An artistic brainwave pays tribute to the docks

In our regular series on monuments across the Borough, Julia Omari discovers a sculpture that provides a great place to watch the world go by

Dockhands by Paula Haughney is a public sculpture carved from Portland limestone that stands on the junction of Coolfin and Freemasons Road in Custom House.

Due to its size – it measures just 107 x 82 x 83cm – the piece is easy to miss but with benches nearby, it makes for a good spot to sit and take in the art.

Sculptor Paula Haughney was commissioned by the London Borough of Newham in 1994 to create a new work of art as part of a renewal plan to improve the Freemasons Road area.

She consulted with the local community to discover what was important to them. Focus groups said that art that connects to the historical use of the land and its people was to be the focus.

Dockhands, which was created from one stone, shows a pair of dock workers’ hands holding a brain full of docker’s memories. Those memories have been carved into the brain in the form of animals, cranes, chains, ships, water, fish, flora and other mar-