“With Newham Council and the GLA’s £3.7billion regeneration project for Canning Town and the Royal Docks, the area is quickly becoming a sought-after area of London,” said Kevin Sims, director at SO Resi.
“The unpredictability of the housing market coupled with high pricing has been putting aspiring homeowners at a major disadvantage compared to previous generations of home buyers.
“At SO Resi, we aim to level the playing field by offering more opportunities for shared ownership solutions.”
In a bid to alleviate buyers’ affordability troubles in such a vibrant area, SO Resi – the shared ownership brand of Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing, the fifth largest housing association in the UK – is currently selling a collection of 37 apartments.
SO Resi Canning Town’s one, two and three-bedroom homes are located at Manor Road Quarter, the latest development by the English Cities Fund – which was also responsible for the regeneration of nearby Rathbone Market.
The immediate area boasts a multitude of attractions, including craft beer at Husk, modern Italian food at Pepenero, a bouldering facility at Rise Climbing and outdoorsy activities at Bow Ecology Park and environmental community project, Cody Dock.
The development itself will add a newly created park as well as space for shops alongside the homes that are bring created.
The shared ownership properties themselves feature open-plan living areas, fully fitted kitchens with Zanussi appliances and solid timber floors.
All enjoy private balconies and feature built-in storage solutions, with living spaces ranging from 557sq ft to 971sq ft.
One, two and three-bedroom homes are available at the development
a compelling location
“These properties at our Canning Town development are the perfect example of our aim,” said Kevin.
“Proposed plans from the council mean the town centre is set to be home to a new community hub, cinema, shops and office spaces as well as brand new shared ownership homes, underscoring the increased popularity of this form of buying as an option for prospective homeowners.
“By choosing from our 37 shared ownership properties available at our SO Resi Canning Town development, prospective homeowners are set to gain a foothold in London’s property market alongside becoming a part of a vibrant and emerging community.”
Residents at the scheme will be within walking distance of City Hall at Royal Docks, the home of the English National Ballet at London City Island and the art and heritage of Trinity Buoy Wharf.
It’s a compelling offering, even before you factor in the bustle of Stratford, the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Westfield Stratford City, Canary Wharf, The O2 and Greenwich Peninsula – all within two Tube stops or less.
Canning Town station is also a major bus interchange, meaning residents can easily access areas such as Bethnal Green, Aldgate, Walthamstow and even Romford.
Under shared ownership residents purchase between 25% and 75% of a home with a deposit of as little as 5%.
They then pay rent on the remainder and can choose to purchase more of the property – as little as 1% per year if desired.
The apartments at SO Resi Canning Town feature open-plan living areas
key details: SO Resi Canning Town
SO Resi Canning Town is a collection of 37 apartments ranging in size from one-beds to three-beds.
Prices at SO Resi Canning Town start at £96,875 for a 25% share of a one-bedroom apartment, based on a full market value of £387,500.
- Jon Massey is co-founder and editorial director of Wharf Life and writes about a wide range of subjects in Canary Wharf, Docklands and east London - contact via jon.massey@wharf-life.com
While other homes created through the works sit within TP Bennett’s original structure – itself designed to replicate the design of the firm’s Detroit headquarters – the latest releases are contained in a newly built section on its roof.
As part of the project, following Land Charter’s purchase of the building in 2019, its original architects, working alongside the John Finch Partnership were tasked with turning its floors into residential homes as well as adding two more storeys for the penthouses.
Prospective buyers can enjoy all the amenities of the building including The Deli Cafe and a metabolic gym on site.
There’s also a co-working floor with a range of flexible workspaces, meeting rooms and hot desk options.
Outside, Warley HQ boasts communal gardens complete with BBQ areas and table tennis, all surrounded by mature woodlands.
One of the larger penthouses at Warley HQ, available to view now
an exclusive finish at Warley HQ
“For the penthouses themselves, you’ll go up in the lift and come into a show-stopping foyer, with beautiful lighting, exclusive to those apartments,” said James Sutton, sales manager at Land Charter.
“Then, once you go into the apartments, they all have private roof terraces.
“The views are out of this world – you get mind-blowing sunrises and sunsets.
“Many views look out towards London and you can just see the towers of Canary Wharf in the distance.
“It’s just as impressive at night when everything is lit up as it is during the day with the woods surrounding the development.”
That visual link to London is telling.
Nearby Brentwood station is on the Elizabeth Line, meaning rapid access to the capital is just a 20-minute walk from Warley HQ, offering residents smooth commuting and easy journeys into the likes of Soho and Oxford Street.
That it’s located a whisker outside the M25 also means buyers can look forward to getting considerably more for their money than they would further into the urban sprawl.
Take the three-bedroom, three-bathroom penthouse for £1.25million for example.
At nearly 2,000sq ft, it’s substantially larger in size than similarly priced apartments closer in.
It features open-plan design with high ceilings – replicating the feel of the rest of the development – alongside underfloor heating, a Rok fitted kitchen with integrated Bosch appliances and air conditioning.
Its expansive terrace is south-facing with views over the treetops towards the city.
Oh, and it comes with two parking spaces.
The penthouses all have private terraces with views over the surrounding countryside
light streaming in
“You’ve got full height glazing so there’s so much light coming into these properties,” said James.
“They have super impressive reception rooms that are picture postcard pretty because you’re walking into those views.
“Then you go out onto the terrace.
“Among the collection there are some real wow moments with high-vaulted ceilings.
“What you get here is all these facilities and the amenities in the town, but to live in a woodland setting.
“The penthouses really are the final piece of the jigsaw for what is an iconic building.”
In addition to the penthouses, other properties at Warley HQ are available.
Also generously sized, they present a compelling option for prospective purchasers, especially as interest rates begin to drop and mortgages become less expensive as a result.
