Isle of Dogs

Pundits can’t even really agree on whether this is an island, let alone where its name actually came from originally. Strictly speaking it’s a peninsula of land on the northern shore of the Thames, though without modern road and transport links it would almost be separated from the mainland at West India Docks. And etymologists are still out to lunch over the origin of the island’s name. Some believe it’s because the royal kennels were located here during the reign of Henry VIII’s. Others maintain it’s a corruption of the Flemish word dijk (dyke), recalling the Flemish engineers who shored up the area’s muddy banks. It can be agreed, however, that the centrepiece of the Isle of Dogs is Canary Wharf. If you want to see how the isle once looked, check out Mudchute Park & Farm.