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    Discover London Through History

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    A bronze neck ring or torc found in the Harper Road burial associated image Hidden London

    Powerful women in late Iron Age London: the Harper Road burial

    Evidence for women’s power in prehistoric London

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    Mudlarks: rescuing relics from the river

    How do the ancient artefacts found in the river Thames end up on display?

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    Bioarchaeological evidence for Black women in 14th century London

    What can bones can tell us about Black women in Medieval London?

    Portrait of Emma Hamilton 1791 © The Metropolitan Museum Behind the scenes

    Emma Hamilton’s copy of Haydn’s The Creation

    An in-depth look at Emma Hamilton, the famous regency-era model and actress, through her very own copy of The Creation held in the museum’s library.

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Museum of London Docklands
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No.1 Warehouse: Introductory gallery

London, Sugar & Slavery

1600 – present

Permanent galleries

Trade Expansion

1600-1800

Meet the merchants, sailors and pirates who transformed the port of London

This gallery tells the story of how ships sailed from London to India and China and brought back cargoes of spices, tea and silk.

  • Interior of the Trade Expansion gallery at the Museum of London Docklands.
  • Model ship of an East Indiaman in the Trade Expansion gallery.
  • Keystone bearing the crest of the East India Company.
  • Wire tripped gun Trade.jpg
  • Whale bones
  • Reconstructed interior of a legal quay from 1700s, Museum of London Docklands.
  • Octant designed by Hayley used for navigation at sea.
  • Padlock used to secure warehouses on the Thames waterside, 1700s.
  • A set of shackles used to hold convicted criminals in the port of London, 1700s.
  • A gibbet used to hang the bodies of executed prisoners in the port of London, 1700s.

Not to be missed on your visit

View slideshow

Interior of the Trade Expansion gallery at the Museum of London Docklands.

Walk into the Trade Expansion gallery

This gallery charts the rise of the port of London in the two hundred years leading up to the building of the modernised docks.

Model ship of an East Indiaman in the Trade Expansion gallery.

Pilot a trading ship of the East India Company

This cutaway model of an East Indiaman shows the ships that brought the riches of India to London. Play an interactive game & take the role of captain on a trading voyage.

Keystone bearing the crest of the East India Company.

Keystone fragment carved with the East India Company's coat of arms, 1618

This stone probably stood over the entrance to the East India Company shipyard at Blackwall. East Indiamen, trading ships that sailed from London to Asia, were built here until 1831.

Wire tripped gun Trade.jpg

Find the spring gun

This gun was used as a booby trap to guard warehouses in the Port of London. The gun would be mounted on a swivel, firing if a burglar stepped on a trip wire.

Whale bones

Discover London's history of whaling

This display of whale bones and narwhal horns explores the whaling ships that operated from London from 1600-1800.

Reconstructed interior of a legal quay from 1700s, Museum of London Docklands.

Walk into a rebuilt Legal Quay

One section of the gallery recreates a late 18th century "Legal Quay", the crowded and chaotic waterfront area, where porters, custom officials and merchants rubbed shoulders.

Octant designed by Hayley used for navigation at sea.

Hadley's octant, 1770

This octant, designed by John Hadley, was a vital navigational aid during the age of sail. It was used to measure the altitude of the sun above the horizon at sea.

Padlock used to secure warehouses on the Thames waterside, 1700s.

Lighterman's padlock, 1750-1800

This lock was used by lightermen, who operated lighters on the river Thames. These flat-bottomed barges were vital to unload cargo from ships before the building of the docks.

A set of shackles used to hold convicted criminals in the port of London, 1700s.

Learn how the port of London cracked down on crime

This chain was used to secure executed pirates at Execution Dock. Crime was rife on the chaotic 18th century river Thames.

A gibbet used to hang the bodies of executed prisoners in the port of London, 1700s.

The grisly gibbet cage

The bodies of executed pirates and other criminals would be publicly hung in gibbets like this one, as a warning against piracy and mutiny.

Gallery access

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

10am-5pm, Wednesday-Sunday (closed Monday and Tuesday)

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

Free entry, timed ticket

Trade Expansion also of interest

Free events at the Museum of London Docklands.

Free events every day

Plan your visit with a free tour, walk, or storytelling session

Find out more

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Treasure from the Thames

Some of the previous objects that mudlarks have rescued from the river.

Read now

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Temporarily closed

Mudlarks Ahoy!

Our children's gallery is perfect for under-8s.

Explore Mudlarks

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Update from the Museum of London Docklands

The Museum of London and the Museum of London Docklands will continue to be closed to the public for the time being, but we are hoping to reopen on Wednesday 19 May in line with the Government's roadmap for lifting lockdown restrictions.

The health and wellbeing of our visitors, staff and community is of utmost importance to us and we will continue to closely review the advice from the Government and Public Health England around the COVID-19 situation.

While the museum buildings may be closed, we’re still open online with loads of content to keep you entertained. Check our website or follow us on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter @MuseumOfLondon for all the latest news on when the museum doors will be open once more.

Thank you for your continued support and we look forward to welcoming you back soon!