Penthouse owners at Warley HQ access their apartments from a private foyer
key details: Warley HQ
Prices for the penthouses at Warley HQ start at £725,000.
One and two-bedroom apartments at the development are also available with prices starting at £275,000 and £400,000 respectively – see the brochure here.
Viewings can be arranged via the sales team by emailing sales@landcharter.co.uk or calling 07958 228 343.
- Jon Massey is co-founder and editorial director of Wharf Life and writes about a wide range of subjects in Canary Wharf, Docklands and east London - contact via jon.massey@wharf-life.com
Rewind 20 years and a typical Tube train on a weekday would be filled with commuters in smart leather shoes.
This was the boom time for cobblers and manufacturers of shoe polish.
But the world turns. The pandemic accelerated a process that was already well underway.
A more casual attitude to clothing in many workplaces has now found its feet – for comfort, for style and for simple economic reasons, the trainer has won out.
The logic of having a completely separate wardrobe for work and play, when so many industries no longer demand it is faltering.
But that also leaves us with a problem.
While a brush and a pot of polish were enough to refresh a pair of brogues, sneakers come in a much wider variety of styles and materials, providing a greater challenge when it comes to cleaning.
One might spend a painstaking evening with an old toothbrush, purchase an esoteric collection of products for the purpose or chuck them in a washing machine in a pillowcase – the latter not great for either the footwear or the appliance.
It all started with a machine developed to clean clothes.
W’air Sneaker Laundry is located under One Canada Square in Canary Wharf
the origin: W’air Sneaker Laundry
“The device started life at Unilever, where it was designed before being picked up by Pilot Lite Ventures, which launched it as the world’s first eco-friendly handheld fabric care device,” said Kate Rixon, retail lead at W’air Sneaker Laundry.
“It uses cold tapwater and air with a bit of detergent, so it got its name as a blend of water and air.
“I’d spent 30 years working for retail giant Arcadia until it went into administration in 2021 and joined Pilot Lite as a consultant.”
Initially, Kate sold the W’air services into retail businesses such as Tommy Hilfiger and Calvin Klein, using it to spot clean stains and refresh garments in their stores.
“The whole ethos of W’air is sustainability,” said Kate.
“Garments in shops can get stained from children’s sticky fingers, make-up and even blood.
“Historically, those might be sent to landfill if they weren’t cleaned. W’air is about preventing that and also about reducing water use.
“Often garments don’t need washing, the stain just needs to be removed.
“The W’air device only uses cold water and air plus a mild detergent which gives clothes a fresh smell so you’re saving on water and electricity.”
Adding another string to the company’s bow, the decision was made to target trainers with a consumer-facing venture.
W’air Sneaker Laundry operations manager Oliver Grout
dipping a toe in
“We decided to diversify into sneaker cleaning and opened a kiosk at Westfield Stratford City to test the market,” said Kate. “Now we’re in Canary Wharf too.
“People are wearing trainers a lot more now, so that’s one reason we went down this route alongside our garment cleaning business.
“The W’air device is a pressure pump and it works a bit like a steam cleaner only with cold water. It flushes out stains on fabric like oil, make-up, red wine and soy sauce.
“Then you just need to let whatever you’re washing dry overnight and it’s ready to go.
“Because there’s a slight fragrance with the detergent, it also refreshes clothes and sneakers, removing any odours without using chemicals like Febreze.”
As operations manager, Oliver Grout is the man charged with running the Canary Wharf and Stratford sites.
Now aged 21, he embarked on a retail career with Waitrose before swapping the supermarket for W’air.
“After training, we started off in Westfield and had a really good year before deciding it would be worth dipping our toes in Canary Wharf,” he said.
“The W’air device is part of our cleaning toolkit – it’s not a magic machine that can get rid of everything.
“But it does an amazing job on fabric trainers including suede and canvas, where the dirt can be embedded.
“It’s a targeted cleaner, and works very well with old stains which might otherwise be difficult to remove with your normal equipment. That’s where it really shines.
“It’s also good at removing excess dirt.
“If you’ve been out in fields with your shoes caked in mud, using a brush can just embed the dirt more deeply in the fabric.”
blasting away
“With the W’air device, you aim it at the dirt and it blasts it up and away from the shoe, rather than smudging it in further,” added Oliver.
“In addition to cleaning, we also offer deoxidisation.
“For example, white soles on trainers can start to bleach from exposure to direct sunlight, so we have machines which will reverse that process and restore the shoes back to their proper colour.
“Having had staff members with connections to Canary Wharf, we thought it would be a good area for our services.
“You get a lot of people passing through the malls whether they live here, work here or are just visiting.
“It’s hard to pinpoint our typical customer, but we see a lot of lifestyle sneakers because they get taken out and worn so much.
“People do bring in shoes that have been lying there for ages or hidden away in cupboards for anything up to a year.
“We won’t always be able to make shoes look like new, but we can smarten them up so they can be worn again.”
W’air recommends purely leather trainers are best taken to the cobbler, as its technology is much more geared towards cleaning fabric.
To that end, the firm also offers spot cleaning for garments and handbags at its sites.
The focus, however, is on trainers and W’air Sneaker Laundry will be popping up outside Waitrose on August 14, 2024, to demonstrate its cleaning powers to Wharfers in more detail.
Alternatively, drop into one of its branches and find out more.
key details: W’air Sneaker Laundry
You can find W’air Sneaker Laundry’s Canary Wharf branch in the mall underneath One Canada Square.
The business is weekdays from 8am-6pm and from 10am on Saturdays and 11am on Sundays with the same closing time.
Standard cleaning services for sneakers start at £30.
The business also has a branch at Westfield Stratford City.
- Jon Massey is co-founder and editorial director of Wharf Life and writes about a wide range of subjects in Canary Wharf, Docklands and east London - contact via jon.massey@wharf-life.com
PEN director, Professor Cedric Bell, said: “William College will be where we have our law, criminal law, policing and criminology courses to complement what we’re doing with business and management at the Elizabeth School Of London.
