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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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      • Mudlarks children's gallery

      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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      Fatberg to Votes For Women, find exclusive and unique gifts

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Museum of London Docklands
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First Port of Empire

1840-1880

Docklands at War

1939-1945

Permanent galleries

Warehouse of the World

1880-1939

Turn of the century London was the world's busiest port

By 1880, London docks were a hub for world trade. Until the outbreak of the Second World War, the sheds and warehouses that lined the river Thames housed every conceivable commodity.

  • Banner of the Amalgamated Stevedores Union.
  • The Lonsdale championship belt in Museum of London Docklands.
  • Workmen stack elephant tusks in a warehouse on the London Docks. Copyright PLA Archive/Museum of London.
  • Staves of a tobacco hogshead being removed. Copyright PLA Archive/Museum of London.
  • Bottling press, London Docklands.
  • PLApolice.jpg
  • Reconstructed model of a customs office from the Warehouse of the World gallery.
  • "Turkoman" figure from outside a London shop, Docklands.
  • Warehouse of the World sampling case.
  • Sampling cases interactive in the Warehouse of the World gallery.

Not to be missed on your visit

View slideshow

Banner of the Amalgamated Stevedores Union.

Banner of the Amalgamated Stevedores' Union, 1904

In 1889, the port of London was paralysed by a huge strike by the dockworkers. This banner commemorates the victory of the 100,000 striking stevedores - a milestone in labour history.

The Lonsdale championship belt in Museum of London Docklands.

Johnny Brown's boxing championship belt

This golden Lonsdale Belt was won by bantamweight boxing champion Johnny Brown, a working-class sporting hero who grew up and lived in London's East End.

Workmen stack elephant tusks in a warehouse on the London Docks. Copyright PLA Archive/Museum of London.

Weighing and checking ivory on the London docks, 1930

Elephant tusks, here being loaded into a London warehouse, were just one of the thousands of rare cargoes imported by the docks. © PLA collection.

Staves of a tobacco hogshead being removed. Copyright PLA Archive/Museum of London.

Tobacco at Royal Victoria Dock, 1930

This image shows the wooden staves being removed from a hogshead of tobacco before it was weighed. Royal Victoria Dock was the heart of the port's tobacco trade. © PLA collection.

Bottling press, London Docklands.

Bottling press

Wines and spirits were imported into the London docks in barrels. Specialist bottling facilities including labelling, corking and fitting foil to the top of the bottles.

PLApolice.jpg

Three PLA policemen jump into the Thames, 1930

These members of the Port of London police force were undertaking their annual life-saving practice at the West India Docks. © PLA collection.

Reconstructed model of a customs office from the Warehouse of the World gallery.

Look inside the recreated customs office

Customs officers had to check all the goods unloaded on the docks to levy the appropriate import duty. They worked from sheds like this one, built inside the quayside warehouses.

All the world's treasures for sale in London

This figure of a "Turkoman"- meaning someone from Turkey- stood outside a London shop, stood outside a London grocer’s shop, advertising coffee imported from Turkey.

Warehouse of the World sampling case.

Sampling case

This is a dock sample cabinet with an amazing variety of different commodities. If a stray cargo was dropped on the quayside, the sample cabinet would be used to identify the commodity.

Sampling cases interactive in the Warehouse of the World gallery.

Take the smell test

London imported a bewildering variety of objects. Can you identify some of them by scent alone? Look out for spices, woods, tobacco and tar.

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.

Warehouse of the world also of interest

handling-also-of-interest.jpg

Free events every day

Tours, displays and handling sessions mean there's always something to do at Docklands.

Plan your visit

bride and groom pose in the museum of london docklands

Wedding in a warehouse

Spaces available to hire in Museum of London Docklands

Find out more

Buoys lined up along a quayside in 1948 © PLA Collection.

Discover the port's past

The Port and River archive tracks the history of London's docks

Explore the collection

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