Visit Hay’s Galleria – an old riverside wharf by London Bridge with shops & restaurants

Photo: Craig Cross

Craig’s review… Try and imagine how busy Hay’s Wharf would have been in the 1860s. The floor was originally where the water was so you’ve got to picture it minus the roof and with tall-masted clipper ships moored up in the middle. Something like 80% of all London’s dry produce was offloaded here once upon a time and all of those brick buildings round the side would have been warehouses full of cranes and crates of coffee beans and tea.

Photo: Craig Cross

It must have been incredibly exciting coming into London after such a long time at sea. The Cutty Sark used to complete her China trip in just under four months, so the crew would have had four months of looking at nothing but rolling water and then they’d come round the Isle of Dogs… everyone standing on deck to see what was coming next… there was no Tower Bridge in those days so it would have been the Tower of London and the golden top of the Monument and the dome of St Paul’s, before taking a left turn into here.

Photo: Craig Cross

Now it’s all tables and chairs and restaurants. A few clothes shops, travel shops, stalls selling knick-knack souvenirs and a caravan selling salad baps and bagels.

Worth a visit? ★☆☆Value for money? n/aGood for kids? ☆☆☆Easy to get to? ★★★

I also recommend… If you enjoy this then try Borough Market (you can walk it in 6 mins) and Gabriel’s Wharf (walk it in 24 mins or travel from London Bridge to Waterloo by tube). Hay’s Galleria is a short walk from HMS Belfast and Tower Bridge. You might also like to go and visit the Cutty Sark in Greenwich. If you want to see an even bigger dock then try a day trip to Chatham Dockyard

The author Craig Cross owns city-guide.london and has spent the last decade reviewing the capital’s landmarks, attractions and hotels. His guidebook London Squire is available from Amazon. This review was updated on 21st August 2023