what were the london docks used for

Why did London need new docks?

New docks were necessary as the current moorings were based around a collection of just 20 wharves, originally appointed in 1558 by Elizabeth I. The congestion was intolerable, the river traffic chaotic, the merchants and ship owners angry.

Are the London docks still in use?

Many of the docks themselves have survived and are now used as marinas or watersports centres; a major exception is the Surrey Commercial Docks, which are now largely filled in. Although large ships can—and occasionally still do—visit the old docks, all of the commercial traffic has moved downriver further east.

What happened to London docks?

Containers also meant ships became much larger, growing 1,200 per cent in size from the mid 1960s until today. Having to navigate these vast vessels through the Thames was becoming a nightmare, so docks began to close rapidly in favour of the sites further down the Thames. The last London dock closed in 1982.

Why were the Royal Docks built?

The Victoria and Albert docks were constructed by the London & St Katharine Docks Company, to provide berths for large vessels that could not be accommodated further upriver. They were a great commercial success, becoming London's principal docks during the first half of the 20th century.

How deep is the water in the Royal Docks?

thirteen metres deepAn average of thirteen metres deep and 4 kilometres long, they cover an area the size of Central London. They closed to commercial vessels in 1981.

Is Royal Docks water clean?

The water in the Royal Docks is tested every two weeks (by organisations that swim regularly in the docks) against EU Bathing regulations, to ensure the purity is perfect for open water swimming.

How old are the London docks?

The London Dock officially opened on 30 January 1805, with The London Packet sailing in from Portugal. The docks were linked to the River Thames by three connecting locked basins: Hermitage, to the south west; Wapping, directly south; and Shadwell – the only basin to have been retained – to the east.

Who owns London docks?

The land was still largely derelict when it was acquired in 1981 by the London Docklands Development Corporation (LDDC). It was subsequently redeveloped with over 1,000 individual properties centred on the old Tobacco Dock and Shadwell Basin.

When was London the biggest port in the world?

In the 18th and 19th centuries, London became the busiest port in the world, with anchorages that extended without interruption over 17.7 km of the river bank and where more than 1,500 cranes loaded and unloaded 60,000 ships per year.

Is Royal Docks safe to swim?

Not to mention that it's really nice to swim outside! The Royal Docks is proper open water swimming, but unlike rivers and lakes it's very safe as there are lifeguards (at designated areas) and no currents.

What are the docks called in London?

London Docklands, also (formerly) called Port of London, area along the River Thames in London. It covers nearly 9 square miles (22 square km) of riverfront centred on the boroughs of Tower Hamlets, Newham, Southwark, Lewisham, and Greenwich.

Who built London docks?

King George V and the “Royal” docks The final dock to be constructed was opened by King George V in 1921 with the group of docks being assigned the “Royal” name. King George V Dock featured a new 225 metre long lock with an entrance big enough to accommodate the 35,655 ton ocean liner the SS Mauretania in 1939.

What is the London Docklands like today?

London's Docklands area was once the world's largest port, welcoming cargo ships from all over the world. Nowadays, thanks to a vast regeneration programme which began in the 1980s and continues to this day, it has become a vibrant business and residential area.

Is the Thames still used for shipping?

The Thames transported timber, wool, foodstuffs, and livestock regularly to maintain the city's people and economy. More recently, the Thames is less well used for Light Freight operations. However, at least two operations have been set up in the last few years.

What replaced London Docklands?

The docks were closed to shipping in 1969 and sold to the borough of Tower Hamlets. The western portion of the London Docks was filled in with the (unrealised) intention of turning them into public housing estates.

Is London still a port city?

LONDON: PORT CITY London would not be the city it is today without its port. It has shaped the physical, economic and cultural landscape of the city. Once the busiest in the world - and now the biggest in Britain - the Port of London handles over 45 million tons of goods a year.

What were the docklands in London?