“There is a real synergy between business and law and the latter is very popular with our student constituency.
“We don’t tend to have traditional university students – ours are often older, in their mid-to-late 20s or early 30s, and have domestic caring responsibilities.
“A lot of them are interested in studying law, whether to become solicitors in their own right or because they want to provide support for people in their communities on human rights or immigration issues.
“Having been a lawyer myself at one stage, I see it as a good qualification.
“It opens up a range of great career opportunities.”
William College in Stratford is set to open in September 2024
reaching full potential
PEN’s philosophy is very much about providing opportunities for “lifelong learning” as an agent of societal advancement – an ethos common across its operations and one that especially resonates with Cedric.
“I have a sympathy with people who may not have attained their full potential as yet,” he said.
“When I was younger, I struggled academically – I couldn’t read until I was seven – and the teachers at the school I attended in Belfast were not keen to encourage me because they felt I wasn’t up to it.
“I did better at A Level than I was expecting and, as a result, felt studying law was more realistic and attainable.
“I decided to take my future into my own hands and went to university.
“Personally, I don’t think you can judge a person by what they’ve achieved in their teens or when they were younger.
“That’s why we’re keen on widening access to give people a genuine opportunity to fulfil their dreams.
“By and large the students we have take a conscious decision. They don’t rush into it.
“For many who have been away from formal education for a number of years, it’s a huge step of faith to come back into it – but once they find they have the courage to do that and once they realise they’re in a supportive environment, they work very hard, because they’re more conscious of the commitment.
“For this reason we’re comfortable about offering law, because it’s a serious discipline, and it resonates with some of the decision-making of our students.”
The college will offer two law-based degree courses when it opens
at the heart of Stratford: William College
The new campus is based on Stratford High Street, a few minutes’ walk from the area’s main station, offering connections to the Elizabeth Line, Jubilee, DLR, Overground and national rail services.
“The facilities we offer are excellent, William College is very well appointed,” said Cedric.
“We have a large reception area and spaces over a number of floors, which all emphasise that students are in an environment where they can connect with other like-minded people, a place that’s conducive to their needs.
“We’ve put a lot of resources into it, which we’re happy to do, because we’re in it for the long term.
“Choosing Stratford was both historical and an extension of our philosophy at PEN.
“We’ve always been in east London, so our roots are very much here, and we’re very committed to working with those from less fortunate backgrounds.
“If you look across the group, we’ve positioned our campuses in big cities so the communities we want to serve can access them easily.
“Stratford is also very good in terms of travel – it’s become a thriving place.”
Facilities at William College will include a library area
aimed at a local audience
“Nearly all our campuses concentrate on attracting students from the UK rather than people from overseas.
“Increasingly, more and more young people are asking themselves why they should do a degree course.
“What I’ve found is they ask two questions – will this course increase my employability and is it good value for money?
“The two main dynamics are employability and affordability. I’m not saying that a university degree is the best way forward for everyone.
“But I always say to young people: ‘Don’t put a glass ceiling over your head’. If you aspire to do something, you’re more likely to achieve it.
“The majority of people who studied law with me at university expected to practise as solicitors or barristers throughout their careers and I’m sure most have done that.
“But I enjoyed teaching law more than practising as a barrister and I had an opportunity within business and I built up a company, working in Malaysia and Africa.
“I can’t say that I thought while I was at university that my career would take the steps it has done.
“While law will obviously be our flagship course – with policing and criminology an extension from that, forming a group of courses – business and management are natural partners too.
“I work on the principle that you might be a very distinguished and capable musician, but to harness those talents you need to know something about how to run a business.
“An awful lot of law in practice is dealing with business, so we want to optimise our students’ skills for their post university careers.”
William College’s degrees will be accredited by a leading university
key details: William College
William College is located in Stratford and is currently offering two degree courses, one in law and one in business and management (law).
- Jon Massey is co-founder and editorial director of Wharf Life and writes about a wide range of subjects in Canary Wharf, Docklands and east London - contact via jon.massey@wharf-life.com
“One of the biggest challenges in the creative industries is not knowing who to connect to – it’s still very much who you know,” said Alison Lowe, director of careers and enterprise at the University Of East London’s School Of Arts And Creative Industries.
“The other main one is confidence.”
Both, however, will be firmly in the crosshairs early next month as UEL’s Creative Industries Festival arrives at the institution’s Royal Docks Centre For Sustainability.
Billed both as a careers fair and a major networking opportunity, the four-day event aims to attract those working in art, architecture, performing arts, fashion, media, advertising, illustration and business as well as those seeking opportunities in those sectors.
“While it was my idea, we have an amazing group of students and interns that have worked on it – it’s really all about their generation,” said Alison.
“Anyone who is creative can come along.
“For students and alumni it will be about getting on the career ladder.
“We’ll have recruiters here and talent scouts looking for the next generation of talent, so it will be a brilliant opportunity.
“Then there will also be lots of workshops, learning and networking.
“It’s tough to get a job in the creative industries and there’s often a gap with graduates not having the right contacts, so we want them to come along and meet people.
“It will also be for people working in the creative industries.
“It’s not always easy to see who’s doing what, so we want lots of big organisations to come along so we can all learn about each other – what are we doing and how we can collaborate.”
UEL’s Alison Lowe has created the event to bring students and creative professionals together in east London
the Creative Industries Festival, a natural move
It’s an area that Alison is well-placed to operate in, having spent much of her career connecting creative people with employment opportunities and helping brands communicate their stories to customers.
“I started in performing arts at 16 at the Birmingham Rep as an actress,” she said.
“I had no training, went along to an audition and got my first job.
“Working in the performing arts for several years, I discovered I’m also a natural entrepreneur.
