Trinity Buoy Wharf in Tower Hamlets

Lovely harbour we stayed in an apartment here which was perfect. Some lovely cafes around we ate at one right on the Docks.

Didn't have any salmon. Choose a veggie option, which was fine

Out of the way artist space with many interesting sculptures and views of the dome. Also home to Londons only lighthouse which contains a wonderful thousand year sound installation. Cafe on site with public loos

Without doubt one of my favourite places I've visited to shoot a wedding in years! Such a cool space, amazing views over the Thames and the O2 and so many opportunities for photos. Hope to be back! (Olly Knight Photography)

A super place to visit, full of quirky sculptures and colours and it's free.

Quirky art installations and great views, what's not to like.

Trinity Buoy Wharf is a historic site in East London, located at the mouth of Bow Creek and the River Thames. The place has a long history that dates back to the 19th century. It was originally founded in 1803 by the Corporation of Trinity House, an institution responsible for the management of lighthouses and other navigational aids in Great Britain. The site was then used as a workshop for the manufacture and maintenance of lighthouses and buoys, which made shipping on the Thames and along the coast safer. The famous Bow Creek Lighthouse, built in 1864, still stands today as the only beacon in London. The use of the area changed over time, particularly as the site became increasingly less important from the 1980s onwards. The lighthouse station was finally decommissioned in 1988. A crucial turning point came in 1998 when Trinity Buoy Wharf was acquired by Urban Space Management. Since then, the place has developed into a center for art, culture and the creative industry. It is a prime example of the revitalization of industrial areas and their conversion into lively, creative hotspots. Today Trinity Buoy Wharf is home to a variety of artists, designers and creative businesses. Numerous studios and offices are housed there, and the location attracts people from a variety of creative disciplines, from visual arts to music and film. Among the users are well-known institutions such as the English National Opera and the University of East London, which are based in the modern and functional spaces on the site. A particularly interesting feature of Trinity Buoy Wharf is the Container City complex. This was launched in the early 2000s and consists of converted shipping containers that serve as cost-effective workspaces. This innovative approach shows how modern and flexible working environments can be created in an unusual way. The site is also a major transport hub as it is linked to waterfront public transport via Jubilee Pier. The pier opened in 2002 and was expanded in 2007 so that it now serves as a landing stage for the Thames Clippers, a network of fast ferry services connecting London across the River Thames. Trinity Buoy Wharf not only represents the conversion of an old industrial area, but also the combination of history and contemporary use. The historic lighthouse, the renovated workshops and the modern architecture of the Container City merge into a unique place that combines art, culture and business. The site is a living example of the possibilities of urban revitalization and shows how historic buildings can be integrated into the modern context to create a creative and dynamic space for the future. As of: April 20, 2025 "Trinity Buoy Wharf is the only place in London where a lighthouse no longer guides ships, but rather creative ideas. Here, rusty relics meet colorful container offices, and instead of foghorns, you can now hear coffee machines, the sounds of guitars and philosophical discussions about art in time with the low tide."

Great view of the city and the O2 arena. Lots of artwork spread throughout the area.

Attended a wedding here and was really impressed! Great location and venue, all the amenities, efficient and friendly staff and the day went really well. Really impressed!

Just yesterday went to an event called salon smart. What a beautiful venue. Great views! Great facilities, cloak rooms and bathrooms. Lots of space and a great lunch buffet. The staff were super helpful and friendly. I would most certainly recommend this venue.

Very nice and relaxing area. I love the vibe. Also a good place to have a bite and drinks 🍻 and indeed one of the cleanest public toilets I have even encountered. Please 🙏 give a great thanks to the cleaning & maintenance team

Prefect place to visit on a very calm, chilled Sunday. Especially when visiting the lighthouse with the singing bowls which have been 'playing' for 25 years non stop. Just above this installation of bowls is the lighthouse where they used to have lighting. Nice views over the O2 dome and the cable car. Other than this, there are a few art installations dotted around, and a nice cafe called Layers Bakery which does amazing almond croissants. (sorry, i did take a picture but it didn't save, and didn't want to take a pic of a half eaten croissant! LoL! ). There's also a nature reserve close by which is worth visiting.

