statement on the article for Canary Wharf (which, I don't need to remind you, is located on the Isle of Dogs) indicates a clear origin for the name of the business district. According to the source, Canary Wharf was named under the request of Fruit Lines Limited, which chose the name due to their shipping activities with Canary Island. Anyone cares to take a guess at the etymology of Canary Island? You guessed it: Island of Dogs, from latin "Insula Canaria". A coincidence worth mentioning either here or on the article for Canary Wharf?

Obviously, if it were to be added, wording should be chosen carefully in order to make it clear that the names of both the Isle of Dogs and Canary Wharf have developed independently from each other, considering how, although the etymology of the Isle of Dogs is uncertain, it certainly predates the creation of Canary Wharf by decades. --ZeframCochrane (talk) 23:58, 5 March 2011 (UTC)

Republic of the Isle of Dogs
The Isle of Dogs became famous all over the world in 1970 (and I remember its name since that time) when it proclaimed itself indipendent and a Republic to protest against British Government, which neglected it. I remember there were no schools and no buses for local kids. It's strange this is not mentioned in this article

http://ianbone.wordpress.com/2009/08/05/march-1st-1970-isle-of-dogs-declares-independence/ — Preceding unsigned comment added by Nishir2706 (talk • contribs) 16:13, 26 December 2012 (UTC)

Size?
What is the size of this chunk of land? T-bonham (talk) 10:05, 11 December 2013 (UTC)

External links modified
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