“After a few years, I realised that while I could always find work, a lot of people I knew couldn’t, and they were far better actresses and singers than I was.
“So I started helping other people and founded my first business, Chameleon, which was a recruitment consultancy for creative people.
“I’ve had seven businesses, all of them consultancies or recruitment firms.
“My last business, Felicities, ran for 25 years supporting fashion designers, which saw me awarded an MBE for services to the industry.
“Initially I came to UEL to write some new programmes such as an MBA in fashion entrepreneurship and an MA in creative enterprise and came to the director’s role from that.
“The festival will be partly a path to jobs, but also to help build relationships within the creative sector.
“Luckily, with the work I’ve done, I’ve got quite a lot of connections, so I can reach out to people and ask if they’ll be part of it, so it’s building those community links.
“It’s also to get the young people in and ask them what their challenges are – to find out what they are trying to overcome in 2024 when they’re trying to get an interview or an audition.”
The Royal Docks Centre For Sustainability at UEL will host the majority of the festival
manifesting a future
“Something that I learnt many years ago when I was starting out was to tell people I was an actress rather than talking about whatever other work I might have been doing to pay the bills,” said Alison.
“The word now is ‘manifesting’.
“I remember going to a party and someone asked me what I did.
“I said I was an actress and felt such a twit saying it, because I’d finished the Birmingham Rep job and there wasn’t another one to follow it.
“But he said: ‘Oh, are you?’, and turned out to be a director, so I worked for him for the next two years.
“The lesson is that if you don’t say what you are, it won’t happen.
“If you are confident about who you are and what you do, other people will believe you.
“I think that’s a real challenge for a lot of our students at UEL. Perhaps they come from more disadvantaged backgrounds and might often be first-generation creatives – they may have relatives asking them when they’re going to get a proper job because they don’t have any experience of these industries.
“Then there’s the challenge of actually getting paid.
“As a young fashion designer, for example, everyone wants you to do everything for free. But getting paid is about valuing yourself and what you do. It’s vital.”
together to collaborate
Partners for the Creative Industries Festival will include Canva, Lego, GLA, East Bank, the Foundation For Future London, Cine Circle, The Developing Room and creativeLDN.
The three-day programme at Royal Docks boasts free workshops, talks, panel discussions, installations, performances, a pop-up shop, hackathons, showcases and a creative talent careers fair.
“We want it to be fun and to have a real creative buzz,” said Alison.
“We’ve invited as many people as possible from the creative industries.
“For the Community Day, we’ll be working with Stratford Originals who will be coming up with a map for people to go around different creative spaces in Stratford.
“We’ll be starting off at St John’s Church Yard, with activities for all the family at the different creative businesses participating.
“It’s really about fostering that community spirit.”
Another key focus for the festival will be how business and creativity interact.
“Entrepreneurs are creative people, so the festival is also about creative thinking in business,” said Alison.
“What we’ve learned over the last few years is that we have to be creative in our business activities to succeed.
“In a nutshell, the festival presents a platform for change, where creative talent, policymakers, academics, entrepreneurs and students will come together to share knowledge, develop collaborations and initiate innovations.
“Come and join us to make positive changes throughout the creative industries.”
- Jon Massey is co-founder and editorial director of Wharf Life and writes about a wide range of subjects in Canary Wharf, Docklands and east London - contact via jon.massey@wharf-life.com
Already, in August 2024, it’s hard to remember a time when people weren’t living on the estate – such has been the interweaving of the blossoming residential community with the fabric of the place, a shift in mindset to becoming a truly 24/7 slice of London.
But in 2018 it was all still to come.
That’s when Alastair Mullens took on the role of managing director at a newly minted Canary Wharf Group subsidiary called Vertus, created to handle the estate’s crop of build-to-rent (BTR) properties.
At the time, BTR was still a relatively new concept in the capital and, indeed, the rest of the UK.
But, aiming to ape the success of well-established “multi-family” schemes in the USA and elsewhere, it was already gaining traction among developers who saw the potential advantages in terms of easier financing and steady income streams against the big revenue splashes of private sale.
Vertus managing director Alastair Mullens
a mountain to climb
“When I arrived, it was just me and one other member of staff,” said Alastair.
“It looked like a very big mountain to climb.
“But now we have more than 75 people working at Vertus – the team did an amazing job and it’s been a really great journey.”
Specifically, the company has completely filled three buildings on the estate – 10 George Street and 8 Water Street in Wood Wharf and Newfoundland, which sits to the western edge of the estate.
Even within this relatively short space of time, however, there’s been a constant feel of agile evolution.
“Vertus was very much born out of Canary Wharf and initially it felt quite corporate,” said Alastair.
“It was directed at a customer base we thought we were going to attract – the people who worked on the estate, who could afford to rent through us.
“That was very successful and about 70% of the people who moved into the first phase of 10 George Street were those workers.
“Today though, that percentage is around 25% at full occupancy.
“It’s a change that has been driven by two things – the arrival of the Elizabeth Line and the way the pandemic has shifted things.
“People now have more flexibility for work and may not be in the office five days a week.
“They have more of a choice about where they live and many are choosing Canary Wharf, even if they don’t work here.”
Vertus launched its Canary Wharf operation with rental apartments at 10 George Street
a resurgent Canary Wharf
It’s demand that’s perhaps unsurprising.
The estate’s resurgence after Covid has seen a wealth of attractions arrive locally, prompting 67.2million people to visit in 2023.
The latest figures for July show the month was 8.5% up on last year.
Canary Wharf is hot in a way that has nothing to do with the summer weather.
Its decision to embrace competitive socialising, an enhanced hospitality offering and even kids activities, has turned it from an area that was once overlooked to a place Londoners are actively seeking out.
Less formal, less corporate – more fun, more relaxed.
While Vertus’s buildings are currently full, its journey is really only just beginning.
