Museum of London Docklands Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids
Museum of London Docklands

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Former name	Museum in Docklands
Established	2003; 22 years ago (2003)
Location	West India Quay London E14 England
Visitors	324,438 (2019)
Public transit access	West India Quay

The Museum of London Docklands is a cool place to learn about London's history. It used to be called the Museum in Docklands. This museum is located in West India Quay. It tells the amazing story of the River Thames. You can also discover how the Port of London grew over time. The museum also explains the docks' historical connection to the Atlantic slave trade. It is part of the larger Museum of London. The City of London and the Greater London Authority help fund it.

The museum first opened its doors in 2003. It is inside a very old building. This building was built in 1802. It used to be a warehouse for sugar. It is a grade I listed building. This means it is very important historically. The museum is just a short walk from Canary Wharf.

What You Can See and Do
Getting There
Images for kids
See also

What You Can See and Do

The museum has many interesting things to explore. A lot of its collection comes from the Port of London Authority. These items were moved to the Museum of London in the 1970s. They were then stored until the Docklands museum opened.

Galleries and Exhibits

The museum has 12 main galleries. There is also a special gallery for kids called Mudlarks. You walk through the displays in order. This helps you see how history unfolded. The exhibits cover a long time. They start from when London was a Roman town. They go all the way to the 1970s. That's when the central London docks closed. You can see how the area changed after that. It became a place with many businesses and homes.

The museum has a large collection of items. These include old artifacts and models. There are also many historical pictures. You can even watch videos presented by Tony Robinson.

Learning and Events

The Museum of London Docklands has a special room for talks. It also has meeting rooms. They often host events about the docks. Sometimes, people who worked on the docks in the 1960s share their stories. The museum also has a reading room. This is where you can find historical archives.

Historic Boats

Over the years, the museum collected several old boats. They wanted to keep these boats safe. Some of these were tugboats like Knocker White and Varlet. These were brought to the museum in 1986. Later, the museum decided to find new homes for some boats. One boat went to a local group. Another, the Perseverance IV, went to the National Trust. The last two, Knocker White and Varlet, moved to Trinity Buoy Wharf in 2016.

Special Exhibitions

In 2007, the museum had a big exhibition. It was called London, Sugar, Slavery. This exhibit marked 200 years since Britain stopped the slave trade. It cost £14 million to create. In 2016, a new exhibit opened. It was about the museum building itself. The building was called No.1 Warehouse. It was built in 1802. This was when the West India Docks were growing.

Later in 2016, the museum showed a special medal. It was Dick Moore's George Cross medal. He received it for being very brave during the London Blitz. In 2017, an exhibit showed old items. These were found during the Crossrail building work. The museum also planned to show the Havering hoard in 2020. This is a collection of ancient treasures.

Getting There

It's easy to get to the Museum of London Docklands! Here are some ways:

Service	Station/Stop	Lines/Routes served	Distance from Museum of London Docklands
London Buses	Westferry station	135, 277, D3, D7
London Underground	Canary Wharf		About an 800-meter walk (15 minutes)
London Underground	Canary Wharf		About a 500-meter walk (10 minutes)
Docklands Light Railway	West India Quay		About 260 meters (5 minutes walk)
London River Services	Canary Wharf Pier	Commuter Service Rotherhithe to Canary Wharf Service	About 650 meters (12 minutes walk)