when did london docks close

Full Answer

When did the last London Dock close?

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.

Why did London stop being a Port?

With the use of larger ships and containerisation, the importance of the upstream port declined rapidly from the mid-1960s. The enclosed docks further up river declined and closed progressively between the end of the 1960s and the early 1980s.

When did the Royal Docks close?

1981Despite 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. The closure of docks in London led to massive unemployment and social problems across East London.

When did the London Docklands start to decline?

During the war the London Docklands was bombed very badly. This caused a lot of damage. The population of London Docklands fell by 20% between 1971 and 1981.

Are the London docks still used?

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.

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.

Why did docks decline?

The two main causes of this was the increase in ship size meaning that deeper water was necessary so the docks were relocated to Tilbury, 20 miles downstream. The second cause was due to advances to transportation methods such as container ships and technological advances such as computerisation.

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.

When were the London Docks regenerated?

The London Docklands Development Corporation (LDDC) was a quango agency set up by the UK Government in 1981 to regenerate the depressed Docklands area of east London.

Why did Canary Wharf go into decline?

By 1981, widespread containerisation forced a need for bigger ships and deeper water, putting the East's docklands out of business. 60% of land fell derelict and 200,000 people left over the course of 20 years. In no small part, it was responses to this decline that set the two areas apart.

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.

Is London Docklands now Canary Wharf?

Canary Wharf – part of London Docklands, on the eastern edge of the city – is the financial centre of London. It's built on the site of what was once the capital's port.

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.

How did the London sink?

The London played a significant role in British history. The ship formed part of a convoy sent in 1660 to collect Charles II from the Netherlands and restore him to the throne. The London sank in March 1665, following a gun powder explosion.

Why did England keep the Channel Islands?

The Channel Islands became English possessions when William the Conqueror crossed the channel to invade England. Subsequent wars and marriages resulted in the Crown of England owning huge swathes of France - English King Henry II in the 12th Century ruled right the way to the French border with what later became Spain.

What happened to UK free ports?

The first free ports in the United Kingdom opened in the 1980s under Margaret Thatcher, as an attempt to combat de-industrialisation and a declining economy. Several free ports operated throughout the United Kingdom, however by 2012 the Conservative-led government decided not to renew their licences.

When did the last dock close in London?

The last London dock closed in 1982. However, by 1981, the London Docklands Development Corporation had already been formed.

Why did London's port move downstream?

London's port also moved downstream thanks to the introduction of shipping containers. Before containers, goods were packed onto boats and taken off using cranes or manually unloaded from pallets.

What was the role of the Docklands in Britain?

During the days of the empire, the Docklands served as one of the country's main ports and industrial zones, building the country we know today. At the time, London was the biggest port in the world.

What is the importance of the Docklands?

Nowadays the Docklands holds huge importance as one of the country's main financial headquarters, Canary Wharf, as well as the other tourist attractions, offices and residential developments that have been pulled from the rubble of the old Docklands in Tower Hamlets . The regeneration of the area is one of the most successful in the world, ...

What towns were built after the war?

After the war, towns like Basildon, Stevenage and Harlow were being built, promising new opportunities for those being squeezed out of London - known as counter-urbanisation. (Image: Daily Herald/Mirrorpix) Not long afterwards, goods made across the world, particularly in Asia, were getting cheaper than those made at home.

Did London need raw materials?

London no longer needed as many raw materials delivered to its ports as manufacturing in London fell. Whereas a third of Londoners worked in manufacturing in the mid 1960s, today that figure is closer to 3 per cent. London's port also moved downstream thanks to the introduction of shipping containers.

Does London have a port?

London still has a port, although rather than being one site, it is spread along the Thames at various points and no longer deals in anywhere near the same volume of goods. At the time of its construction, the West India Dock was the most expensive building project in the world.

What is the London Docks?

The London Docks were one of several sets of docks in the historic Port of London .

When did the London Docks get connected to the railway?

The system was never connected to the railway network. The Port of London Authority took over the London Docks together with the rest of the enclosed docks in 1909.

How many acres are there in London Docks?

The London Docks occupied a total area of about 30 acres (120,000 m²), consisting of Western and Eastern docks linked by the short Tobacco Dock. The Western Dock was connected to the Thames by Hermitage Basin to the south west and Wapping Basin to the south.

When was the London Docklands acquired?

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 .

Where did ships dock in the 1700s?

Traditionally ships had docked at wharves on the River Thames, but by the late 1700s more capacity was needed. They were the closest docks to the City of London until St Katharine Docks were built two decades later.

Who designed the docks?

