Canary Wharf is a central business district in London, England, located in the Isle of Dogs, Tower Hamlets. With the City of London and the West End, it constitutes one of the main financial centres in the United Kingdom and the world, and it is home to many of the world’s major financial corporations, including the headquarters of more than 150 major businesses. 10 South Colonnade accommodates functions from eight UK Government departments, serving as a multi‑department operational site.
The district was developed on the site of the former West India Docks in East London. Canary Wharf, together with Heron Quays and Wood Wharf, forms the Canary Wharf Estate, covering around 97 acres (39 ha).
History
West India Dock Company
From 1802 until the late 1980s, the area now known as the Canary Wharf Estate was part of the Isle of Dogs (specifically Millwall) and Poplar. The West India Docks, a central feature of the area, were primarily developed by Robert Milligan (c. 1746–1809), who founded the West India Dock Company.
Port of London Authority
The Port of London Authority was established in 1909 and took control of the West India Dock. The enterprise of Alfred Lewis Jones, a Welsh shipping magnate and a prominent figure in the Canary Islands, Spain, led to a constant stream of ships arriving into London's South Quay Dock. No. 32 berth of West Wood Quay in the Import Dock was built in 1936 with a two-storey transit shed for Fruit Lines Ltd, a subsidiary of Fred Olsen Lines, for the Mediterranean and Canary Islands fruit trade, gaining the name Canary Wharf.
London Docklands Development Corporation
After the 1960s, when cargo became containerised, the port industry began to decline, leading to the closure of all the docks by 1980. After the docks closed in 1980, the British Government adopted policies to stimulate redevelopment of the area, including the creation of the London Docklands Development Corporation (LDDC) in 1981 and the granting of Urban Enterprise Zone status to the Isle of Dogs in 1982.
The Canary Wharf of today began when Michael von Clemm, former chairman of Credit Suisse First Boston (CSFB), came up with the idea to convert Canary Wharf into a back office. Further discussions with G Ware Travelstead led to proposals for a new business district and included the LDDC developing an inexpensive light metro scheme, the Docklands Light Railway, to make use of a large amount of redundant railway infrastructure and to improve access.
The project was sold to the Canadian company Olympia & York and construction began in 1988, master-planned by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill with Yorke Rosenberg Mardall as their UK advisors, and subsequently by Koetter Kim. The first buildings were completed in 1991, including One Canada Square, which became the UK's tallest building at the time and a symbol of the regeneration of Docklands. By the time it opened, the London commercial property market had collapsed, and Olympia and York Canary Wharf Limited filed for bankruptcy in May 1992.
Initially, the City of London saw Canary Wharf as an existential threat. It modified its planning laws to expand the provision of new offices in the City of London, for example, creating offices above railway stations (Blackfriars) and roads (Alban Gate). The resulting oversupply of office space contributed to the failure of the Canary Wharf project.
Canary Wharf Group
In October 1995, an international consortium that included investors such as Alwaleed, bought control of the Canary Wharf Group for $1.2 billion. Paul Reichmann (of Olympia & York) was named chairman, and Canary Wharf went public in 1999. The new company was called Canary Wharf Limited, and later became Canary Wharf Group.
In 1997, some residents living on the Isle of Dogs launched a lawsuit against Canary Wharf Ltd for private nuisance because One Canada Square, owned by the company, interfered with TV signals. However, the residents lost the suit.
Recovery in the property market generally, coupled with continuing demand for large floorplate Grade A office space, slowly improved the level of interest. A critical event in the recovery was the much-delayed start of work on the Jubilee Line Extension, which the government wanted ready for the Millennium celebrations.
In March 2004, Canary Wharf Group plc. was taken over by a consortium of investors, backed by its largest shareholder Glick Family Investments and led by Morgan Stanley using a vehicle named Songbird Estates plc.
Tallest buildings
In addition to being a leading global financial district in the United Kingdom, Canary Wharf is famous for a cluster of tall modern commercial complexes and residential high-rise buildings. Built from scratch since the early 1990s, Canary Wharf's rapid grown skyscraper cluster has dramatically transformed the skyline of London with modern architecture.
As of August 2024, six of the United Kingdom's ten tallest buildings are located at Canary Wharf.
One Canada Square (235 m (771 ft)) and Landmark Pinnacle (233 m (764 ft)) are the third and fourth tallest buildings in the United Kingdom. Newfoundland (220 m (720 ft)), Aspen at Consort Place (216 m (708 ft)), South Quay Plaza (215 m (705 ft)), and One Park Drive (205 m (673 ft)) hold the seventh to tenth positions.
The 75-storey Landmark Pinnacle is the tallest residential tower in Western Europe.
Newfoundland is the tallest build-to-rent building in the United Kingdom.
40 Marsh Wall (Novotel London Canary Wharf) is the tallest all-hotel building in the United Kingdom, and the tallest Novotel in the world.
One Canada Square, at 235 m (771 ft), achieved a 21-year record of the tallest building in the United Kingdom from 1991 to 2012. With its distinctive pyramid pinnacle, the building is recognised as a London landmark, and has been featured in many films and television shows.