In preparation for what’s to come, it’s softened its branding in line with the Wharf of the mid 2020s and to reflect the greater flexibility it’s about to bring to the market.
The brand is set to launch studios for shorter stays at the start of 2025 under the Vertus Edit brand
softening brand Vertus
“We’ve kept the name with the rebrand but have taken time to understand how our customers see us,” said Alastair.
“We’re not just a corporate landlord they’re renting from to get a good service.
“Words like ‘friendship’ and ‘interaction’ – both with fellow-residents and our team – are what we thrive on.
“The brand now feels more homely, rather than just a company providing places to live.
“Outwardly we’re far softer and we’ve done a lot of work on the tone of our voice so it feels friendlier.
“That’s both in our image and advertising, but also in our communications with residents. We’re delivering the same messages but in a less formal, more direct way.
“This has come from the way we’ve seen residents interact with our team – that they prefer to be addressed by their first names, for example.
“All of this is a shift in mentality – a change in the demographic living with us and, perhaps, the way in which people now feel about being less formal.
“Historically, the Canary Wharf estate has been very corporate.
“Aesthetically it’s been steel, glass and concrete.
“But in recent years it’s softened too – green walls, green lamp posts and our collaboration with the Eden Project in Middle Dock.
“Then there’s the leisure offer, which has made it a more fun environment.
“A good example was when we held The North Face Climb Festival at Wood Wharf recently.
“Our team said residents saw the buzz and were attracted to it.
“Originally we marketed the area as a private estate filled with peace and tranquillity.
“Now we’re selling an environment that’s increasingly lively and fun – somewhere people really want to be.”
Vertus Edit studios come complete with kitchenettes
homes in the pipeline
The good news for those who would also like to live locally is that Vertus is by no means done providing apartments.
“Two new towers at 50 and 60 Charter Street will see more than 750 Vertus apartments available to rent, with around 300 ready by the end of 2025 and the rest by mid-2026,” said Alastair.
“Then, 40 Charter Street completes at the end of 2027 with more than 550 properties.
“We’ve taken much of what we’ve learnt from our current buildings – how the concierge teams work, rolling out parcel delivery to individual apartments and offering more co-working space – and put this into these towers.
“They will give us another 1,300 BTR apartments in Canary Wharf.
“We’ve also learnt a lot about fostering community and, about a year ago, reimagined our resident engagement programme as Vertus Plus.
“This includes perks such as early access to new restaurant openings and discounts at retailers on the estate as well as an events team that works to arrange experiences for those living in our apartments.
“When you see a group going for dinner after an event, you know they have connected – we can bring people together, but it’s our residents who build the community.
“In order to support that, we are very much encouraging longer tenancies in our buildings.”
Vertus Edit studios are available to book from February 2025
Vertus Edit, a shorter stay
While the arrival of new properties will doubtless be welcome given the demand for tenancies in Vertus’ existing portfolio, the company is also further evolving its offering to appeal to those with different needs.
“These are completing around the end of this year and will offer people the opportunity to stay in a Vertus product for a number of nights or months,” said Alastair.
“The studios are, on average, 17sq m and have everything a visitor needs.
“They’ve got small kitchenettes, with hobs, combination microwave ovens and enough storage for pots and pans.
“It’s a product that’s fun, colourful and funky.
“We’ve long been getting enquiries about short-term rentals and we are now able to say that there is an option.
“We’re using the equity in the Vertus brand for this because people recognise it and Vertus Edit becomes that place to stay in Canary Wharf.
“Then, if someone enjoys a short-term stay in the area and sees what we have to offer, they may well decide to upgrade.”
next steps
As for the future, with Canary Wharf’s continued growth there’s still much more in the pipeline.
“We are developing North Quay, so the question is how we offer appropriate accommodation for people working in the life sciences space,” said Alastair.
“I’d also like to see a BTR product with reduced amenity.
“We’ve followed the American model and we offer a great product and great service but not everyone wants things like a big lounge, a gym or a cinema room.
“Some people just want to rent a good apartment that’s well managed with high-speed broadband.
“I think if we could do something like that it would be well taken up with people paying a reduced rent for fewer amenities.
“There’s not a lot around like that in the market at the moment.
“This may also allow tenants to save more easily if they want to buy a property in the future.”
key details: Vertus
More information about renting with Vertus and stays with Vertus Edit can be found here.
- Jon Massey is co-founder and editorial director of Wharf Life and writes about a wide range of subjects in Canary Wharf, Docklands and east London - contact via jon.massey@wharf-life.com
The arrival of the Elizabeth Line in Canary Wharf has changed the game for those seeking to buy a home.
Its rapid connections to other parts of London – directly and indirectly – make living in other parts of the capital significantly easier by cutting commutes to areas that offer something different to the neighbourhoods of east London.
Take Woodberry Down, for example.
NHG Homes is currently marketing shared ownership properties at Gadwell Quarter – part of Berkeley Group’s 5,500-home regeneration of 64 acres of land in north-east London.
Located next to Manor House Tube station on the corner of Finsbury Park, it’s now about half an hour from the Wharf via the Piccadilly Line, national rail services to Moorgate and a swift six minutes on the Liz Line via its convenient subway link to Liverpool Street.
The immense scheme sits opposite two reservoirs fed by the human-made New River and includes some 15 acres of parkland.
It boasts an established community with a pub, gym, supermarket and post office on site too.
But the north-east London location offers more.
NHG Homes has just launched a new show home at the Woodberry Down development
an established neighbourhood
There’s the vibrancy of Green Lanes down the hill with its Turkish bakeries, food shops and restaurants.
Then there’s Finsbury Park itself, which has a boating lake, running track, baseball ground, tennis courts, American Football pitch and some of the friendliest squirrels in London.
To the south, residents will find the Castle Climbing Centre – a vast facility housed in a former Victorian pumping station – on their way to Clissold Park and the independent shops, bars and restaurants of Stoke Newington.