The main dockland areas were originally low-lying marshes, mostly unsuitable for agriculture and lightly populated. With the establishment of the docks, the dock workers formed a number of tight-knit local communities with their own distinctive cultures and slang. Due to poor communications with other parts of London, they tended to develop in some isolation. Road access to the Isle of Dogs, for example, was only via two swing bridges. Local sentiment there was so strong that Ted Johns, a local community campaigner, and his supporters, in protest at the lack of social provision from the state, unilaterally declared independence for the area, set up a so-called "Island Council" with Johns himself as its elected leader, and blocked off the two access roads.

When did London's docks close?

London's docks were unable to accommodate the much larger vessels needed by containerization, and the shipping industry moved to deep-water ports such as Tilbury and Felixstowe. Between 1960 and 1980, all of London's docks were closed, leaving around eight square miles (21 km²) of derelict land in East London.

What are the major developments in London?

Further development projects are being proposed and put into practice within the London Dockland area, such as: 1 Extensions of the DLR, possibly to Dagenham. 2 Crossrail links to central London, Reading and Heathrow Airport. 3 Further development of Canada Water. 4 Redevelopment of Blackwall Basin and Wood Wharf, east of Canary Wharf. 5 New skyscrapers to be built at Canary Wharf, including the Riverside South towers, the Heron Quays West double-skyscraper development and the North Quay project, consisting of three towers.

Why was the LDDC controversial?

The LDDC was controversial; it was accused of favouring elitist luxury developments rather than affordable housing, and it was unpopular with the local communities, who felt that their needs were not being addressed. Nonetheless, the LDDC was central to a remarkable transformation in the area, although how far it was in control of events is debatable. It was wound up in 1998 when control of the Docklands area was handed back to the respective local authorities.

How long did it take to redevelop the docks in London?

Efforts to redevelop the docks began almost as soon as they were closed, although it took a decade for most plans to move beyond the drawing board and another decade for redevelopment to take full effect. The situation was greatly complicated by the large number of landowners involved: the PLA, the Greater London Council (GLC), the British Gas Corporation, five borough councils, British Rail and the Central Electricity Generating Board .

What happened to the Docklands?

The docks were formerly part of the Port of London, at one time the world's largest port. After the docks closed, the area had become derelict and poverty-ridden by the 1980s. The Docklands' regeneration began later that decade; it has been redeveloped principally for commercial and residential use.

What was the name of the German bomber that hit the Surrey docks?

Heinkel He 111 bomber over the Surrey docks and Wapping in the East End of London on 7 September 1940. German bombing during the Second World War caused massive damage to the docks, with 380,000 tons of timber destroyed in the Surrey Docks in a single night.

When was the London Dock built?

described as ‘a stupendous achievement of civil engineering’. The London Dock officially opened on 30 January 1805, with The London Packet sailing in from Portugal.

What were the goods that were sold at the London Docks?

The London Docks dealt with a vast array of goods, and along with brandy, wine and rice, there was everything from fruit, spices and sugar to coffee, cocoa and nuts. Two of the largest products held at the London Docks were wool and tobacco. Up to 25,000 bales of wool were sold every week and the ‘Great Wool Floor’ was renowned for its weekly sales. However, the trade in tobacco was so large that an entirely separate warehouse covering five acres was required.

What is the bridge that used to allow merchant vessels access from Wapping to Middle London Dock past Tobacco Dock?

London Docks. The bridge which used to allow merchant vessels access from Wapping to Middle London Dock past Tobacco Dock is now blocked off and unused. The north side is very overgrown and the ornamental canal underneath leads to what used to be London Main Dock and is now homes and parking. 1971. London Docks.

What was the name of the port in London in the 18th century?

The building of the London Docks at Wapping transformed a small riverside village into one of the busiest docks in London. By the late 18th Century London had become one of the busiest ports in the world, with the bustling maritime industry limited to quays and wharves along the River Thames. Records show that it could take up to a month ...

What is the most significant body of water surviving from the London Docks?

