Difference between revisions of "Port of London"
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[[image:Im1868EV6-p102a.jpg |thumb| 1868. [[London Docks]]. ]] | [[image:Im1868EV6-p102a.jpg |thumb| 1868. [[London Docks]]. ]] | ||
London has been a port for many centuries. In Tudor times, London merchants and financiers took advantage of the problems faced by continental rivals to establish | London has been a port for many centuries. In Tudor times, London merchants and financiers took advantage of the problems faced by its continental rivals to establish the City as the commercial and financial centre of the world. At the same time transhipment trading grew up, which subsequently became a feature of the activities of the Port and City of London. | ||
In the 17th century, the Hudson’s Bay Company was formed - the ''Nonsuch'' and the ''Eaglet'' left Gravesend to explore the territory around Hudson Bay in 1668. The subsequent association of Canada with the Port of London continued for many years. At this time, the large vessels of the East India Company anchored off Blackwall, their cargoes being transferred to the legal quays in the Pool of London by barges. About the middle of the seventeenth century the Company constructed a small wet dock at Blackwall for fitting out their vessels after launching from the adjacent shipbuilding yards. This dock was the first on the Thames to be fitted with gates. This dock was later incorporated in the [[Brunswick Dock]] which in turn was absorbed by the [[East India Dock]]. | |||
1665 The plague temporarily strangled the trade of the Port and the Great Fire destroyed practically the whole of the wharf and warehouse accommodation. A tax of 1/- a chaldron was levied on coal brought into the Port to help defray the cost of rebuilding London, including new port accommodation on improved lines. | |||
1696 The Royal Assent was given on the 10th April to a bill for the construction of a wet dock at Rotherhithe, some 10 acres in extent, which was called the Howland Great Wet Dock after a Streatham family to whom the property belonged. The dock was built as a harbourage and fitting-out place for ships rather than for commercial purposes. This became the nucleus of the [[Surrey Commercial Docks]] system. | |||
The increasing size of ships in the mid-19th century led to expansion of the Port of London’s facilities and changes in its administration. | The increasing size of ships in the mid-19th century led to expansion of the Port of London’s facilities and changes in its administration. | ||
Revision as of 08:41, 7 April 2015
London has been a port for many centuries. In Tudor times, London merchants and financiers took advantage of the problems faced by its continental rivals to establish the City as the commercial and financial centre of the world. At the same time transhipment trading grew up, which subsequently became a feature of the activities of the Port and City of London.
In the 17th century, the Hudson’s Bay Company was formed - the Nonsuch and the Eaglet left Gravesend to explore the territory around Hudson Bay in 1668. The subsequent association of Canada with the Port of London continued for many years. At this time, the large vessels of the East India Company anchored off Blackwall, their cargoes being transferred to the legal quays in the Pool of London by barges. About the middle of the seventeenth century the Company constructed a small wet dock at Blackwall for fitting out their vessels after launching from the adjacent shipbuilding yards. This dock was the first on the Thames to be fitted with gates. This dock was later incorporated in the Brunswick Dock which in turn was absorbed by the East India Dock.
1665 The plague temporarily strangled the trade of the Port and the Great Fire destroyed practically the whole of the wharf and warehouse accommodation. A tax of 1/- a chaldron was levied on coal brought into the Port to help defray the cost of rebuilding London, including new port accommodation on improved lines.
1696 The Royal Assent was given on the 10th April to a bill for the construction of a wet dock at Rotherhithe, some 10 acres in extent, which was called the Howland Great Wet Dock after a Streatham family to whom the property belonged. The dock was built as a harbourage and fitting-out place for ships rather than for commercial purposes. This became the nucleus of the Surrey Commercial Docks system.
The increasing size of ships in the mid-19th century led to expansion of the Port of London’s facilities and changes in its administration.
1850 A Company was formed and an Act of Parliament obtained for the making of a dock downstream from the then existing docks which would be more convenient for the deeper-drafted vessels. This dock, the Victoria Dock, incorporated several new features compared with its predecessors - jetties projected into the dock from the main quays, the idea being to effect quick delivery of cargoes, after sorting into barges on the opposite side of the jetty to which the ship was berthed. The Victoria Dock was the first in the Port to be directly connected with the railways of the United Kingdom and the first to be equipped with hydraulic machinery.
1857 The large body of watermen and lightermen resented the introduction of steam tugs and steam passenger boats into the Port and used every device to obstruct them. After years of agitation the Thames Conservancy Act was passed in 1857 which vested in the Conservators all title and rights in the bed, soil and foreshore of the river from Staines to Yantlet Creek and empowered them to carry out all conservancy duties, including the proper regulation of river traffic and the maintenance of the navigation channel.
1868 The Millwall Dock was opened
The West India Dock Co and the East India Dock Co amalgamated
The London and the St. Katharine Dock Companies combined and also acquired the Victoria Dock.
1874 the London and St. Katharine Docks Company decided to construct the Royal Albert Dock as an extension of the Victoria Dock (which now acquired the prefix "Royal").
1880 The Royal Albert Dock was opened - at the time the largest and finest dock in the world. This provoked the East and West India Docks Company to build the Tilbury Dock which opened in 1886. The chief idea of establishing the Tilbury Dock 26 miles from London was that shipowners would prefer to dock their vessels in close proximity to Gravesend, the well-established point of arrival for ships, as it would save them the time and expense of taking them higher up the river, but shipping was very slow to transfer from the older docks, largely because of boycott by merchants, lightermen and wharfingers.
1921 Extension of Royal Albert Dock. [1]
See Also
Sources of Information
- ↑ The Engineer 1921/07/08
- History of the Port of London [1]