Blackwall

Blackwall lighthouse or Bow Creek Lighthouse as it’s sometimes known, is situated by the confluence of the River Thames and Bow Creek on the Leamouth Peninsula, at Poplar in east London. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. The lighthouse no longer functions, but is the home of various art projects such as the Longplayer project, a self-extending composition by British composer and musician Jem Finer which is designed to continue for one thousand years.

The original lighthouse was built by the engineer of Trinity House, James Walker, in 1852, and was demolished in the late 1920s. A second lighthouse, which survives, was built in 1864–66 by James Douglass for Trinity House. It was used to test lighting systems for Trinity House’s lights around England and Wales. Michael Faraday carried out experiments there. Both lighthouses were also used for training prospective lighthouse keepers.