As a modern city wedding photographer, I absolutely love shooting weddings at Trinity Buoy Wharf, it's such a dynamic and quirky space. Being right on the Thames means your guests can arrive by boat, which for many cities in the UK is a pretty unique form of wedding day transport. Having 2 separate spaces for the ceremony and the reception means each area can be set up ready for each part of the day without any rearranging or turn around. Having the bar right in the center is perfect for the evening party, as guests don't have to go too far for drinks when they're enjoying the dancefloor. The space is large enough for a stage so it's perfect for weddings that want a large DJ set up or a band and the large disco ball creates a brilliant effect for the first dance. I love taking my couples around the industrial area for photos, including the lighthouse and right beside the Thames after dark. The lights across the river make a beautiful backdrop in the evening. As a supplier, I am particularly happy with the new inclusion of a green room, where my last couple left us some lunch boxes, sweets and drinks to snack on through the day, but the organisers and caterers at TBW are also really awesome and have always fed me well during the wedding breakfast. The security are also good guys, always up for a chat with me. It makes a big difference to me when the people at a wedding venue are friendly and helpful.

Amazing singing bowls and wonderful sculptures

Amazing and unusual eclectic space with great river views of the Dome and Canary Wharf. Steeped in history and home to London's only lighthouse. Arts and events space. Great place for a party!

A very interesting place. Definitely worth a visit

Nice place to visit, great views of London

Quaint little place of east London packed with lots of quirky little gems a cafe and you can also book your wedding here

Visited the John Ruskin Exhibition which was excellent. Interesting venue, lots of interesting art and sculpture just hanging around. Good café.

Fascinating arts centre, sculptures everywhere. Went to see "Longplayer". Interesting history around lighthouse design and Michael Faraday. Also a great view of the O2 from the other side of the River. Great cafe with Taxi on roof.

The Orchard Cafe was exceptional!! Well worth the higher pricing at this venue for a full breakfast. All fresh with high quality food 👌

It’s an interesting place. Unfortunately we went at 6 and it was close, but we want to come back.

I can say that this place is a totaly different London,a new face of London,the modern London which can be a nice city but still overcrowded with lot of problems.The view you have from here is great,it combines everything wich London has to offer,new constructions,modern vision of development and depressing wheather,like whole country.From here you can understand the true face of UK,a fast sad development.

Great event location, fantastic view!

Extremely interesting part of London and a lovely walk from Canning town station. Not many places open at a weekend but went to the Longplayer which was well worth it!

its a cool little area. the lighthouse music project is quite cool and the views of London are spectacular.

Great local place to visit. There's a cute cafe on site, as well as an American style diner that serves brunch and American fast food. There are lots of art pieces dotted around, as well as a little immersive open air exhibition on Michael Faraday, who conducted some of his experiments there. They have a lighthouse with a sound generating artwork that is installed during the millennium celebrations, and will continuously generate new music without repetition for 1000 years. There are occasional exhibitions in the gallery underneath on of the main buildings. There's a lot to explore here, and there are often new things to see. It's by far my favourite local spot, and I look forward to the area developing further.

An historic place with information boards to tell you the full history. A bit run down at present because of the building work . An excellent coffee shop in an old container.

Very interesting place - Londons only lighthouse. Plenty to see and the Orchard Cafe is nearby.

Fantastic historical buildings, fairy reasonable office space containers with the best views !!! If your looking for a smaller office.Really, good security run fantastic.Really nice location , right in the heart of london.

Lots to do here, a surprising amount. Cafe and a loo as well. Nice walk to get here from the Olympic Park down the Lea, past the stop offs of Abbey Mills, Cody Dock, and Bow Creek nature reserve.

A very strange place. Totally redeveloped into residential accommodation.

You don't have to buy tickets. Very interesting place to visit. Quite a few steps inside the lighthouse.

