Taking up most of the north side of Dod Street and backing onto the Limehouse Cut was the highly innovative H. Herrmann factory.
 Opened in 1877 by American Henry Herrmann, it made hardwood furniture and was the first in England to do so almost entirely by machine.
Its stock of timber — easily imported by water — was described in the East London Observer as "something enormous", yet swiftly turned into good furniture "at the lowest possible prices".
 Handled by a steam crane — risky in timber yards — the whole factory burned down in a colossal fire in 1887.
 (The fire got dangerously close to the East London Saltpetre Works, until extinguished by the Fire Brigade's floating engines on the Cut).
 Herrmann rebuilt the factory and introduced one of the world's first electric travelling cranes to save on the steep insurance premiums.
 As there was no electrical supply in London, he generated his own, and had the factory electrically lit.

At Herrmann's in 1884, while planning his London bombing campaign, worked Irish-American dynamitard Harry Burton; he lodged round the corner in Pelling Street.

The Fire Brigade continued to use floating fire engines on the Cut ("fire boats") until at least 1929.
Taking up most of the north side of Dod Street and backing onto the Limehouse Cut was the highly innovative H. Herrmann factory.  Opened in 1877 by American Henry Herrmann, it made hardwood furniture and was the first in England to do so almost entirely by machine. Its stock of timber — easily imported by water — was described in the East London Observer as "something enormous", yet swiftly turned into good furniture "at the lowest possible prices".  Handled by a steam crane — risky in timber yards — the whole factory burned down in a colossal fire in 1887.  (The fire got dangerously close to the East London Saltpetre Works, until extinguished by the Fire Brigade's floating engines on the Cut).  Herrmann rebuilt the factory and introduced one of the world's first electric travelling cranes to save on the steep insurance premiums.  As there was no electrical supply in London, he generated his own, and had the factory electrically lit.
At Herrmann's in 1884, while planning his London bombing campaign, worked Irish-American dynamitard Harry Burton; he lodged round the corner in Pelling Street.
The Fire Brigade continued to use floating fire engines on the Cut ("fire boats") until at least 1929.
Limehouse Cut