Museum of London, Docklands

London has a great number of museums, some more famous than others, but the Museum of London, Docklands, was a great find.  Unexpected really.    We saw the sign post for the museum when we went to the Victoria Docks, via the cable car.  And then searched the internet to find out more about it.

So on Thursday, we set off in the car to the Docklands area, or more specifically, The Isle of Dogs, or Canary Wharf..    The museum is at No 1 Warehouse on West India Quay.   We drove in on the A2, through the Blackwall Tunnel, and around to the top of The Isle of Dogs, and parked in the Vinci carpark, beside the Docklands Light Railway.   It took half an hour.

We walked out of the carpark door, and there was the museum, straight in front of us.   So easy.

The shining buildings in the business area of Canary Wharf, but the West India Dock is still there, with plenty of old boats to look at, one of which has been changed into a church.   The Church of St Peters.

One tall glittering building beside the line of old warehouses, one of which is now the museum, the rest converted into restaurants and apartments.

Inside the old warehouse, which is 200 years old, there is a fantastic museum, very modern, with displays about the development along the River Thames, from Roman settlement to the Docklands' regeneration,

A model of the original London bridge, built in the 1200s I think, which was completely covered with houses, plus a drawbridge to stop any enemies getting over to London.  In 1600 it was redeveloped, the church taken down, and a Nonesuch House with its turrets and cupalas built instead. The biggest problem with this type of bridge, were the 'sparrows', which were the wide structures that went down to the river bed.    It became increassingly difficult for ships to pass through the archways, even when the bridge part was raised up.

The old wooden floor boards, beautifully polished, were remarkable, so mellow.

A street scene, depicting the docks during 1790.  The large beam scale on the right of the photo was used to weigh cargoes.

After we had viewed the top floor, which took about 1 1/2 hours, we went down to the bottom, and ate lunch at the pub next door, together with all the local business people.   Then back to the museum for coffee, and a rest in the large and very comfortable leather chairs.  Walter caught up on the news.   Free newspapers too.

A dockland street in the 1800s, very dark and gloomy.   I certainly looked over my shoulder when I went through this exhibit, even though I knew I was in a museum.   Very spooky.

An old shop in the docklands.

The smithy.    I remembered my father had a motor repair workshop which also doubled as a smithy. As children we loved lighting a fire in the furnace, and then using the bellows to get it going strongly so that we could make the pieces of iron red hot.   We then dropped them in the water at the front of the furnace.  We loved the sound of hissing and the steam that came from the water.  No health and safety rules in the 1950s to spoil our fun.

An air raid shelter, all ready for occupants to shelter in, during the bombing of London during WW11.

In one of the cabinets there was a relief map with the docks marked on it, and for the first time I really understood the development of the docks, from the first ones close to the city to the outlying ones in Tilbury.     As ships, both cargo and passenger, became larger, and trade increased with a greater variety of goods being imported and traded, there was a need to build more docks along the River Thames.   A shipping era that finally finished by the 1970s, except for Tilbury, which is now a major container port.

Now for a visit to the original Museum of London, so that we can continue learning about the development of London.  Looking forward to it.