Oven cleaning on Coldharbour, E14, the last narrow street of old Blackwall, just east of Canary Wharf. Single ovens from £77, seven days.
Coldharbour is described as the sole remaining fragment of the old hamlet of Blackwall, and one of the last examples of the narrow streets that once ran along the river's edge. It began as a medieval path linking Blackwall Stairs to the West India Dock. Then the docks and the City Canal were cut through, and within about ten years the street was walled off from everything around it. It has been a backwater since.
A conservation area since 1975
The Coldharbour Conservation Area was designated in 1975 and widened in 2008, and it holds listed houses alongside dock engineering. Isle House at no. 1 went up in 1825-26 as the West India Dock Company's dock master's house, two storeys over a tall basement, full-height bow windows facing the Thames. Nelson House at no. 3 dates from about 1820. The Gun at no. 27 is Grade II listed and has been a pub on that plot since the early 1700s, trading as the King and Queen from 1722, the Rose and Crown from 1725, Ramsgate Pink from 1745, and The Gun since 1771.
Listed fabric puts limits on how an oven gets cleaned
Georgian houses on a listed street tend to have kitchens fitted into rooms that were never meant to hold them, which is where a range cooker at £114 usually turns up, while the newer Blackwall blocks behind run the standard integrated single at £77. Neither wants caustic fumes indoors. Racks, shelves, trays and side runners come out to the heated tank in the van; the cavity, fan cover and door glass are done by hand with non-caustic products. Nothing gets sprayed against old plaster.
Getting to the door is the hard part
The street is narrow and hemmed in by dock water, so access is tight and the van goes where it fits. We carry the parts. No call-out fee inside the North and South Circular.
Fixed prices
| Single oven | £77 |
| Double oven | £110 |
| Range cooker, 90cm | £114 |
| Two-oven AGA | £143 |
| Hob | £23–28 |
| Extractor hood | £28 |
| Microwave | £22 |
The Gun is named after a cannon. Is that true?
It is. The name comes from the cannon fired when the West India Docks opened in 1802.
My kitchen is in a listed house. Will anything be damaged?
No. The heavy soaking happens in the van, and indoors we work by hand.
How long does a range cooker take?
Longer than a double oven's two hours, and we will give you a window when you call. It is heat-tested and signed off before we leave.
Do you cover the newer flats as well as the old street?
Yes, all of E14. Same prices either way.
Reviews from our rounds
Brilliant clean, my oven looks like brand new. A 5 star clean.
Arrived promptly and did a great job cleaning the oven, hob and extractor. They look like new now and for a very reasonable price too.
Once again a great job guys, I will see you in a couple of months.
Where Coldharbour sits
Close to Coldharbour
South Kenton · Greenford Broadway · St. James's Park · Upper Tooting · Regent's Park Estate · Royal Albert
More of our London patch
Southend West Horndon Erith Marshes Westcombe Park Brick Lane Clapham Town Catford South Hatchford East Molesey Mildmay Cripplegate Woldingham Leyton Midland Road Stratford and New Town Kilburn High Road Maryland Hammersmith and Fulham Wallington South Botany Bay St Paul's Cray Old Harlow Barkingside Holloway Road Old Coulsdon
To book in Coldharbour: 020 8077 5225 any day, or send the quote form and we ring you back.