Great place for a venue. It also houses the only lighthouse in London which hosts a computer based instrument that's programmed to play music till 2999 or something stupid. It's an interesting place.

Interesting place to visit but it really needs to be done at weekends when more is open.

One of many hidden gems of London . Lots of interesting and unusual things to see really fascinating place amazing view of the millennium dome across the themes well worth a visit.

As an art lover or not this is such an iconic place in London that words can’t describe. The whole complex was build to support the 2012 Olympic Games and ended up a permanent open air space with lots of art studios. It is free for all the public and offers an amazing view to the other side of the river. Visit the beautiful light house and take colorful pictures for your London trip album.

Fabulous place - the only lighthouse in London. Faraday’s workshop. Loads of artists’ studios. Lots on public sculptures

Fat boys diner is closed. LONG player is not actually working and playing. The "long player" is an algorithm running on a computer somewhere??. The faraday museum is a wooden hut. I would not come here but would call in if passing. Decent coffee and sandwiches in the coffee shop.

I went there on Saturday, and it was quiet and nice to explore for a couple of hours—lots of Instagramabal backgrounds. The American Bistro place is not open anymore.

Attended a wedding and reception on site, beautiful venue, well organised. Views across London made it a perfect setting, inside and outside the venue.

Absolutely fascinating remnant of previous times

We were the wedding DJs at Trinity Buoy Wharf for Alan & Emily on Saturday and had such a good night! The venue is just perfect for a large wedding in London and all the staff were lovely. Looking forward to coming back and playing again soon!!!

Trinity Buoy Wharf - led by Bella - hosted our wedding on 4 May 2024, and the entire offering was immaculate. Bella was very hands on from the start, regularly fielding our questions and giving us her recommendations to make the day run as smoothly as possible. On the day itself, she was key to ensuring it all ran to plan, meaning we had nothing to worry about - everything was perfect. Thank you so much for everything. EJ & Dom, X

Well worth making the effort to get here , although it is not so difficult as it first may appear. Forget any thought of driving here - there are 2 DLR stations that are relatively nearby , East India being the nearest & Canning Town ( also serving the Jubilee Line ) being about 15 mins walk. Personally , I'd recommend the latter if you are o k with stairways as it provides more interest because you need to cross Bow Creek via a bright red bridge & then traverse City Island which is worth lingering at before passing under the Lower Lea Crossing to reach Orchard Place. Along here are interpretive boards giving a good insight into the history of the area & you pass the entrance to East India Dock Basin which is worth a look. At the end of Orchard Place is Trinity Buoy Wharf. The actual lighthouse is not open during weekdays so I did not get to see inside. Although the lighthouse has a lantern it never served that purpose , being a training venue for lighthouse keepers & a technological testing area. Michael Faraday conducted experiments here & a small shed next to the lighthouse serves as a tiny museum representing his workshop. Inside the lighthouse there is Longplayer , a sound/art installation made up of 234 Tibetan singing bowls , made to play for a 1,000 years. Despite the lighthouse being closed when I visited there was much to see : a bright red Lightship 95 which now serves as a recording studio , " Robin " , a Victorian Steamship , " Knocker White " , a steam tug with a collapsible funnel. Add to this a curious Moonclock which runs by tides , a Tide & Time Bell which sits near " Knocker White " & there are Art Installations & sculptures scattered about. Sensational views across to the O2 & Canary Wharf. If you fancy refreshment , the wharf houses the Orchard Cafe , distinguished by a tree with a black cab on it's roof.

This place is a business oriented place you wouldn't know it there unless you are there. Funny thing is I visited this place quite sometime ago when the American diner was open but I hear its been close for sometime now.

Brilliant place for a wedding or event. Highly recommend!

A great place in the docklands for art installations, American dining, photography and, of course, Long player in the Lighthouse!!❤️

Lovely place, great views but due to their 'no parking' rule during the week, it's unfortunately very difficult to visit. Sad to see Fatboys Diner has now closed. I don't know how long The Orchard Cafe will manage to keep going either. Went to Trinity recently to eat & get coffees at The Orchard & was told we can't park & nothing available on the road outside so just left.

