Cyprus is an area in the Docklands area of the London Borough of Newham

London Borough of Newham

The London Borough of Newham is a London borough formed from the towns of West Ham and East Ham, within East London.It is situated east of the City of London, and is north of the River Thames. According to 2006 estimates, Newham has one of the highest ethnic minority populations of all the...

. It is located west of Beckton

Beckton

Beckton is part of the London Borough of Newham, England, located east of Charing Cross.Its boundaries are the A13 trunk road to the north, Barking Creek to the east, the Royal Docks to the south, and Prince Regent Lane to the west. The area around Prince Regent Lane is also known as Custom House...

 and north of the eastern end of the Royal Albert Dock

Royal Albert Dock

The Royal Albert Dock is one of three docks in the Royal Group of Docks of east London, now part of the redeveloped Docklands.-History:The dock was constructed to the east of the earlier Victoria Dock by the St Katharine and London dock companies and opened in 1880...

.

History

It is named after the Cyprus Estate, a housing estate

Housing estate

A housing estate is a group of buildings built together as a single development. The exact form may vary from country to country. Accordingly, a housing estate is usually built by a single contractor, with only a few styles of house or building design, so they tend to be uniform in appearance...

 built for workers at the Royal Albert Dock

Royal Albert Dock

The Royal Albert Dock is one of three docks in the Royal Group of Docks of east London, now part of the redeveloped Docklands.-History:The dock was constructed to the east of the earlier Victoria Dock by the St Katharine and London dock companies and opened in 1880...

, which opened in 1881. The estate was named to commemorate the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

's acquisition

Cyprus Convention

The Cyprus Convention of 4 June, 1878 was a secret agreement reached between the United Kingdom and the Ottoman Empire which granted control of Cyprus to Great Britain in exchange for their support of the Ottomans during the Congress of Berlin...

 of the island of Cyprus

Cyprus

Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...

 in 1878. It was built on one of the few pieces of land not owned by the Port of London Authority

Port of London Authority

The Port of London Authority is a self-funding public trust established in 1908 by the Port of London Act to govern the Port of London. Its responsibility extends over the Tideway of the River Thames and the authority is responsible for the public right of navigation and for conservancy of the...

, and hence was open to such development.

In 1981 during the redevelopment of the London Docklands, Cyprus was the location of the first new private housing development in the Docklands for many years, and the first sponsored by the London Docklands Development Corporation

London Docklands Development Corporation

The London Docklands Development Corporation was a quango agency set up by the UK Government in 1981 to regenerate the depressed Docklands area of east London. During its eighteen-year existence it was responsible for regenerating an area of in the London Boroughs of Newham, Tower Hamlets and...

. It was considered a success in generating a balanced community and prompted further housing developments throughout the docklands.

Area today

The area remains mainly a residential one, with few local commercial services, aside from the presence of the University of East London

University of East London

The University of East London is a university located in the London Borough of Newham, East London, England, based at two campuses in Stratford and Docklands areas...

 whose Docklands campus

University of East London Docklands Campus

The University of East London Docklands Campus is a campus of the University of East London situated in the Docklands area of east London. The campus opened in 1999...

 was opened in 1999 and is located on the quayside. There is also a community centre

Community centre

Community centres or community centers or jumping recreation centers are public locations where members of a community tend to gather for group activities, social support, public information, and other purposes. They may sometimes be open for the whole community or for a specialised group within...

 and the Royal Docks Medical Centre.

Transport

The nearest Docklands Light Railway station is Cyprus

Cyprus DLR station

Cyprus DLR station is a station on the Docklands Light Railway located in Cyprus, to the south of Beckton, in the Docklands area of east London. The station serves the University of East London Docklands Campus and the eastern end of the north quay of the Royal Albert Dock.The station is located...

. The station is directly outside the University campus.