The principal designers were the architects and engineers Daniel Asher Alexander and John Rennie . The docks specialised in high-value luxury commodities such as ivory, spices, coffee and cocoa as well as wine and wool, for which elegant warehouses and wine cellars were constructed.

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.

How many acres are there in the London Dock?

When completed, the entire site encompassed 90 acres, including 35 acres of water, 50 acres of warehouse space, 2.5 miles of quays and jetties and 7 acres of wine vaults. It has been estimated that the London Dock was able to accommodate up to as many as 500 ships and store over 200,000 tons of goods.

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 ...

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.

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.

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 ...

How many ships were in the Upper Pool?

Port activity doubled between 1700 and 1770, and, by the end of that time, the Upper Pool (that part of the river that stretches a little less than a mile below London Bridge) held as many as 1,775 ships in a space allocated to 600.

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.

Who built the enclosed docks in London?

The enclosed docks were built by several rival private companies, notably the East & West India Docks Company (owners of the East India, West India, and Tilbury docks), Surrey Commercial Docks Company and London & St Katharine Docks Company ( owners of the London, St Katharine and Royal docks). By the beginning of the 20th century, competition and strikes led to pressure for amalgamation. A Royal Commission led to the setting up of the Port of London Authority (PLA) in 1908. In 1909, the PLA took control of the enclosed docks from Tower Bridge to Tilbury, with a few minor exceptions such as Poplar Dock which remained as a railway company facility. It also took over control of the river between Teddington Lock and Yantlet Creek from the City corporation which had been responsible since the 13th century. The PLA head Office at Trinity Square Gardens was built by John Mowlem & Co and completed in 1919.

Who led the London Dock Strike?

These conditions eventually spurred Ben Tillett to lead the London Dock strike of 1889. Even though the workers asked for only a minuscule increase in payment, foremen initially refused. Over time the strike grew and eventually the strike helped to draw attention to the poor conditions of London dockhands. The strike also revitalized the British Trades Union movement, leading to the betterment of laborers across London.

Why is the Thames used in London?

This is seen to be in the main part due to the environmental benefits of moving such cargo by river, and as an alternative to transporting the cargo on the congested road and rail networks of the capital. Local authorities are contributing to this increase in intraport traffic, with waste transfer and demolition rubble being taken by barges on the river. The construction of the Olympic Park and Crossrail both utilised the river as a means of transporting cargo and waste/excavation material, and the ongoing Thames Tideway Scheme also uses the river for these purposes, as well as for transporting of its Tunnel Boring Machines as well as temporary offices. The Crossrail project alone involved the transporting of 5 million tonnes of material, almost all of which is clean earth, excavated from the ground, downstream through the Port, from locations such as Canary Wharf to new nature reserves being constructed in the Thames estuary area. This also includes the re-opening of wharves or jetties for various building projects along or near the Thames, Battersea coal jetty being the most recent.

What was the PLA in the UK?

The PLA dredged a deep water channel, added the King George V Dock (1920) to the Royal group, and made continuous improvements to the other enclosed dock systems throughout the first two-thirds of the 20th century. This culminated in expansion of Tilbury in the late 1960s to become a major container port (the UK's largest in the early 1970s), together with a huge riverside grain terminal and mechanised facilities for timber handling. Under the PLA, London's annual trade had grown to 60 million tons (38% of UK trade) by 1939, but was mainly transferred to the Clyde and Liverpool during World War 2. After the war, London recovered, again reaching 60 million tons in the 1960s.

How many dry docks were there in 1864?

In 1864, when most ships coming in were built of wood and powered by sail, there were 33 ship-repairing dry docks. The largest of these was Langley's Lower Dock at Deptford Green, which was 460 ft (140 m) in length. While the building of large ships ceased with the closure of the Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Company at Leamouth in 1912, the ship repairing trade continued to flourish. Although by 1930 the number of major dry docks had been reduced to 16, highly mechanised and geared to the repair of iron and steel-hulled ships.

How many ships did the Thames port handle?

In the 18th and 19th centuries, it was the busiest port in the world, with wharves extending continuously along the Thames for 11 miles (18 km), and over 1,500 cranes handling 60,000 ships per year. In World War II, it was a prime target for the Luftwaffe during The Blitz .

How many tons of cargo were in the London ports in 1900?

By 1900, the wharves and docks were receiving about 7.5 million tons of cargo each; an inevitable result of the extending reach of the British Empire. Of course, because of its size and grandeur, the Port was a place of work for many laborers in late 19th and early 20th century London.

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).

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Overview

After containerisation of commercial shipping

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. 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.

London Dock Company

Physical description

See also

Further reading