Such a cool, largely unknown and quiet corner of London. The event space is great for weddings and these days often used for tv show recordings. The area has some cool steampunk like artworks, the Longplayer exhibit, some boats, a great tiny museum to Michael Faraday who did much of his groundbreaking work here. Some fast food and cafe eating options. A nice place to spend an hour or so browsing everything.

What a beauty the events spaces are at TBW. When turning up to photograph weddings here I'm always so impressed. A friendly and hardworking team. Always a pleasure!

My favourite person lives here so I'm totally biased in thinking this place is great!

Off the beaten track, next to water so we loved it. Pretty tranquil too and lots to see.

If you've never been its worth going. There is a very nice Cafe made from lorry containers and does good food and has great light being all window and by the river. Walking around the Wharf takes you past more container studios and workshops in the old buildings as well and lots of metallic art. Being over by the water it can have a fantastic river vista as its on a huge bend of the Thames and the clipper boats often have work done there I think. There is an original 50s Diner whuch was always wonderful but looks closed at the moment ( February 2024) ...

This is a hidden little gem to go for a wellbeing walk. Great views, art, and cosy cafe.

Had assessment and job interview yesterday just waiting to hear

Bit of a walk from parking down to shops But still not bad.

Fantastic experience at the John Ruskin Art Prize 2024 at Trinity's Buoy Wharf.

Lovely arthouse peninsula with the non London vibe! Great place to have a short walk and check out various art sculptures and installations

Fantastic place for a Sunday breakfast

Interesting outdoor art, studios, a lighthouse, a small exhibition about Faraday and an open, charismatic (and electromagnetic view) over the river.

Great place to walk around, loads of history to see, and a couple of places to have something to eat/drink.

A hidden gem with a café and diner as well as some independent artists. The lighthouse can be visited, too!

Great cafe & great location to enjoy a cuppa on the quey side.

Unfortunately Long Player was closed when we visited but it's a lovely spot to sit and view the O2 and the cable cars. The security staff and the staff in the diner are lovely. Looking forward to attempting to visit again before it finishes in the the next 976 years!

Amazing view of the o2 and cable cars in the distance. It was very quiet and was not busy at all. Didn’t know there was a light house in London until now. Very interesting place. There’s an information ℹ️ centre before you enter the site and you can pick up some booklets for free. Toilets are located at the back of the cafe and are free and clean!

One of the great historical places to see. The site of London's first lighthouse. It is nice that the historical buildings were modernized.

Definitely worth visiting. If you think you know London, think again

Worth seeking out. Great river views from this spot on the Thames.

Amazing view to river Thames and O2 arena

Amazing venue for a friends wedding. Open space that can be modified how you want, stunning view across to the 02 and lovely staff. Thanks for a great day

Great views across the river to the Dome and Canary Wharf. Lovely cafe on site but Fat Boys diner is to be avoided if you value hygiene. Be aware that the Longplayer exhibition in the lighthouse is open on weekends only!

Based on my latest visit, which was today 13th of August, to do flowers for a lovely wedding. All suppliers and the planner were great. Shame that the venue person was of the old fashioned "if you want something done, do it yourself " school...she couldn't turn the lights on "until I've changed my trousers" which was the most engaged conversation we had. This venue was one of the first I ever decorated for Mask Entertainment - no longer in business - when the new Milenium Dome was a real attraction. So it was an emotional return.. Weddings are always magical here though I wish there was a sign to explain the silver dolphin on a bike and cab with a tree growing through it and other wild sculptures? Lots of photo opps!

Great place for a Wedding. Friendly and helpful staff

Such a shame the Fat Boy Diner shut down

Fascinating step back in time, lots to see, great view of o2 arena

Up-market development with lots of flats by the river. Will be better when shops and restaurants actually open and people move in. Good art gallery that is open.

