Why were London’s docks built?
Before the 17th century, London did not really extend eastwards beyond the Tower of London. Ships arrived in the Pool of London, near the Tower, and waited to be unloaded.
The River Thames is tidal so even large ships could travel quite far upstream to deliver their cargoes. Wooden wharves and warehouses were built to receive the goods and to collect duty on them for the City of London and the monarch.
As the river became increasingly overcrowded in the late 18th and early 19th century, the first docks began to be built. The first was the West India Dock. London’s docks continued to develop throughout the 19th and the first half of the 20th centuries.
- Introduction (this page)
- Trade on the River Thames before the docks were built
- How did the West Indies trade help build the docks?
- Were the Port of London’s problems over after the West India Docks were built?
- What other docks were built?
- London’s docks in the early 20th century
- Further information
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