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    Discover London Through History

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    A woman depicted as a Roman laureate female, possibly a Muse, on one of a pair of miniature bracelet plaques made of gold. It is possible that the 18th century recipient of the plaques was named after the Muse and that the figure depicted is a delicate reference to the classical antecedents of her name. (ID no.: C1705) Behind the scenes

    The Roman princess of Spitalfields

    Sr Curator of Archaeology, Dr Rebecca Redfern’s interest in the intriguing Spitalfields Princess spans over two decades!

    the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Cauldron designed by Thomas Heatherwick Sports

    The magic of the 2012 London Olympics cauldron

    Did you know you can find the 2012 London Olympics cauldron in the Museum of London collection?

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    roman temple of mithras Roman London

    Quiz: Guess the Roman London mystery object

    The Romans left us some weird and wonderful objects to find in our city. Can you guess what these artefacts from Londinium are?

    ‘Mermaid slinkiness’ in 1930s’ London fashion, Bassano Studio (ID no.: IN11903) Look of London

    ‘Mermaid slinkiness’ in 1930s’ London fashion

    In this edition of our fashion series, we delve into female fashions of the 1930s.

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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

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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.

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  • 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.
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  • Recreation of a blacksmith
  • Winch in the No. 1 Warehouse Gallery.

Not to be missed on your visit

View slideshow

first-port-of-empire.jpg

Walk into the warehouse

Get hands-on in our fun family area - can you build the bridge?

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:

10am-5pm, Monday-Sunday

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

Free entry, timed ticket

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

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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

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