Jon Pretty

Canary Wharf, Isle of Dogs, is *probably* named after both birds and dogs, but not in the way you might think... (1/5)

The wharf was renamed from South Quay Import Dock to Canary Wharf, as it was the docking place for bananas imported from the Canary Islands. This itself was an opportunistic way to fill returning ships that exported coal to the Canaries for refueling transatlantic voyages. (2/5)

The islands gets their name from Latin "Canariae Insulae" meaning "Islands of Dogs". Why? Because, according to King Juba II of Mauritania, it was full of large dogs. Or perhaps because the original Guanche inhabitants used to worship dogs. Or maybe both. (3/5)