While Woodberry Down itself is a major slice of regenerated land, the communities and areas around it have been evolving for generations with all the granular intrigue and quality this lends to a place.
So what can you get for your money when buying into this Zone 2 location?
One and two-bedroom homes are available
Gadwell Quarter, a place to buy…
NHG Homes recently launched a new show home as a focal point for its offering of one, two and three-bedroom apartments at Gadwell Quarter – a four-minute walk from the Tube station.
Properties feature open-plan layouts, full height glazing, private outdoor space, walk-in showers, fully fitted kitchens, laminate flooring and carpets in the bedrooms.
Prices for a one-bed start at £120,000 for a 25% share, while two-beds start at £158,750 for the same percentage.
“We’ve seen huge demand for homes at Woodberry Down over the years as the dynamic community continues to grow in this up-and-coming area of north-east London,” Diana Alam, director of sales and marketing at NHG Homes.
“With many Londoners struggling to get on the property ladder, we’re pleased that buyers will have the opportunity to choose London – and specifically Woodberry Down – as their home with shared ownership.
“High quality homes at Gadwall Quarter offer the perfect blend of tranquil nature and contemporary urban living.”
Wharfers considering a move away from Docklands won’t need to worry about access to watersports either.
The nearby reservoirs offer sailing, kayaking and canoeing or just the chance to explore Woodberry Wetlands, a haven for urban flora and fauna created in partnership with the London Wildlife Trust.
Properties at Gadwell Quarter come with balconies
key details: Gadwell Quarter
Starting prices for one and two-bedroom homes are based on full market values of £480,000 and £635,000.
Under shared ownership, buyers purchase a minimum of 25% of the property and pay rent on the remainder as well as a service charge.
Typically this is cheaper than renting a home on the open market.
Deposits are also lower than with private sale as the buyer may be able to secure a mortgage with as little as 5% of the quarter they are buying – that would be £6,000 for the entry level one-bed at Gadwell Quarter.
- Jon Massey is co-founder and editorial director of Wharf Life and writes about a wide range of subjects in Canary Wharf, Docklands and east London - contact via jon.massey@wharf-life.com
Canary Wharf’s Pride month celebrations generally feature vibrant colours.
From the rainbow pedestrian crossings to the multicolour triangles of Lothar Götz, subtly recalling the abuse of LGBTQIA+ people at the hands of the Nazis.
Pass by close up and his monochrome dots may well be incomprehensible – a random pattern in black and white.
But move further away and things start to come into focus.
Passers-by take in Get Real at Wren Landing
discovery in abstraction
“While I was painting it, I hadn’t really comprehended the image because I was very close to it all the time,” said Henry, who spent three weeks creating the work.
“When I felt something from it was when I went over to the other side of the dock.
“That action of taking a step back is when the emotion comes, not necessarily one particular feeling, but really trying to understand something and getting to know it.
“The act of abstraction and including hidden references is a very queer thing. I could say that the dots are a queer abstraction, which is a theory in itself.
“Then there’s the use of colour in the work – I wanted to create something more understated for this commission.
“With the black dots I was thinking about light, so I used aluminium reflective paint as the base, which literally takes light and colour from the sources around it.
“That’s a queer thing in itself, because of the constant change that is being influenced by the painting’s environment.
“The black dots are also like a newspaper-style print and the mural as a whole has this aspect of absorption, which is a reflection of queer identity.
“The aluminium paint will pick up some colour in different lights – at sunset it can have an orange glow and there will be a similar effect at five in the morning as well as the glow of artificial lights at night.”
Henry is the second artist to create work on the estate through Canary Wharf Group’s partnership with Pictorum Gallery, following the unveiling of Lydia Hamblet’s Together, Basking On The South Quay in 2023.
A recent graduate of Central Saint Martins, he said he’d developed an increasingly mechanical way of painting, having become interested in technology as a medium.
Henry says the dots he uses create a ‘distorted, abstract look up close’
joining the dots
“I developed this dot technique, using found imagery and photography I do myself,” he said.
“I half-tone and then project them onto a canvas to create a distorted, abstract look up close.
“Then at a distance – or if you view it online – you get a sense of the image that’s there. That’s also the technique I used for the mural.
“The title comes from the film Get Real, which is about coming out in school – it’s quite a raw 1990s movie that was cheaply made but has a real impact and a strong message about growing up gay.
“The painting’s title is also about Jacques Lacan’s psychoanalytic theory of The Real – that your self comes from within and is not influenced by anything else.
“I don’t really believe in coming out, but my real self is found in the images in the work. It features my friends Ed and Tommy as well as me on the thinner wall.
“It references my own queer friendships and intimacies, which have only developed quite recently, so there’s discovery too, which I wanted to celebrate.
“It’s a strange feeling to have this mural in Canary Wharf. It’s my thing, but it’s also such a public display of the work.
“I would have to go and see people looking at it to understand how that feels – I can’t really imagine it.
“I found the process of doing it very exposing, because there were people watching me doing it. It did feel good to complete it.
“My friends and family all came to the launch and I felt pleased with what I’ve done.
“I’d never been to Canary Wharf before this project, I didn’t know who I’d be working with or where.
“There were a lot of late nights, a lot of work, but we got it done and I feel very accomplished.
Viewers can make out images as they move further away from the work
key details: Get Real in Canary Wharf
Get Real can be seen at Wren Landing (between Cabot Square and West India North Dock.
It is a permanent part of Canary Wharf’s public art collection and will be on display for the foreseeable future.
- Jon Massey is co-founder and editorial director of Wharf Life and writes about a wide range of subjects in Canary Wharf, Docklands and east London - contact via jon.massey@wharf-life.com
On the 38th floor of One Canada Square in Canary Wharf, two young men are attempting to build a structure.
