No.1 Warehouse: Introductory gallery

London, Sugar & Slavery

1600 – present

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.

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.

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.

Two whale bones on display at the Museum of London Docklands.

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 – 5.30pm

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

Entry free, no ticket required.

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

Treasure from the Thames

Finds along the river foreshore show the depth of London's history.

Read now

Mudlarks Ahoy!

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

Explore Mudlarks

Discover London Through History

The triple threat: this medieval toilet seats three

Meet the Beast: Tiny the Wonder Dog

Quiz: Which Beast of London are you?

How Bazalgette built London's first super sewer

Bestsellers

Beasts of London

Books

Reach every London schoolchild

Celebrate the London collection

Votes for Women