South Canning Town and Custom House developed on marshland from the mid 1800's onwards to provide housing for the workers within the rapidly growing Royal Docks. St. Luke's Church was consecrated on 20 April 1875. The church was built largely in response to an article in the influential weekly journal 'Household Words', edited by Charles Dickens. It appeared on 12 September 1857. This spoke powerfully of the intolerable conditions in Canning Town and the need for a response from both society and the church.

The community of South Canning Town is now an inner-city council estate entirely rebuilt since 1945. We are just 3 miles from the centre of London. Many 1960's tower blocks and derelict industrial sites have been redeveloped for 'social' housing in the past ten years. Most dwellings are still council owned with over half of the remainder being owned by housing associations.

Newham Council has recently unveiled plans that will lead to further development of much of our community and the building of many new homes for sale. Traditionally this area has been a white working class community. However, there is now a large population of people from countries around the world, particularly many parts of Africa, who contribute greatly towards and enrich our community.

Transport links have traditionally been poor in Canning Town. However, the Docklands Light Railway and the Jubilee Line Extension have transformed transport links with Westminster now being only 12 minutes away by tube. Canning Town Station is just two minutes walk from our Church Centre.

The Millennium Dome stands on the other side of the Thames from our community and dominates our southern skyline. Just down the road from St. Luke's, on the northern edge of the Victoria Dock, is the Excel Exhibition Centre. To the west is the Canary Wharf development on the other side of the river Lea. To the North we are blocked by the large A13 trunk road. For a map, please click here.

If you want to see our Parish on TV just watch the opening credits of Eastenders. If you look for the area to the north of the Dome above the large rectangular Victoria Dock that is our community.