Comments on: Chambers Wharf & Cold Stores Ltd – London

By: Lloyd Hoffmann

Lloyd Hoffmann — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 21:29:18 +0000

I worked at Chambers Wharf from dec. 1968 until April 1972 with the US Air Force. We received cold stores from the States and sent them to the military bases in the UK. The facility was full and teaming with workers. I don’t remember seeing many rats.

By: ceayres

ceayres — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 21:47:34 +0000

This building is now being demolished and the area redeveloped. There is a picture of the demolition here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/cybertect/2947546494/

The property developers site is here: http://www.chambers-wharf.co.uk

Shame they couldn’t have used this iconic building without having to knock it down.

I took these photo of it last year:
http://www.ceayres.com/?p=80

By: trevor grant

trevor grant — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 18:11:11 +0000

I worked for a short period at Chambers Wharf in 1967 laying floors.
The floors had a latex ingredient which were mixed with cement.
We stayed at a doss house in Tooley St called Tooley’s.
I had to return in the early hours of the morning to give a final finish to the floor before it set hard. When I switched the (very dim) lights on to travel down a passageway, the floor was heaving with about 200 rats which were running every whichway.
As you may imagine, I was very unsettled at this.

To cut a long story short,I managed to kill one with the stick that I stirred my finish slurry. I stood on the lower balcony and threw the rat into the river, which settled my feelings. At last I felt in control of the situation. It was hard luck for the rat but it made an intolerable situation slightly better for me.

What, with the mixture of doss houses and rats, it seems a very Orwellian tale.
Just two days ago, I travelled past Chambers Wharf on a boat to the O2 Arena. This is the first time I have seen it in over 40 years. Unlike the rest of the area, it hasn’t changed one bit.