Amazing wedding venue. We went for a wedding here and I was involved with the set up and liaising with the venue before and after the day. Venue is empty on hire but with the right weather is spectacular. Great views during the day and night!

Trinity buoy wharf in its self is a small cluster of historic warehouse buildings mandatory associated structures. The buildings house art galleries, and cafes. Great for a short visit. However I came from a distance. Getting here by train whilst carrying even a modest load is difficult and parking if you drive is almost non existent, for some distance. The wharf it's self is characterful but the surrounding area is in my opinion character less and ugly, comprising largely of dull, modular tower blocks. The road network is busy and tedious, although easy enough to navigate. I would not recommend this location as a place to spend recreational time, unless you are already in this area of mundainity, in which case Trinity Buoy Wharf might prove to be an interesting diversion.

Wow, what an unusual find. No matter how many times I visit London, there's usually a cool new (to me) location to discover

Very narrow road stopped at the Ballard a member of staff came out Wanted just to turn around very quickly as the road was very narrow

Had seen Trinity Buoy Wharf on TV several times and was intrigued to see more. Lovely old buildings and riverside views (O2 Dome & Canary Wharf). The lighthouse and sound installation and the nearby "carbon negative" video information shipping container were interesting but as for the rest of the site we came away feeling that we must be missing something. Somewhat disappointing.

A great space for even just a walk on the outskirts of London, with a great view of the O2 dome. Don't miss out on the opportunity to visit the Longplayer installation inside the lighthouse, but bear in mind this is open only on Saturdays and Sundays.

Fabulous venue with own jetty and fantastic views.

Beautiful venue situated on the River Thames opposite the O2 Arena

Beautiful area on the Thames River. Cute little breakfast spot located here and plenty of interesting places around the area to check out.

Unexpected hidden creative cove. It's populated with creatives and art spaces, a panoramic view of the Thames and O2 (from the lighthouse) plus an assortment of signage retelling the Wharfs history. My last visit included an opera session being recorded in the background.

An historic wharf on the Thames at the mouth of the River Lea. In the 80s they had the idea of setting up containers as workshops for creative businesses and Artists. Has expanded to conferences. Fat Sam's diner is still going strong and the lighthouse ship is a recording studio. New housing has sprung up where there was deprivation.

The food was nice but difficult to order. The staff member serving was seemingly indifferent, rude and not easy to communicate with. I could see how easy was to order a near vegan breakfast just by removing the cheese, other food options too but she bluntly said there are no vegan breakfast. I ended up with a dry bun with bit of avocado. The vegan breakfast I had last year and vegan cheesecake was amazing but maybe new management. The food is there but the person serving was not being even remotely helpful. I noticed she was very short with my cycling colleagues too. Bad experience.

Great views of the Millennium Dome, interesting lighthouse and good American style dinner.

Interesting art dotted around. Great views along the river Thames and across to the O2.

A truly wonderful place to visit

Lovely spot, lots of vegan options and health shops

We were in the area for a wedding. Great spot for socialising and had no idea there was so much to see and do! Will be returning to check out more of the sights and especially the what looks like a great selection of bars and eateries. Great day out for something a bit different in London. Well connected to tube and DLR.

A lovely spot with unique galleries and cafe.

Loved my visit to Trinity Buoy Wharf. Who knew there was a lighthouse in London?! Longplayer was such an interesting find, cute coffee shop in a shipping container and great views.

Super cool location hidden away in the Docklands. I stumbled across it some years ago whilst on a run and was happy to revisit for a dystopian photoshoot. There's a cute cafe and also a diner along with some arty sculptures and venues. Would be a good spot for a work event. There's a little park close by and a walking path along the river between two tube stations with amazing views of Royal Victoria Docks and the O2 in the distance. Very atmospheric, especially at sunset

A lovely space. Was attending a function by my company. Food was good, drinks too

Fantastic place with great views over the river, lots of art pieces around

Lovely little area with the only Lighthouse in London, great food at Fat Boys, some old ships, informative signage, nice walkways, and clean public toilets. Next time in London we are coming back here.