In April 2026, JPMorgan Chase reached agreement with London City Airport over height restrictions and began preparing a planning application for a £3 billion, 265 metres (869 ft) tower at Riverside South that, when completed, will overtake One Canada Square as the tallest building in Canary Wharf.
Listed buildings
As of 12 February 2023, there are 16 listed buildings in Canary Wharf of which 2 are grade I and 14 grade II.
Grade I listed buildings
Quay walls, copings and buttresses to Import Dock and Export Dock: the original West India Docks consists of three docks. The Import Dock, the earliest, was opened in 1800–02, and followed to south by the Export Dock of 1803–06.
Warehouses and general offices at the western end of North Quay: originally a range of nine warehouses was built 1800–04 at the western end of North Quay, West India Dock Road. Only two warehouses survived the bombing raids of World War II.
These docks along with Nos 1 and 2 warehouses are now the only surviving examples of the first intensive period of London Docklands construction: 1800–10.
Grade II listed buildings
Most of the grade II listed buildings in Canary Wharf sit to the north-west of West India Dock North, and are located within the West India Dock conservation area. In addition to architectural values, "these buildings and structures are of significance due to their association with the development of the docks and the community that grew up around them".
Corporations and agencies
Canary Wharf contains around 16,000,000 sq ft (1,500,000 m2) of office and retail space, of which around 7,900,000 sq ft (730,000 m2) (about 49%) is owned by Canary Wharf Group. Around 105,000 people work in Canary Wharf, and it is home to the world or European headquarters of numerous major banks, professional services firms, and media organisations, including Barclays, Citigroup, Clifford Chance, Credit Suisse, Ernst & Young, Fitch Ratings, HSBC, Infosys, JPMorgan Chase, KPMG, MetLife, Moody's, Morgan Stanley, Royal Bank of Canada, Deutsche Bank, S&P Global, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, State Street, The Economist Group, and Thomson Reuters. Until 2018, Canary Wharf also hosted two European Union agencies, European Medicines Agency and European Banking Authority, that moved to Amsterdam and Paris respectively due to Brexit.
Leisure
Marina
West India Quays and Poplar Dock are two marinas that are used as moorings for barges and private leisure river craft. They are owned by the Canal & River Trust.
Library
A local public library, called Idea Store Canary Wharf, is in Churchill Place shopping mall and run by Tower Hamlets Council. It opened in 2006 as part of the Idea Store project and is the borough's fourth Idea Store.
Cinema
Canary Wharf hosts two multiplexes (cinemas), one on West India Quay run by Cineworld. and another at Crossrail Place run by Everyman Cinemas.
Restaurants and hospitality
The Canary Wharf estate includes more than 80 restaurants, bars, and cafés. Market data indicates that the median cost for private celebrations and gatherings within the area's venues is approximately £338.
Theatre
The Troubadour Canary Wharf Theatre, a new purpose-built 1,200-seat auditorium, opens its inaugural season in autumn 2025 with the world premiere of The Hunger Games: On Stage.
Theatreship: a floating theatre and cinema on a converted historic cargo ship is moored on the Canal & River Trust's 'Arts and Heritage Berth' in Canary Wharf.
Go Karting
An over 800m long electric karting facility exists within Cabot Square. The facility can accommodate up to 20 drivers at a time. Karts can reach speeds of up to 45 mph.
Mini Golf Pitch
A free mini golf pitch has been created with a 9-hole course in Montgomery Square.
Squares and public areas
Canada Square is one of the central squares at Canary Wharf. It is a large open space with grass, except during the winter when it is converted into an ice rink. The square is named after Canada, because the original developers of modern Canary Wharf, Olympia & York, wanted to reflect their heritage as a Canadian company. Underneath the square is Canada Place shopping mall.
Westferry Circus is on the west side of Canary Wharf. It is a garden at ground level, and below is a roundabout allowing traffic to flow through. The garden is enclosed by bespoke hand-crafted ornamental railings and entrance gates by artist Giuseppe Lund. The area has a long history, dating back to 1812, when the Poplar and Greenwich Roads Company operated a horse ferry between Greenwich and the Isle of Dogs. It operated on the West Ferry and East Ferry Roads, which the names survived. Westferry Circus was chosen as the name for the roundabout and park by virtue of its proximity to Westferry Road.
Cabot Square is one of the biggest squares at Canary Wharf, with a large fountain at the centre. The inner perimeter has additional fountains covered by trees. The square has large circular glass ventilation holes to allow gases to escape from the underground car park. The square is named after John Cabot and his son Sebastian, who were Italian explorers who settled in England in 1484.
Churchill Place is an area on the east side of Canary Wharf. It is named after Winston Churchill.
Columbus Courtyard is a small square on the west side of Canary Wharf named after Christopher Columbus. The first phase of Canary Wharf was completed in 1992, 500 years after Columbus arrived in America.
Chancellor Passage is a passageway south of Cabot Square. Named after Richard Chancellor who sailed with Sir John Willoughby from Greenwich on their voyage through the White Sea to Moscow.
Wren Landing is small area north of Cabot Square. Leads to North Dock footbridge towards Port East. Named after British architect Christopher Wren.