Hidden gems of London Docklands archives

Whether you live in London, or visit every now and then, it’s easy to forget that the Port of London is a major UK port, handling over 45 million tonnes of cargo a year. The story of the docks begins in the late 18th century as pressure mounted to make trading goods through London more efficient and secure.

Opening in 1802, the West India Docks were the first to operate from the Isle of Dogs. Development throughout the 19th century saw docks opening from Tower Bridge, to Tilbury in Essex. The final dock to be opened was the King George V Dock in 1921. These docks shaped our city – geographically, economically and culturally.

London Museum Docklands holds extensive object and archive collections consists of documentary evidence that gives an insight into how the docks were built, operated, managed and staffed.

The Port of London Authority (PLA) Archive is one such resource. With over 5,000 boxes of documentation, more than 1,000 minute books and nearly 50,000 plans and engineering drawings, the museum is still in the process of cataloguing it all, and finding ways to make it accessible.

Here are a few treasures, oddities and noteworthy items to give you a taste of the archive – some you can see in our galleries, some in our exhibitions, but most are currently safely kept behind the scenes in our climate-controlled store.

Affectionately nicknamed ‘Tom and Jerry’ by some, the two creatures were found in the vaults at London docks in the 1890s. Cats were used as part of the efforts to control pests around the docks, and this one and his prey got stuck between bottles of quicksilver (mercury). The environmental conditions led to mummification, and conservators at the museum have suggested either very hot or very cold conditions could’ve caused this. Our cat and rat have remained together since they were found, and can be seen on display at the London Museum Docklands.

Jumbo had been a major attraction at London Zoo, but in 1882 he was sold to PT Barnum, an American circus owner, and The Illustrated London News documents his move to the US. In another picture, four elephants are also seen travelling out of the UK, back to South Africa following a tour of the UK with Chipperfield’s Circus.

Even when there weren’t unusual cargoes being delivered, the docks proved a draw for many. Of course, visitors came to the docks to work, to do business and to travel, but others came for leisure.

Not everyone would rush to go and take a look around a modern warehouse, although no doubt the operations are impressive. The town warehouses belonging to the East and West India Company (and later the PLA) received visits from a variety of people, and not just those on business. A visitor book was kept to record their names for posterity. Some of those names remain familiar to us today, such as the actress Sarah Bernhardt in 1881, Poet Laureate John Masefield in 1914, and members of the Royal Family such as Queen Mary in 1927.

The docks also saw visitors partaking in wine and spirit tastings. Although alcoholic products could be shipped through any of the docks, the London docks in Wapping was a hub for this trade. A newspaper article from 1858 depicts a wine tasting in the vaults.

The tasting had two purposes, on the one hand it could be used by the merchants to encourage buyers, on the other, holding it in the docks also meant the merchant could share the wine before any tax was paid on it.

In The History of the Port of London, author Peter Stone notes that dock employees and even seamen also enjoyed the odd tipple from the wine vaults.

Security at the docks was extremely important for obvious reasons. In fact, the docks themselves were partly developed in response to concerns around theft from boats and the legal quay system that existed prior to the construction of the dock systems.

Each dock company maintained its own force. They are, occasionally, incorrectly confused with the Thames Marine Police, the earliest police force to be established in 1798 and later incorporated into the Metropolitan Police in 1839. The first of the dock company force was founded in 1802 to secure the West India Docks, and – unlike the Thames Marine Police – the docks’ forces remained in private hands, until being amalgamated into the PLA in 1909. Tilbury Docks, as the only dock still in operation, has a dedicated force to this day!

The museum’s archive has a small collection of records and photographs of the PLA Police. We even have a few objects, including police truncheons. A photograph in the archive shows PLA’s first female recruits taking part in martial arts training in the 1950s.

These items – and the stories connected with them – offer just a tiny glimpse into the PLA Archive. So the next time you’re walking across the galleries at London Museum Docklands, or any museum for that matter, spare a thought for the boxes and boxes of information stored back-of-the-house – the archive – which give context to the museum objects you see, revealing the details of how institutions such as the Port of London operate on a regular basis, and offering researchers and visitors a unique insight into its history.


Fiona Keates is Archivist (Port and River) at London Museum.