London Dock - Shadwell Basin. Today Shadwell Basin is one the most significant bodies of water surviving from the historical London Docks. Unlike some of the London Docks which have been landfilled, Shadwell Basin, the most easterly part of the complex, has been retained.

What was the London Dock Company's monopoly?

The London Dock Company negotiated a 21 year monopoly to manage all vessels carrying rice, tobacco, wine and brandy (except those from the East and West Indies), and the docks continued to thrive.

What was the warehouse used for in the 1930s?

The warehouse was later used to store furs and skins, until the 1990s when it was converted into a shopping centre. Today, it is used for conferences and events. By the 1930s, improvements in shipping, as well as road systems and storage, meant that the once thriving London Docks were needed less and less.

When did the docks of the Port of London become the main gateways of the British Empire?

The docks of the Port of London remained the principal gateways of the British Empire until the 1940s and '50s. Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. During the Roman occupation of London (from ad 43 to the early 5th century), the Thames was much broader and shallower, but the comparatively small boats of the time could be readily beached ...

What is the port of London?

Alternative Title: Port of London. London Docklands, also (formerly) called Port of London, area along the River Thames in London. It covers nearly 9 square miles (22 square km) of riverfront centred on the boroughs of Tower Hamlets, Newham, Southwark, Lewisham, and Greenwich. The Docklands area was for centuries the principal hub ...

What was the name of the port in London that was supplanted by the PLA?

Without having fully recovered from the wartime devastation, London’s port facilities were soon supplanted by operations at Tilbury (still run by the PLA) and at other deepwater ports that offered access for the large containerships and tankers that came to dominate international shipping.

How big is the Greenland Dock?

The next year at Rotherhithe the existing Greenland Dock (where whale blubber was rendered) became the nucleus of the Surrey Commercial Docks (used for timber); that tract covered 410 acres (166 hectares), an area larger than Hyde Park.

When was the London City Airport opened?

The compact London City Airport opened at the Royal Docks in 1987, and Limehouse Link (a road tunnel between the Docklands and the City of London) opened in 1993. By 2003 the population of Canary Wharf alone had reached 55,000. The Millennium Dome was erected on Greenwich Peninsula in the late 1990s.

When were the West India Docks opened?

To enable ships to discharge directly into guarded quays, where goods could be stored in secure warehouses, the West India Docks were opened in 1802 at the northern end of the Isle of Dogs. In 1805 the London Docks opened in Wapping (in Tower Hamlets), and the East India Docks were inaugurated in 1806.

Where were the quays in the Thames?

During the reign of Elizabeth I (1558–1603), “legal quays” were established on the north bank of the Thames between London Bridge and the Tower. The traffic soon grew too great for the quays, and in 1663 Parliament allowed the establishment of alternative “sufferance wharves” on both banks.

What was the purpose of the docks on the Thames?

The design of the docks allowed a ship bringing cargo in from the West Indies to unload in the northern dock, sail round to the southern dock and load up with export cargo in a fraction of the time it had previously taken , given the heavily congested and dangerous upper reaches of the Thames.

How big were the London Docks?

The London Docks occupied a total area of about 30 acres (120,000 m²). They consisted of the Western and Eastern docks which were linked by the short Tobacco Dock. In turn, the Western Dock was linked to the River Thames by Hermitage Basin (in the south west) and by Wapping Basin (to the south).

How big is the import dock?

The Import Dock originally comprised of 30 acres (120,000 m2) of water and was 155 metres long by 152 metres wide, whilst the slightly smaller Export Dock covered 24 acres (97,000 m2) and was 155 metres long by 123 metres wide. By having separate docks for loading and unloading, it was hoped to avoid vessels taking up valuable quay space for long periods of time. Between them, the two docks had a combined capacity to berth over 600 vessels, and locks and basins at either end of the Docks connected them back to the River Thames.

Where are the West India Docks?

