Exploring London and the River Thames at the Museum of London Docklands at West India Quay

Museum of London Docklands, West India Quay, London E14

Located in West India Quay – right next to Canary Wharf – is the fabulous Museum of London Docklands, a free exhibition space dedicated to the history of the River Thames and Docklands.

Museum of London Docklands, West India Quay, London E14

Based around the museum and archives of the Port of London Authority, the museum opened in 2003 in a group of grade I listed early 19th century Georgian “low” sugar warehouses built in 1802.

Museum of London Docklands, West India Quay, London E14

Covering the period from the first port of London in Roman times to the closure of the central London docks in the 1970s and the massive redevelopment in recent times, the museum offers 12 galleries and a children’s gallery, located actross three floors.

Museum of London Docklands, West India Quay, London E14

The ground floor cafe space.

Museum of London Docklands, West India Quay, London E14

The displays are arranged in chronological order, with the exhibition starting from the top floor.

Museum of London Docklands, West India Quay, London E14

A wonderfully detailed model of the old London bridge.

Museum of London Docklands, West India Quay, London E14

Museum of London Docklands, West India Quay, London E14

Parts of the old docklands have been recreated.

Museum of London Docklands, West India Quay, London E14

The particularly grim gibbet.

Museum of London Docklands, West India Quay, London E14

The exhibition doesn’t shy away from handling sensitive topics. The slavery display was very powerful.

Museum of London Docklands, West India Quay, London E14

Museum of London Docklands, West India Quay, London E14

Museum of London Docklands, West India Quay, London E14

Museum of London Docklands, West India Quay, London E14

Museum of London Docklands, West India Quay, London E14

Painting of Brixton Market from 1988.

Museum of London Docklands, West India Quay, London E14

Museum of London Docklands, West India Quay, London E14

The museum was pleasingly quiet when I visited on a Sunday afternoon.

Museum of London Docklands, West India Quay, London E14

Thames Frost Fair engraving.

Museum of London Docklands, West India Quay, London E14

Cardboard mock up of the Rotherhithe and Wapping tunnel, built between 1825 and 1843 by Marc Brunel and his son, the legendary Great Western railway engineer, Isambard Kingdom Brunel.

Hailed in its day as the eighth wonder of the world, it was the first tunnel in the world to be constructed under a navigable river and is now regarded as one of the greatest engineering feats of the 19th century.

Museum of London Docklands, West India Quay, London E14

Museum of London Docklands, West India Quay, London E14

In the atmospheric Sailortown.

Museum of London Docklands, West India Quay, London E14

Inside the Three Mariners pub.

Museum of London Docklands, West India Quay, London E14

Museum of London Docklands, West India Quay, London E14

Museum of London Docklands, West India Quay, London E14

Museum of London Docklands, West India Quay, London E14

Museum of London Docklands, West India Quay, London E14

Museum of London Docklands, West India Quay, London E14

Museum of London Docklands, West India Quay, London E14

A warning about ‘improper characters.’

Museum of London Docklands, West India Quay, London E14

Museum of London Docklands, West India Quay, London E14

Museum of London Docklands, West India Quay, London E14

Museum of London Docklands, West India Quay, London E14

Museum of London Docklands, West India Quay, London E14

Museum of London Docklands, West India Quay, London E14

WW2 shelter.

Museum of London Docklands, West India Quay, London E14

Wartime food from the USA.

Museum of London Docklands, West India Quay, London E14

I enjoyed the section retelling the community resistance to the redevelopment of the Isle of Dogs, and the subsequent fight for jobs.

Museum of London Docklands, West India Quay, London E14

Museum of London Docklands, West India Quay, London E14

Display about the notorious Wapping Dispute of 1984-5.

Museum of London Docklands, West India Quay, London E14

Museum of London Docklands, West India Quay, London E14

Museum of London Docklands, West India Quay, London E14

Museum of London Docklands, West India Quay, London E14

On until the 2nd November 2014 is the Bridge exhibition, which features rarely seen contemporary and historical artworks, plus photos and film clips highlighting the importance of bridges within London’s landscape.

Museum of London Docklands, West India Quay, London E14

More info:

Museum of London Docklands [map]
No.1 Warehouse
West India Quay
London E14 4AL

FREE ENTRY

Mon-Sun: 10am – 6pm
Closed 24-26 Dec
Galleries begin to close at 5.40pm

http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/

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