Hermitage Basin

Hermitage Basin served as the western back door to the massive London Docks complex, which once processed global treasures like ivory, spices, and tobacco. Engineers constructed this entrance between 1811 and 1821 to give ships a second way to move from the Thames into the secure, enclosed waters of the docks. A cast-iron swing bridge once spanned this entrance, earning its place in history as the world's first bridge of its kind. While the grand lock has since been sealed and removed, you can still spot the original red-brick pumphouse that once powered the machinery needed to keep the docks running.