Condemned Hole
Site on the River Thames
The Condemned Hole was a site in Rotherhithe on the River Thames occupied by HM Customs and Excise for the collection of flotsam and jetsam and ships which had been seized for contraband activities. It was closed in 1962. It was one of a number of sites known as the King or Queen's Pipe on account of the burning of condemned tobacco and food, illicit books and other contraband on the site.
Writing in the 1930s, A G Linney described its entrance as "an inconspicuous door in an inconspicuous and wholly dismal little street in Rotherhithe".
“Condemned Hole” enters the record as site on the River Thames. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Condemned, Hole and Site can confirm, complicate or overturn.
Why this record matters
“Condemned Hole” is worth following because a concise public description often conceals a longer documentary argument. Here, Condemned, Hole and Site provides the most credible route into that argument.
Maps, plans, fabric surveys and administrative records can establish how the site’s name, extent and function changed over time. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 29, 2024. The linked authority identifier is Q21585352. Authority coordinates are 51.498, -0.033. None of the 1 selected statements returned an explicit reference. The first chronological checks are 1962.
A single description cannot reconcile every naming convention, rebuilding phase or administrative transfer associated with a place. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “Condemned Hole”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Condemned Hole primary sources, Condemned Hole archive and Condemned research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Condemned Hole”?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “Condemned Hole” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.