London's Maritime History

This month's theme is docks and ports of London.

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  Quiz: How well do you know London’s docks?

  The Museum of London Docklands is celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2023. How much do you know about Docklands history? Play our quiz to find out!

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  Voices from the Docklands: people who shaped London’s docks

  As part of our Listening to London project, volunteer researchers share a selection of recordings from our oral history collection, shining a light on their collective memories of London’s docks, port and river.

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  How did the Empire Windrush change London?

  The 802 Caribbean citizens onboard were the first of 500,000 Commonwealth citizens who settled in Britain between 1948 and 1971. They were invited to live as British citizens and help rebuild the "mother country", but many faced prejudice and unequal treatment that continues until today.

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  Mudlarks: rescuing relics from the river

  Finding ancient artefacts on the banks of the river Thames? That's the dream of London's mudlarks, enthusiasts who comb the foreshore looking for historic objects. Let's look at their discoveries.

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  Playing in the Port: why video gamers love London’s docks?

  Across time, London has been portrayed across many media —paintings, music, movies — but, now, in video games players see parts of the city like never before. It’s a place where fantasy and reality cross paths, and thriving in the midst of it all is — you! But what makes London’s Docklands a favourite with game developers and players?

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  Disciplining the ‘World’s Greatest Port’

  The Port of London Authority’s Discipline Books logged transgressions and sanctions within London’s docks — from pilfered wine to missing work to watch a football match! While these books do record some serious crimes, it seems the dominant sense is of human frailty, rather than malice.

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  Hidden or untold histories? African and Asian presence in London’s docks

  Maps, photographs and letters in the Port of London Authority archives gives us a porthole view into the lives of the London’s Dockers community from the early 20th century. These documents give fleeting traces of African and Asian people around London’s docks, whose presence could easily have been forgotten if not for passing references. Here’s how we’re missing a crucial piece of the life in London’s docklands.

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  From fish market to red carpet: the evolution of London's Docklands

  London’s Docklands have gone through huge change in the last 70 years – from being one of the busiest ports in the world, to falling into disuse as cargo ships outgrew the Thames.

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  Antarctica, Ahoy! Preparing for Polar expeditions

  We look at behind-the-scenes elements of great Polar expeditions passing through London docks, which often reveal a lot about such journeys, with special focus on Captain Robert F. Scott’s Terra Nova Antarctic Expedition in 1912.

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  Elephants, Wine and Misdeeds: Archival Curiosities at London Docks

  Museums are full of amazing objects exhibited in the galleries, but unbeknown to many, they also house a number of archive collections — much of which are stored behind the scenes.

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  Who are monuments for?

  Guest writer Kristy Warren explains the background of this removal, and explores the legacies of slavery in statues in London and around the world.

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  Desk of discord: Frances Burney’s mahogany desk is a disturbing symbol of slavery

  Author Frances Burney was known to support abolition of slavery, and yet she owned a mahogany writing desk that was steeped in the history of slavery. How do we make sense of this contradiction?

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  Mapping the legacy of slavery in London's Docklands

  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.

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