26/09/2025
Pennington Street Warehouse, London Dock: Historic Warehouse Restored as Commercial Space
Discover a piece of London’s maritime past. Pennington Street Warehouse, a Grade II listed building at London Dock, now offers unique commercial and office space within its beautifully restored 19th-century brick vaults.
The creation of the London Docks in the 19th century was a huge and essential undertaking, with Pennington Street Warehouse being one of the buildings central to the area’s historic success as a working dock. Before the development of the enclosed dock, shipments were unloaded at open wharves and quays along the River Thames, often taking up to a month to process and leaving goods vulnerable to theft.
The interconnecting network of canals and basins enabled safe passage to the London Docks which, once complete, included 35 acres of water, 50 acres of warehouse space and 2.5 miles of quays and jetties.
Steeped in history, the sensitive restoration of Pennington Street Warehouse plays tribute to its past. Discover more about this historic building and see how your business can own a part of London’s history.
History of Pennington Street Warehouse
The Grade II listed space is one of the few surviving early buildings by Daniel Alexander, a surveyor who designed the majority of the warehouses and buildings across London Dock.
Built between 1804 and 1806, Pennington Street Warehouse was primarily used to store goods including liquor, wool and leather when the area was at the centre of international trade.
The interconnecting sections of the warehouse linked with the extensive network of vaults that ran underneath London Dock, creating a cool, dark and secure space with a stable temperature for storing the goods.
The vaults, stretching an incredible 20 acres (the equivalent of over 15 football pitches), doubled as areas for hospitality, with merchants inviting customers, family and friends to sample the liquor.
These design elements, including the impressive unbroken brick exterior on the northern side of Pennington Street Warehouse that made the space so ideally suited to storing liquor, made it an exciting challenge when it came to breathing new life into the warehouse.
The working dock closed in 1969 and the site laid abandoned until it became the headquarters of News International in 1986 who based the printing presses and editorial teams for The Sunday Times, Times and News of the World there.
Restoring a Grade II Listed Warehouse Into Commercial Space
Our guiding vision for London Dock was to create a local hub for the new and existing community - a welcoming space where people could naturally come together.
The rich and interesting uses of the site over the last 200 years made it an incredibly complex design and construction process. It was often referred to as an ‘impenetrable fortress’ as it had no North-South or East-West connections, so the structural alterations and refurbishment of Pennington Street Warehouse demanded a highly experienced and specialised workforce.
The character and uniqueness of the building, including its network of underground vaults, made the process even more complicated.
Through careful restoration the incredible cavernous warehouse now provides over 100,000 sq ft of office and commercial space. A striking brickwork interior with vaulted ceilings and arches, creates a captivating place for businesses to work and entertain.
For the first time in over 200 years the local community has gained access through Pennington Street Warehouse and into London Dock, opening up the site for north to south connections.
Today Pennington Street Warehouse is both inviting and architecturally striking; with Crittall windows flooding the space with light, and hidden layers revealed to visitors, office workers and the local community.
Current Businesses and Creative Studios at London Dock
Current occupiers include St George, architecture practice JTP, and Bow Arts who offer 80 affordable artist studios to aspiring talent. This mix of leading developers, architects and artists underlines Pennington Street Warehouse’s role as a creative and commercial hub in East London.
By working in collaboration with the local community we were able to bring the elements that are important to the fore of our designs.
Creating a place for London Dock residents and the local community to meet, live, work and socialise. The commercial offering at Pennington Street Warehouse complements the homes, shops, cafes and restaurants that embody London Dock.
Learn More About Commercial Space in Wapping
Today Pennington Street Warehouse offers some of the most unique and creative office space in London. Fully fitted and bespoke warehouses are available to lease, with flexible multi-level spaces.
The Wine Yard offers 12,486 sq ft of fully fitted space and the Silk Store has 13,421 sq ft – both available now.
Many of the spaces have terraces overlooking Pennington Quay Walk, while the Silk Store benefits from a wraparound terrace overlooking Gauging Square.
Explore office and commercial opportunities at Pennington Street Warehouse.
