Museum of London Docklands

Museum of London Docklands

Established	2003
Location	West India Docks, London E14, England, United Kingdom
Director	Sharon Ament
Public transit access	West India Quay Canary Wharf London Bus routes: 135, 277, D3, D7 Canary Wharf Pier
Website	http://www.museumoflondon.org.uk/docklands

The Museum of London Docklands (formerly known as Museum in Docklands) is a museum on the Isle of Dogs, east London that tells the history of London's River Thames and the growth of Docklands. The museum is part of the Museum of London jointly funded by the City of London Corporation and the Greater London Authority.

The museum opened in 2003 in grade I listed early-19th century Georgian "low" sugar warehouses built in 1802^[1] on the side of West India Docks on the Isle of Dogs, a short walk from the Canary Wharf development.^[2]

Collections and exhibits

The nucleus of the collection is 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 1976, but remained in storage until the museum opened.

The museum uses the latest presentational techniques including videos presented by Tony Robinson, known for his involvement with archaeological television programme Time Team. The museum houses a large collection of historical artefacts, models, and pictures in 12 galleries and a children's gallery (Mudlarks),^[2] arranged over two floors. Visitors are directed through the displays in chronological order. The periods covered range from the first port on the Thames in Roman times^[3] to the closure of the central London docks in the 1970s and subsequent transformation of the area with commercial and residential developments.

The Museum of London Docklands has a lecture theatre and meeting rooms and hosts talks and events connected with the docks. Several workers who worked on the docks in the 1960s take part in these events, including one from the Pentonville Five. The reading room and Sainsburys Study Centre house the archives.

Entry to the museum is free.^[4]

West India Quay with the museum in the background.

The Museum of London Docklands at night

Floor directory

Floor 3	Floor 2	Floor 1	Ground floor	Basement floor
Wilberforce Theatre Quayside Room Function Suite Thames Highway AD 43-1600 Trade Expansion 1600-1800 Legal Quay 1790s London Sugar & Slavery 1600 onwards	City and River 1800-1840 Sailortown 1840-1850 First Port of Empire 1840-1880 Warehouse of the World 1880-1939 Docklands at War 1938-1945 New Port, New City 1945 onwards	Thames Gallery 1930-1940 Sainsbury Study Centre	Entrance Mudlarks For the Under 12s Special Exhibitions 1802 Café Rum and Sugar bar and restaurant	Schools and Coach Parties Entrance Lee Boo Room Refectory and Weekend Picnic Room Jack Petchey Classroom Lansbury Classroom Pocahontas Classroom

The museum recommends visitors start their visit from floor 3

Transport connections

Service	Station/Stop	Lines/Routes served	Distance from Museum of London Docklands
London Buses	Westferry Station	135, 277, D3, D7
London Underground	Canary Wharf		800 metres walk[5]
Docklands Light Railway	West India Quay		2 minute/400 metres walk[6]
London River Services	Canary Wharf Pier	Commuter Service Rotherhithe to Canary Wharf Service	650 metres walk[7]

See also

• Museum of London
• Museum of London Archaeology
• Island History Trust
• Culture of London
• Robert Milligan

References

1. 24hrmuseum accessed 18/02/08
2. A London Tourist Guide accessed 18/02/08
3. "Museum of London - Thames Highway". museumoflondon.org.uk.
4. Visit Museum of London Docklands accessed 20 April 2010
5. Walking directions to the Museum of London Docklands from Canary Wharf tube station
6. Museum of London Docklands: Getting there
7. Walking directions to the Museum of London Docklands from Canary Wharf Pier

External links

• Official website of the Museum of London Docklands
• Official website of the Museum of London

Coordinates: 51°30′27″N 0°1′25″W / 51.50750°N 0.02361°W