| East India Docks | |
|---|---|
 Illustration of East India dock looking south towards the River Thames, 1806. The original Brunswick dock and mast house (latterly known as the Export Dock) can be seen alongside the river. The Import Dock is in the foreground. | |
| Location | London |
| Coordinates | 51°30′29″N0°00′04″E / 51.5081°N 0.001°E /51.5081; 0.001 |
| Built | 1803; 222 years ago (1803) |
| Built for | East India Company |
| Demolished | 1967; 58 years ago (1967) |
| Architect | Ralph Walker |
  Location of East India Docks in London Borough of Tower Hamlets | |
TheEast India Docks were a group of docks inBlackwall in east London, north-east of theIsle of Dogs. Today only the entrance basin and listed perimeter wall remain visible.
| East India Docks Act 1803 | |
|---|---|
| Act of Parliament | |
 | |
| Long title | An Act for the further Improvement of the Port of London, by making Docks and other Works at Blackwall, for the Accommodation of the East India Shipping in the said Port. |
| Citation | 43 Geo. 3. c. cxxvi |
| Territorial extent | United Kingdom |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 27 July 1803 |
| Commencement | 27 July 1803[a] |
| Repealed | 19 June 1828 |
| Other legislation | |
| Amended by | |
| Repealed by | East India Dock Act 1828 |
Status: Repealed | |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
| East India Dock Act 1828 | |
|---|---|
| Act of Parliament | |
 | |
| Long title | An Act to consolidate and amend several Acts for the further Improvement of the Port of London, by making Docks and other Works at Blackwall for the Accommodation of East India Shipping. |
| Citation | 9 Geo. 4. c. xcv |
| Territorial extent | United Kingdom |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 19 June 1828 |
| Commencement | 19 June 1828[b] |
| Repealed | 23 December 1920 |
| Other legislation | |
| Repeals/revokes | |
| Amended by | |
| Repealed by | Port of London (Consolidation) Act 1920 |
Status: Repealed | |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
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Following the successful creation of theWest India Docks which opened in 1802, an act of Parliament, theEast India Docks Act 1803 (43 Geo. 3. c. cxxvi) set up the East India Dock Company, promoted by the HonourableEast India Company.Joseph Cotton was chairman of the dock company from 1803.[1] The foundation stone was laid on 11 March 1805[2] and the sluices of its floating gate opened on 26 July 1806, being ready to receive ships five days later.[3]
The docks, designed by engineerRalph Walker,[4] were located to the north-east of the West India Docks. They were based on the existing Brunswick Dock, which had been used for fitting out and repairing ships as part ofBlackwall Yard. The Brunswick Dock, which had originally been connected directly to the Thames to the south, became the Export Dock. To the north the company built a larger 18-acre (7.3 ha) Import Dock. Both were connected to the Thames via an eastern entrance basin.[5]
The company rapidly became profitable through its trade in commodities such as tea, spices, indigo, silk and Persian carpets. The tea trade alone was worth £30 million a year. The docks spawned further local industry, with spice merchants and pepper grinders setting up around the dock to process goods.[6]
TheEast India Dock Act 1828 (9 Geo. 4. c. xcv) consolidated acts relating the docks.[7]
In 1838, the two companies merged to form the East and West India Docks Company. In 1886, in the last act of a ruinous game of leapfrog with the London & St Katharine Dock Company, they built theTilbury Docks. The East and West India Docks Company operated in cooperation with the London & St Katharine Dock Company from 1888, and the two companies merged as the London and India Docks Company on 1 January 1901. On 31 March 1909, the docks were taken over by thePort of London Authority, along with the other enclosed docks.[8]
While much smaller than the West India Docks or the laterRoyal Docks, the East India Docks could still handleEast Indiamen of 1,000 tons and up to 250 ships at one time. However the advent of steam power and larger ships reduced the importance of this dock.[6] The docks played a key role in theSecond World War as a location for constructing the floatingMulberry harbours used by the Allies to support theD-Day landings in France.[9]
After the war, during which all the docks were badly damaged, the East India Docks were confined to occasionalChannel Islands traffic and to the maintenance of equipment includingdredgers.[6]
Brunswick Wharf Power Station, a monumental brick structure with fluted concrete chimneys, was built on the site of the Export Dock in stages between 1946 and 1956; it has since been decommissioned and demolished.[10]
From the 1960s onwards, the East India Docks experienced a steady decline – as did all of London's other docks – as the shipping industry adoptedcontainerisation, which effectively moved traffic downstream toTilbury.[11] In 1967 the East India Docks were the first of the London docks to close.[5]
The original docks consisted of an Import Dock of 18 acres (73,000 m2) of water, to the north of the site, and an Export Dock of 15 acres (61,000 m2), to the south of the site.[5] There was also an Entrance Dock of 2.75 acres (11,100 m2) of water on the east of the site.[5]
In the late 20th century the docks were mostly filled in and only the entrance basin remains, as a wildlife refuge and an attractive local amenity. Since 1994 the area has been served by its ownDocklands Light RailwayEast India station.[12]
Developments on the site of the Import Dock include theMulberry Place in 1992[13] and theRepublic campus with offices, retail and public space which was largely completed in 2019.[14] Two buildings on the campus have been renamed as Import and Export to provide a nod to the site's past.[15] The names of the streets on the site of the Import Dock reflect the names of some of the goods traded here:Clove Crescent,Nutmeg Lane,Coriander Avenue,Oregano Drive,Rosemary Drive andSaffron Avenue.[16]
The site of the Export Dock was converted into a residential development named Virginia Quay, with an amenity with mature trees known as Virginia Quay Park.[17] In 1999, theVirginia Quay Settlers Monument was unveiled, replacing a 1928 plaque on the site.[18] East India Dock Basin exists now as a nature reserve, providing a tidal mudflat habitat for birds such asKingfishers andTerns.[19][20]
51°30′29.2″N0°0′3.5″E / 51.508111°N 0.000972°E /51.508111; 0.000972