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      The Museum of London documents the history of London from prehistoric to modern times. The museum is located on London Wall, close to the Barbican Centre.

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  • Museum of London Docklands
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      • No. 1 Warehouse
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      • Warehouse of the World
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      The Museum of London Docklands is a museum on the Isle of Dogs, east London that tells the history of London's River Thames and the growth of Docklands.

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  • Discover

    Discover London Through History

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    Bull-slaying statute from the Temple of Mithras. Behind the scenes

    Meet Mithras: redecorating the Romans

    How we redisplayed the famous artefacts of London's Mithraeum.

    Emmeline and Christabel at the Women's Exhibition, 1909. Hidden London

    Prison to parliament: the Suffragettes and Holloway

    Meet the women who kept on campaigning even from within the walls of London's most notorious prison.

    Christabel Pankhurst at the women's exhibition, 1909 Londoners

    Christabel Pankhurst, Suffragette icon

    We talk about a new biography of perhaps the most important Suffragette.

    Inside the Fatberg! display City Now City Future

    The Fatberg Diaries, updated

    Charting the samples in Fatberg! as they change and decay over time.

    Explore the stories of the world's greatest city and uncover the hidden treasures of our collections.

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Museum of London Docklands
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Sailortown

1840-1850

Warehouse of the World

1880-1939

Permanent galleries

First Port of Empire

1840-1880

Discover when London was the hub of the world’s largest empire

As British power and trade spread across the globe, so the port of London grew and prospered. Wooden sailing ships gave way to iron steamers, and the docks became the centre of world trade.

  • Loading carts in the Docklands First Port of Empire gallery.
  • The sign of the St. Paul
  • Model of SS Great Eastern.
  • Painting of a fish stall.
  • Painting of the Tooley Street Fire.
  • Street sign reading Mandarin Street, on display in the Museum of London Docklands.
  • Sketch of the docks at Limehouse, London, mid-19th century.
  • torrenshipmodel.jpg
  • Recreation of a blacksmith
  • Winch in the No. 1 Warehouse Gallery.

Not to be missed on your visit

View slideshow

Loading carts in the Docklands First Port of Empire gallery.

Walk into the warehouse

Trolleys, barrows and baskets set out on the wooden floor of the warehouse. The painting by Charles Deane shows the river at Westminster with the new Waterloo bridge, opened in 1817.

The sign of the St. Paul's Seamans' Church.

St Paul’s Dock street sign

The church of Saint Paul began as a 'floating church' on board a ship, the 'Brazen' moored close to the Thames Tunnel. It was replaced by a church built in Dock Street in 1846-47.

Model of SS Great Eastern.

Model of the SS Great Eastern

Designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the ship was built at Millwall on the Isle of Dogs. At the time of her launch in 1858, she was the largest ship ever built in the world.

Painting of a fish stall.

The fish stall c.1830 by William Kidd

Billingsgate was London’s main fish market. Here a women fishmonger is about to prepare a large cod. Next to the smoked fish on the left, there are Billingsgate bills.

Painting of the Tooley Street Fire.

Painting of the Tooley Street fire, 1861

The fire started in a warehouse at Cotton’s Wharf south of the river, and spread rapidly. Tragically, James Braidwood, the chief fireman, died when a wall fell on him while he was fighting the fire.

Street sign reading Mandarin Street, on display in the Museum of London Docklands.

Mandarin Street sign

During the 19th century, Chinese sailors settled in east London. They eventually formed a thriving community, echoed in road names such as Mandarin Street and Canton Street.

Sketch of the docks at Limehouse, London, mid-19th century.

Limehouse, 1859, by James Abbott MCNeill Whistler

This etching shows the riverfront around the east London district of Limehouse, including the harbourmaster's office on the right.

torrenshipmodel.jpg

Model of the clipper ship Torrens, c.1875

This is a sailor-made model of the sailing ship Torrens, built in 1875 for the wool trade between England and Australia. It was the ship on which the writer Joseph Conrad sailed from 1891-92.

Recreation of a blacksmith's forge used to make parts for ships and warehouses in the Port of London.

Reconstructed blacksmith's forge

Making everything from ship's nails to warehouse tools, blacksmiths kept the London docks working.

Winch in the No. 1 Warehouse Gallery.

Immerse yourself in the atmosphere of the warehouse

Winches like this one were used in the days when the museum building was still a working warehouse, filled with valuable cargo from around the world.

Gallery access

The gallery is open during the museum's normal hours:

10:00am - 5:30pm

The gallery is on the second floor and can be accessed by lift.

Entry free, no ticket required.

First Port of Empire also of interest

Sugar being uploaded in the Surrey Commercial Dock, c.1920 © PLA Collection.

Learn more about the Port of London

The Port and River archive tracks the history of Docklands

Find the archive

Maydaydocks.jpg

Family-friendly workshops

See some of the ways you can entertain the kids at Docklands.

Book now

Food in the Rum & Sugar restaurant

Food and drink

Relax and refresh yourself after your visit

Plan your visit

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