Slightly further down the River Thames are the site of the West India Docks, a collection of three docks, the Northern most of which was the Import Dock, the middle which was the Export Dock and the lower South Dock . The docks were accessed via Blackwall Reach on the Thames, with boats able to pass through the Isle of Dogs and re-join the Thames at Limehouse Reach.

When did the London Docks become St Katharine Docks?

In 1864 the London Docks were amalgamated with St Katharine Docks. Strangely the dock system was never connected to the railway network, and therefore the cargos that were handled from all around the world began their journey to the heart of the Empire by road. In common with the rest of the enclosed docks, the London Docks were taken over by the Port of London Authority in 1909.

Who designed the Eastern Dock?

The principal designers of these docks were the architects and engineers Daniel Asher Alexander and John Rennie, who had done so much sterling work on the English Canal Network.

What were the commodities of the 20th century?

During the 20th century, the docks also handled grain and, as refrigeration became common, meat, fruit and vegetables also became regular commodities.

Why was the London Dock built?

London Dock was built at Wapping to process goods from across the Empire like tobacco, rice, spices, wine and brandy

What are the themes of the London Docks?

Themes: Town and city, Military and maritime, Science and nature. From 1800, London’s dock system was revolutionised, and many commemorative prints were published to celebrate the transformation. William Daniell’s prints of the new docks represented London’s modernisation in particularly exultant terms. Alice Rylance-Watson explores.

What is the aquatint of Dance's Bridge?

The prospect of Dance’s bridge was followed with an aquatint depicting the new West India Docks. The edition sold well, and Daniell was reported to have ‘cleared two hundred guineas’ from its sale. [14] He released the next two views in the series in 1803, with two more in 1808, and the final instalment showing Rotherhithe’s Commercial Docks in 1813. Daniell also produced a series of six complementary Views of London (1804–05) which cleverly exhibited the new order on the Thames. Again, vessels are shown neatly arranged and navigating in a cooperative system, implying efficiency, civic stability and financial success.

What did Vaughan argue about the Docks and Canal?

[7] ‘. The Docks and Canal, as National Objects, would give Protection and Security to an amazing floating Capital’. [8] .

What was Daniell's view of London?

Daniell’s Views of the London Docks and Views of London were designed to appeal to a market demand for nationalistic imagery, produced and released simultaneously to approving newspaper reports and publications. They satisfied the establishment’s and the public’s appetite for affirmative pictures of Britain. Though contemporaries of Daniell satirised this triumphalism, his panoramas remain exultant, in line with City and parliamentary interests. [15] The Thames, newly modernised, becomes in Daniell’s representation the self-evident epicentre of a commercial empire.

How many ships were in the Pool of London?

By 1760 the system had reached breaking point: the Pool of London’s capacity was 542 ships but it regularly squeezed in almost 2,000 vessels. [2] Spectators reported a ‘double forest of masts, with a narrow avenue mid-channel’ that sometimes closed in gridlock. Goods, domestic and foreign, much expensively imported from the Empire, often spoiled aboard because there were no facilities to unload and store them. Navigation was ‘frequently impeded, and the losses, damages, accidents, and plunder’ sustained were huge. Cargo was at the mercy of ‘river pirates’, ‘scuffle hunters’ and ‘mudlarks’ who stole and smuggled goods from ships waiting up to two weeks to be off-loaded. [3] Vaughan estimated that traders were losing between £2–300,000 per annum. [4]

Where is the Aquatint in the Isle of Dogs?

This aquatint, produced by William Daniell, depicts the newly built West India Docks on the Isle of Dogs in east London

What were the docks used for?

The docks were key to feeding and fuelling Britain in its heyday as a global superpower, importing from colonies such as India, Australia, and New Zealand. Passenger ships also arrived in their hundreds.

Who built the docks in London?

It was then that a group of entrepreneurs, spearheaded by George Parker Bidder, hatched an incredibly ambitious plan: to build docks that were bigger and deeper than anything that had gone before and that could ensure the city of London would be supplied for a century or more. What’s more, their plan was to dig these docks out of the marshland further to the east, in what was to become an incredible feat of engineering.

