Museum of London Docklands
The River Thames in London played an important role in the expansion of overseas trade, as Nicola Lisle discovers at this fascinating museum.
COMMERCIAL activity in the Pool of London – the part of the River Thames that runs from London Bridge to Rotherhithe – stretches back to the Roman era. After a short period of decline following the end of the Roman occupation, it flourished from the Middle Ages onwards.
Legal quays were established along the riverbanks in the 16th century, with all imported cargoes subject to inspection by customs officers. Wharves stretched for miles, and the Pool was able to accommodate hundreds of merchant ships arriving with a variety of goods from all over the world.
Towards the end of the 18th century overcrowding was becoming a major problem, leading to the passing of the West India Dock Act of 1799 and the opening of the West India Docks, London’s first purpose-built enclosed dock system, on August 27, 1802. Designed by William Jessop, this was the largest dock structure of its kind in the world, placing London firmly at the centre of global trade.
The docks flourished throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, importing tea, coffee, sugar, rum, spices and other goods from the West Indies, as well as – shamefully – playing a major role in the transatlantic slave trade. The Blitz destroyed all but two of the West India Docks’ warehouses, hastening a commercial decline that saw the docks close in 1980.
The fascinating history of the docks and how they transformed London’s river and city is at the heart of the Museum of the London Docklands. Opened in 2003, the museum is housed in one of the original warehouses, once used to store tea.
The story starts in what was originally the main storage area for imported cargo. Here you get a feel for the atmosphere of a busy commercial dock and see equipment used by the dock workers, from different types of barrels, trolleys and baskets for moving cargoes around to scales for measuring goods. Look up to see an array of port destination boards, used to ensure dockers packed cargoes onto ships in the right order. There is also a life-size sculpture of a helmsman, dating from about 1850, which once adorned the roof of local mast makers Bawn & Co and became a well-known landmark.
From there, the displays chart the rapid expansion of trade through to the 19th century, which led to London becoming one of the world’s busiest ports at the heart of the British Empire, through to the role played by the docklands during the Second World War and the postwar decline and regeneration. Then take a walk through the recreation of ‘Sailortown’, which emerged in the dockside areas of Wapping, Shadwell and Ratcliffe during the mid-19th century and immerse yourself in the atmosphere of this slice of Victorian London.
Discover London’s involvement in the slave trade, read some individual stories, see the display board detailing names, captains, owners and destinations of ships sailing from London to trade in slaves, and find out about the abolition campaign.
You can also take a journey through the East End, looking at how the construction and development of the docks affected the surrounding area, with personal memories from local people. Find out about the one of the worst river disasters in British history, in which a collision between dredger Bowbell and passenger steamer Marchioness in August 1989 resulted in the tragic loss of 51 lives, leading to the introduction of new regulations for users of the UK inland waterways.
Don’t miss the Thames Life gallery, which examines the important roles of the boats, barges, skiffs, lighters and tugs that helped keep the docks running smoothly by towing rafts of timber, collecting ships’ mooring ropes so that a team of dockers could pull the ships safely into port, delivering post and carrying passengers. A lighterman’s skiff dating from 1920 is on display.
Also worth a visit is the Sainsbury Study Centre, which opened in 2015 and is available for researchers interested in the development of the Port of London and the Docklands from 1770 onwards. The collection includes the Port of London Authority archive, a large photographic archive, and other collections relating to this stretch of the river.
Finally, if you have young children, don’t miss the Mudlarks Gallery, which has a variety of activities and a soft play area.
Museum of London Docklands
No.1 Warehouse, West India Quay, London E14 4AL
www.museumoflondon.org.uk/ docklands
Open daily from 10am-5pm. Admission free. Gift shop and café.