As Ian says, Wapping is where the bodies were left for three tides to wash over and has thus given its name to a famous hamburger. Because the bodies were so bloated after the three tides, they were known as "wappers" or "whoppers" ... at least, that's what local lore said when I was living in Wapping.
I know the Prospect of Whitby well, but even by the 80s when I moved into the area it had become fairly posh, and there was also the Captain Kidd (pub).
When I was living in the area, and did a lot of teaching in local schools, it was interesting how the various warehouses (then in a state of dilapidation and now mostly demolished for very expensive housing) retained the scent of the spices, so that when the wind was in the right direction the air smelled of cinnamon.
As well as the g-g-grandfather who worked the locks, my g-grandfather was a superintendent of cargo at the docks a bit further east. Sadly he died well before I was born and so I know very little about his life.