Folly Wall

What secrets does a wall hold? Here at Folly Wall, it whispers stories of shipbuilders, taverns, and ambitious folly. Folly Wall wasn’t always just a road. It was once a riverside path, a narrow embankment along the Thames in London’s Isle of Dogs. In 1753, Thomas Davers, a man of seemingly vast resources, decided this marshy spot was perfect for a mock fortress. He built his “folly” at great expense, a peculiar home in an isolated area. Folly Wall earned its name. Davers’s grand design quickly led to his financial ruin, forcing him to sell his fortress-home shortly after completion. The story takes a darker turn. Davers, considered to be unstable, tragically ended his life, reportedly by throwing himself into the Thames. Folly Wall then witnessed a transformation. The fortress became a tavern under Henry Annis, who saw the potential of this riverside location. It became a popular spot between Greenwich and Blackwall. Expansion followed, creating a welcoming space for “genteel company” with gardens and a riverfront terrace. The 19th century brought industry to Folly Wall. Ship and iron works sprang up, including those of John Stewart and Joseph Samuda. A new pub, the Prince of Wales, joined the scene around 1859. Folly Wall, the tavern, found new customers in the workers of these burgeoning industries. But its success was short-lived. Alfred Yarrow, another shipbuilder, arrived in 1866. He acquired not only the land around Folly House but the tavern itself, turning it into offices. Folly Wall became the heart of Yarrow’s booming business. But even this wasn’t the end. Yarrow’s expanding shipyard eventually outgrew Folly Wall, leading to a move in 1898. Folly Wall then became a dividing line, separating John Stewart’s iron works from the Thames. Footbridges connected the two sides for the workers. Over time, industry consumed the original path, leaving only fragments on the maps by 1910. A storm pumping station, built in 1886 to combat flooding, became a new landmark along the diminished Folly Wall. The Prince of Wales pub met a dramatic end during World War II, destroyed by German bombing. The name Folly Wall was later given to the road leading to the pub’s former site. Today, the original Folly Wall path is gone. Only its name remains. A road now connects the site of the Prince of Wales to Stewart Street, a faint echo of the grand folly and the bustling industries that once defined this stretch of the Thames.