The Crow Stone

The Crow Stone served as a marker for the eastern end of The City of London’s jurisdiction over the waterways. The seaward boundary was originally established in 1755, but the current London stone was installed around 1836 and has stood there ever since, baffling holiday makers who cannot always easily access it’s detailed plaques and engravings, and so leave bemused as to its true purpose.

Fastened to the granite behemoth are descriptions of its history along with lists of the Lord Mayors of London that would celebrate their inlfuence so far out of the city with septennial ceremonies that included a ritualistic circling of the stone three times (on foot or by boat depending on the circumstances) followed by much alcohol-fueled merriment and an ‘11-gun salute’ from Royal Naval Vessels.

Nowadays you won’t find too many revellers at its base, but the remains of a disused causeway (possibly built to ferry small oyster fishing boats out to deeper waters) can be seen running off into the Thames from just alongside the stone.