Having only just met, they’ve been tasked with raising a marshmallow as high as possible using just dried spaghetti, string and masking tape.
They’re told their creation must stand without support for 10 seconds and be as creative as possible. They have five minutes…
It’s a sticky session.
Ignoring the tape and string at first, they tear into the marshmallow, employing it as a kind of gum to bind the lengths of pasta into flimsy tetrahedrons.
Attempts to go higher expose the sweet’s limitations as an adhesive and, as the clock ticks down, they tape a single length of spaghetti onto the top of one tripod and place a blob of mashmallow on its end.
They’re done.
The table is sticky with effort, but the task is complete and there are smiles all round.
While I’m not privy to the goings-on in all corner offices on the 50 floors of One Canada Square, I’m willing to bet this is the only one that’s a venue for pasta construction.
It’s a reflection perhaps of the growing diversity of the Wharf with financial services firms increasingly sitting alongside organisations specialising in education, life sciences, technology and construction.
What I’ve just witnessed is a session organised at UCL School Of Management’s Behavioural Research Lab.
Designed to allow the study of how and why humans do what they do in specific situations, the facility is run by Sharmay Mitchell.
Participants take part in an experiment at the lab in One Canada Square
a place for experimentation
“Once the professors have designed the studies, they come to me to recruit the participants and work out the logistics,” said the psychologist, who has more than 13 years of experience presiding over such experiments.
“Having run hundreds of studies, I think of the things other people might not.
“For example, a study might require that two participants be strangers, so you wouldn’t want them talking before the session.
“I’d also be watching to see if they were already friends and then split them up and put them with someone else, if needed.
“It’s also my job to ensure people have consented to being involved and to collect the data for the researchers, so it can be analysed.
“We always need more participants.
“Anyone over 18 can take part, although people need a good command of English so they can interact with others and understand instructions.
“It’s something completely different for people to do – something novel.
“Many don’t know UCL is here in Canary Wharf, so it’s an opportunity for them to find out what kind of research is happening on the estate.
“It’s exciting too. You get to meet new people who may be working or studying here and most of our studies last up to an hour, so it’s something that can be done in a lunch break.
“We usually give participants £10 in cash or a gift card for studies of that length, as a thank-you for their time.”
in person or online
Studies can be in person or online with participants typically unaware of why they are being asked to complete the tasks they are given.
“Everyone gets a debrief at the end so they can understand what they were doing and why,” said Sharmay, who studied at the University Of Westminster, UCL and King’s College London, before embarking on a career in academia at the London Business School.
“It usually takes a while for the analysis and write-up to come through – sometimes a year – but once a study is published I always like to send out that information so participants can discover the findings and how their contribution to knowledge has been used.
“All of our studies are approved by UCL’s ethics committee and the data is anonymous – each participant has a unique ID number and that’s how I’ll refer to them in the data.
“At the start we usually describe studies in general terms.
“For example, we wouldn’t tell them that they’ll be using spaghetti to build a tower, just that they’d be taking part in a creative task within a group.
“I find it fascinating that some people get so dedicated to the tasks they are given – but I like that they take it seriously as well.
“Once there was a study where people were asked to build a house out of Lego, with as much time as they liked.
“One participant spent two hours doing it because they were so into it.
“When participants are being observed they definitely behave differently and, if they think they’re not being observed, they do all sorts of things.
“In the previous lab I worked at, we ran a study where participants were asked to throw a ball into a basket and tell us how many times they managed to get it in.
“They got 10p for each successful attempt.
“The ones who thought they were not being observed mostly lied about the results, although a small percentage told the truth.”
a variety of tasks
Tasks in studies vary greatly.
Sometimes participants will fill in digital surveys or may be asked to do things on their own or in groups.
People wishing to take part enter their details on a database that Sharmay uses to source participants.
“That generates a research account for them where they can log in and choose studies they are interested in,” she said.
“We also send out emails about other studies as well to recruit people. There’s no limit to the number of studies a person can participate in. It can be as many or few as they wish, but some studies will have specific criteria.
“For example, the researcher will be looking for people who are in work full-time or things like that. The more people we have signed up, the more studies we can run.”
key details: UCL School Of Management’s Behavioural Research Lab
The Behavioural Research Lab is part of UCL School Of Management, which is located on the 50th and 38th floors of One Canada Square.
Anyone over the age of 18 can sign up to participate in its experiments.
Those wishing to do so can sign up via the QR code below or are welcome to email mgmt-lab@ucl.ac.uk for more information.
UCL School Of Management offers a wide range of undergraduate, graduate and executive programmes in management, entrepreneurship, information management for business, management science and business analytics.
When I arrive at One Canada Square, she’s the one conducting the experiment with the spaghetti, which I witness – a task preceded by a short session where the two male participants ask each other searching questions.
“We try to do interactive tasks – where participants might do things with their hands, conduct surveys, evaluate ideas or have group discussions – and this ranges across different topics, such as social relationships or negotiating in job interview situations,” said Velvetina.
“My PhD is in social networks and creativity – exploring how connecting with each other can help us to discover the big ideas and how evaluating those ideas together strengthens social bonds.
“My hope in conducting these experiments is to see what specific aspects of an interaction we can isolate and manipulate and how that transfers onto specific outcomes, such as how much participants were talking to each other while trying to solve particular problems.
“Ideally during the experiments I’m in the room, but in the corner to make things as realistic as possible.
“With these experiments, the idea is you’re isolating variables in a controlled environment.
“However, hopefully they are also simulations of situations as well – in this case emulating a product design team checking in with each other at the start of the week before engaging in project meetings.
“The first part of the experiment uses established research tasks where strangers ask intimate questions to get them to be friends and really foster a social relationship.
“Sometimes one person in the group might secretly be part of the experiment so I can manipulate what questions are asked and whether the feedback they give is positive or negative.
“That allows us to investigate how those interactions relate to problem solving with the spaghetti.
