Soak
With saunas at capacity even during the heatwave, it was only a matter of time before London got its first floating bathhouse. Designed by Leo Sixsmith of the experimental architectural practice Studio Badweather, Soak operates from a restored 56-foot widebeam canal boat that moors in a different location every two weeks. The cedar-lined sauna, clinical wet room and plunge pools operate on solar energy, with battery storage and advanced water filtration that keep it off the power grid and mains.
Theatreship
While its sister Artship undergoes restoration, Theatreship’s 1913 cargo ship continues to screen mystery cinema, record podcasts and stage independent drama and comedy in its 100-seat cargo hold. Special attention is paid to diversity, to celebrate the ‘special alchemy’ of culture-mixing in port locations. It also offers a bar and exhibition space at the mooring, just a few steps from South Quay DLR in Millwall Cutting, on Isle of Dogs.
Barge East and the Milk Float
A Dutch-style floating community on the Lea River in Hackney Wick, these busy, buzzy vintage barges are impossible to ignore on a sunny day, when they term with revellers. Part of the massive redevelopment of the area after London’s 2012 Olympic Games, they offer day-long dining, drinks and even canoe-hire. Inside is warm and woody, with more space than you’d expect for a small river craft. But the crowd tends to gather ‘up top’ and along the towpath if weather permits. The adjacent Olympic Park is the inspiration for outdoor sports screenings.
Hawksmoor Wood Wharf
On the 15th anniversary of their UK-wide steak concept, founders Will Beckett and Huw Gott launched a floating location tethered to Water Street in Canary Wharf, designed by Glenn Howells Architects with sustainably sourced timber decking and powered by Canary Wharf’s energy network. It’s the largest Hawksmoor location in London, with a dining room that rises and falls with the tides. It puts on a legendary Sunday roast, but this time of year you really want to grab a spot at the 120-seat bar for after-work bourbon cocktails.
