East India Docks
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The East India Docks is a small group of Docks in the Blackwall area of East London, just north of the Isle of Dogs.
[edit] History
Following the successful creation of the West India Docks which opened in 1802, an Act of Parliament in 1803 set up the The East India Dock Company, promoted by the Honorable East India Company. The new company was granted a 21 year monopoly for trading with the far east.
The docks were based on the old Brunswick Dock which has been used for fitting out and repairing ships, situated at Blackwall just to the north of the West India Docks.
The Company was rapidly profitable, with commodities such as tea, spices, indigo, silk and Persian carpets. The tea trade alone was worth £30m a year. The docks spawned further local industry, with spice merchants and pepper grinders setting up around the dock processing goods.
In 1838 the East and West India Companies merged.
While much smaller than the West India Docks or the later Royal Docks, the East India Dock could still handle East Indiamen of 1000 tons and up to 250 ships at one time. However the advent of steam power and larger ships reduced the importance of this dock and by the mid-20th Century most of the trade had left.
The dock played a key role in the Second World War as a location for constructing the Mulberry harbour floating harbours used by the Allies at D-Day.
Following the Second World War, in which all the docks were badly damaged, the East India was confined to occasional Channel island traffic and to maintenance of dredger equipment etc.
The Docks were the first London Docks to close in 1967.
[edit] East India Docks today
Today the dock has been partially filled in, with some remaining water as a wildlife refuge and an attaractive local amenity. The area is predominantly residential with several major developments either complete or underway around it.
