London Museum Docklands

The London Museum Docklands in West India Quay, London, explains the history of the River Thames, the growth of the Port of London and the docks historical link to the Atlantic slave trade. The museum is part of the London Museum and is jointly funded by the City of London Corporation and the Greater London Authority.

London Museum Docklands

Location within London Borough of Tower Hamlets
Former name	Museum in Docklands; Museum of London Docklands
Established	2003; 22 years ago (2003)
Location	West India Quay London E14 England
Coordinates	51°30′27″N 0°1′25″W
Visitors	324,438 (2019)[1]
Director	Sharon Ament
Public transit access	West India Quay
Website	londonmuseum.org.uk/docklands
Listed Building – Grade I
Official name	Warehouses and general offices at western end of North Quay
Designated	19 July 1950
Reference no.	1242440

The museum opened in 2003 in grade I listed early 19th-century Georgian "low" sugar warehouses built in 1802 on the north side of West India Docks, a short walk from Canary Wharf.^[2][3]

Collections and exhibits

Much of the museum's collection is from the museum and archives of the Port of London Authority, which became part of the port and river collections of the Museum of London in the 1970s. These were put into storage by the Museum of London in 1985.^[4] The museum includes videos presented by Tony Robinson, and it houses a large collection of historical artefacts, models, and pictures in 12 galleries and a children's gallery (Mudlarks), arranged over two floors. Visitors are directed through the displays in chronological order.^[3] The periods covered range from the first port on the Thames in Roman times to the closure of the central London docks in the 1970s and the subsequent transformation of the area with commercial and residential developments.^[5][6]

The museum has acquired several historic vessels for preservation over its existence. Among these were the tugboats Knocker White and Varlet, both acquired in 1986.^[7][8] By the 2010s the museum had decided to rationalise its collection of vessels; one was transferred to a local group, and another, the Wey barge Perseverance IV, to the National Trust. The last two vessels, Knocker White and Varlet, were transferred to Trinity Buoy Wharf in November 2016.^[9][10]

In 2007, the museum marked the bicentenary of the Slave Trade Act 1807, which abolished British involvement in the Atlantic slave trade by opening a £14 million exhibition funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund entitled London, Sugar, Slavery.^[11][12] In March 2016, the museum opened an exhibit relating to the building itself. The building was originally called No. 1 Warehouse, and was built in 1802 during the expansion of West India Docks.^[13] In September of that year, the museum displayed Dick Moore's George Cross medal for bravery during the London Blitz.^[14] In 2017, the museum opened an exhibit displaying archaeological findings discovered during work on Crossrail.^[15] In September 2020 it put the Havering hoard on display, an exhibition which ran until 18th April 2021.^[16][17]

Transport connections

Service	Station/stop	Lines/routes served	Distance from London Museum Docklands
London Buses	Westferry station	135, 277, D3, D7
London Underground	Canary Wharf		800 metres walk/15 minutes
London Underground	Canary Wharf		500 metres walk/10 minutes
Docklands Light Railway	West India Quay		260 metres/5 minutes walk[18]
London River Services	Canary Wharf Pier	Commuter Service Rotherhithe to Canary Wharf Service	650 metres/12 Minutes walk

See also

• London Docklands
• Museum of London
• Museum of London Archaeology
• Island History Trust
• Culture of London
• Robert Milligan (merchant)
• Statue of Robert Milligan, which stood outside the museum until 2020