Find the Limehouse Dragon’s Gate

It’s surprisingly easy to miss as it’s high up on a pole, but two dragons have been biting each other’s tails in Limehouse for nearly 30 years.

Biting their tails to form a loop, they represent the ancient symbol of regeneration. So you won’t be too surprised to learn that they were commissioned by the London Docklands Development Corporation (LDDC) to mark the Limehouse gateway as they prepared to hand the area back to Tower Hamlets council.

The two dragons are artwork created by Peter Dunn of The Art of Change consultancy and Anne Thorne Architects, and a sign on the pole says that dragons were chosen as Limehouse was London’s original Chinatown.

The artwork, 7m-high x 10m circumference, is made of stainless steel which was heated until it changed colour, then frozen.

It’s not immediately obvious, but the shape the dragon’s body forms represents the River Thames. According to a later report by the artist, the symbol of the dragon in the shape of the river initially came from a meeting of the Democracy for Docklands campaign, which had used that image in the banners created by the protestors against how the LDDC was redeveloping the area in 1984-86.

So, the Dragons Gate commissioned by the LDDC is based on a design inspired by protests against the LDDC.

Which is delightfully subversive.

Today, the dragons are surrounded by trees and harder to spot, but back in 1996, this was still an urban wasteland, and the dragons were a true landmark of the area. You can find the Dragon’s Gate close to Westferry DLR station.