It’s hard to avoid water as you stroll around the east London neighborhood of Limehouse. The Thames is close by and easily accessible via footpaths that take you into the heart of the city or to the Isle of Dogs. There’s also Limehouse Cut, London’s oldest canal, built in 1770 to connect the Thames to the River Lea, and Limehouse Basin, which today is home to a fancy marina.

Signs of gentrification are easy to see. Gordon Ramsey has a restaurant on Narrow Street. Sir Ian McKellen part-owns The Grapes, a historic pub on the same street. Wealthy merchants built fine houses in the neighborhood in the 18th century, but Limehouse has always been a diverse community, a place that has welcomed immigrants for centuries when it was at the heart of London’s docks. It remains that way today.

At the heart of the community stands St. Anne’s Church, built in 1730 and regarded as one of Hawksmoor’s finest buildings. Surrounded by busy roads, its churchyard offers a quiet oasis and a reminder of the deep roots this neighborhood has in London’s history.