“One of things I’m looking at is what happens if we label an idea ‘creative’ – how would that feed back into how the next idea is produced?
“I think this is a pertinent question about the relationship between feedback and creativity.
“When we’re looking at startups or advertising agencies, for example, we often notice how such iterative interactions across time have an impact on the creative flow that creatives experience.
“This helps shape the way managers and leaders feed back to them.
“I would certainly recommend people come by and participate in these sorts of tasks.
“It’s not just one way to earn a bit of quick money, but it’s a nice thing to do on a lunchtime break.
“I think that sometimes doing these tasks can help participants discover who they are or let them learn new things about themselves.
“It can also help people focus on things they might ask one another when forming new friendships.”
- Jon Massey is co-founder and editorial director of Wharf Life and writes about a wide range of subjects in Canary Wharf, Docklands and east London - contact via jon.massey@wharf-life.com
Despite a footfall of more than 4million visitors each year, the Royal Docks exhibition and conference centre has historically been somewhat inward-looking.
As a venue, it was built to contain and host temporary gatherings, often appealing to a very specific audience, rather than being a perennial attraction.
If you’re on the DLR or Liz Line, MCM Comic Con’s cosplayers are easy to spot when the show comes to town.
A gathering of property professionals or cardiovascular surgeons, not so much.
But all this is set to change, with Excel gearing up to attract an additional 2.5million people to east London with a significant change in strategy.
Excel’s director of immersive entertainment and events, Damian Norman
evolving Excel
“Excel can be very busy, whether it’s Comic Con or the World Travel Market, but then we have quiet periods when exhibitions are being put up or broken down,” said Damian Norman, director of immersive entertainment and events at the venue.
“That doesn’t work well for attracting quality hospitality businesses, because they need consistency of footfall.
“I joined Excel about five and a half years ago, with a background in consumer events, to look at capitalising on the arrival of the Elizabeth Line – the big transport game-changer for us.
“There are things that are done exceptionally well in London – theatre in the West End, Westfield’s shopping centres and live music at The O2, for example.
“So what is Excel’s niche? What do we want to be?
“I’d been thinking about an always-on entertainment offering and there are trends so I went to see an immersive Van Gogh art exhibition in Hyde Park.
“It was very impressive, with pictures projected on the walls.
“But there was also a light-bulb moment for me when I was watching a lady in her 70s and a child of about five – and I saw their interaction with the images and with the music that went with them.
“It clearly had universal appeal for different demographics.
“Something cool that was different to looking at a static painting with various elements blended together to make it immersive.”
Excel hosted Jurassic World: The Exhibition in 2022
testing the water
In 2022, Excel tested the theory, hosting Jurassic World: The Exhibition, which broke European records for ticket sales.
This was followed by Disney 100: The Exhibition – a celebration of a century of creativity featuring 250 objects from the Walt Disney Archives – which was a similar commercial success.
“These gave us the impetus to approach our owners with a strategic development opportunity to redevelop the waterfront,” said Damian.
“Previously it was an area that had been under-used, with little investment made in it. Instead we wanted to create spaces – we refer to them as chapters – that are blank pages for great storytellers to come and do their thing.
“We’ve found best-in-class operators who have committed to those spaces and that’s how we will set a new benchmark for immersive entertainment as a destination in the capital.”
The new district will feature immersive attractions themed around sitcom Friends and F1
the very first attractions
Initially Immerse LDN will launch with two experiences, one inspired by evergreen sitcom Friends and the other a collaboration with Formula 1, featuring rare cars and a plethora of singular exhibits from the history of the global motorsport brand.
“Friends has now become a multi-generational sitcom – not many have stood the test of time, but this one has,” said Damian.
“A similar immersive experience has been running in New York for four years with a consistent annual audience of about 230,000 people.
“The London one will be 40% bigger with a number of new sets for visitors to explore.
“It’s about going and being in that thing that you loved, grew up with and watched your children grow up with.
“It’s an experience that encourages visitors to open the fridge in the apartment, to buy a coffee in Central Perk or sit on the sofa.
“F1: The Exhibition was a long time in the making, with hugely successful runs in Madrid and Vienna.
“It has simulators for people to drive the tracks and unique cars for people to see. Going to a Grand Prix can be expensive – not accessible for a lot of families and enthusiasts.
“People might have a Sky subscription to watch the races, but not a physical connection to them.
“I think this brings that accessibility – something they can touch and feel – at a price point that will be really welcome.”
Immerse LDN is based down a one-kilometre length of Excel in Royal Victoria Dock
Immerse LDN: more than the experiences themselves
As welcome for local residents, visitors to Excel and those working in Royal Docks will be Waterfront Street Kitchen And Bar.
Curated by Kerb, this market hall will feature the likes of Duck Shed, Masa Taqueria, Nazari and coffee from Hej to help keep people refreshed.
Ambitions for the future include making use of floating amenities on Royal Victoria Dock to complement the brick arch frontage, inspired by the epic regeneration of Coal Drops Yard in King’s Cross.
Damian said: “We don’t take this development lightly. We want to create jobs and boost tourism locally, which is very important.”
Further attraction announcements are expected in September and November, 2024.
Watch these spaces…
Immerse LDN launches in August 2024
key details: Immerse LDN
Immerse LDN is located on the Excel London Waterfront, overlooking Royal Victoria Dock. It’s most easily accessed via the Elizabeth Line or DLR to Custom House.
The Friends Experience: The One In London opens on August 12, 2024.
The first five days are sold out with tickets available from August 17 costing £32. Tickets start at £20 for other dates.
F1 The Exhibition opens on August 23, 2024. Tickets start at £25 with prices dependent on date.
- Jon Massey is co-founder and editorial director of Wharf Life and writes about a wide range of subjects in Canary Wharf, Docklands and east London - contact via jon.massey@wharf-life.com