How did the Royal Docks affect the British?

The Royal Docks suffered severe damage during World War II. German leaders believed that destroying the port with its warehouses, transit sheds, factories, and utilities would disrupt Britain’s war effort. It is estimated that some 25,000 tons of ordnance fell on the docklands, with much of that on the Royal Docks and surrounding area. Human losses were extremely high, but in spite of the sustained bombardment, the Royal Docks remained open. They handled less shipping due to attacks by German submarines on British merchant ships, which led to food shortages and rationing, but many did get through and the docks helped keep Britain supplied with food.

How long did the dock workers strike last?

It may have only lasted nine days, but this strike hit the Royal Docks hard.

What is the history of the Royal Docks?

A history of the Royal Docks. The Royal Docks once drew people and produce into the capital from all over the world. As the docks become a hive of activity once more, here’s a look at the rise, fall, and subsequent resurgence of the city’s industrial heartland.

Why were the Royal Docks open?

They handled less shipping due to attacks by German submarines on British merchant ships, which led to food shortages and rationing, but many did get through and the docks helped keep Britain supplied with food.

What were the challenges of the Royal Docks?

The final challenge that the Royal Docks could not sustain came with the creation of containerised cargo, and other technological changes. This far more efficient method of moving goods required much larger ships that could not navigate down as far as the Royal Docks. Large container ports were developed further down the river and gradually the Royal Docks’ business fell into decline. As the docks declined, the Docklands Joint Committee was established, which published the London Docklands Strategic Plan in April 1976. Due to problems with the land and funding, it wasn’t as successful as hoped. However, it had a positive impact in Beckton, confirming its development as a residential area, draining the marshes, and putting in a foul drainage system. Despite the difficulties, the Royals survived longer than any other upstream docks, before finally closing to commercial traffic in 1981. The last vessel to be loaded left on 7 December 1981.

Why were the docks built in London?

The east London docks were built, in part, to trade in slave-harvested goods from the Caribbean. Curator Danielle Thom has mapped the traces of the Atlantic slave trade that remain in Docklands, hidden in street names, statues, and what was built with the profits of slavery.

How did the West India Docks work?

London’s West India Docks, a major infrastructure project begun in 1802, were not only funded in part by slavery profits, but actually designed to enhance those profits by making the import of slave-grown goods more efficient. The legacy that slave-traders have left behind can be uncomfortably close to home.

How did the Empire Windrush change London?

Why was the Empire Windrush's arrival so significant? To mark the 70th anniversary, we discuss the impact of the ship's arrival at Tilbury Dock, Essex.

How was Harewood House funded?

The construction of numerous stately homes – like Harewood House, home of the Lascelles family – was funded by slavery profits, and these are today open to visitors. London’s West India Docks, a major infrastructure project begun in 1802, were not only funded in part by slavery profits, but actually designed to enhance those profits by making the import of slave-grown goods more efficient.

What was the money earned from slave labor used for?

This gathering of capital equalled a gathering of influence: the money earned from slave labour and, later, from compensation was used to purchase artworks, fund political campaigns, underwrite businesses, build cities and endow institutions. Even today, many wealthy British people enjoy the benefit of inherited fortunes which, eight to ten generations ago, were created or augmented by slavery.

Why did the British government raise money to abolish slavery?

The British government raised £20 million (more than £16 billion, in today’s currency) in order to pay out compensation claims. Compensation, perhaps, for the hundreds of thousands of people then living in slavery? No: compensation for slave owners, to repair the financial damage caused by the sudden loss of unpaid labour.

How did ancient Londinium reveal its ethnic diversity?

Ancient Londinium's ethnic diversity has been revealed by studying Roman bones. Dr. Rebecca Redfern tells us how our vision of Roman Londoners has changed.

Overview

Establishment

Development

20th century

Redevelopment

Transport

21st century

See also