No. 1 Warehouse: Intro gallery

Our building is a rare survivor of the old London docks and its story is at the heart of this gallery.

  • A collection of images depicting visitors enjoying themselves in the free-to-visit permanent galleries of the London Museum Docklands as well as its outdoor areas, café and shop.

    This gallery kicks off our story about London's Docklands.

  • Museum of London Museum of London Docklands. The museum building was originally the No. 1 Warehouse of the West India Docks. Opened in 1802, the West India Docks were London’s first enclosed dock system, built away from the open river on the Isle of

    Our 19th-century museum building once stored imported sugar, rum and tea.

The story of our building begins in 1802, when London's first enclosed dock system was created, known as West India Docks. The museum building is one of the last remaining fragments of those old docks and stored valuable imports like sugar, rum and tea.

The building reveals how the docks and warehouse operated in those times. The beam-scales suspended from the roof timbers were used daily, weighing heavy sacks and crates as they entered and left the building.

The cast-iron window grilles remind us of the tight security needed when it was filled with valuables from all over the world. The view over the dock – seen through a loophole door – gives a glimpse of how cargoes were hoisted in from below.

The warehouse was a hive of activity, with cargoes constantly being unloaded and reloaded. The gallery’s archival film and sound brings the the building back to life and reminds us of this busy past.

The warehouse closed in the 1980s, after nearly 200 years.

Next gallery: Trade Expansion

No.1 Warehouse is open 10am – 5pm every day at London Museum Docklands.

Please note that we'll start closing up the galleries at around 4.40pm.

There's lots to see, so we recommend you spend at least 15 minutes in the No.1 Warehouse gallery.

It's the first gallery on our recommended route and you'll find it on the Third Floor.

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Free galleries