Royal Victoria Dock facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Royal Victoria Dock |
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The building of Victoria Dock
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| Location | London |
| Built | 1855 |
| Architect | George Parker Bidder |
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The Royal Victoria Dock is the biggest of three large docks in east London. It's part of the Royal Docks area. This whole area, called Docklands, has been redeveloped.
A Look Back at the Royal Victoria Dock
The Royal Victoria Dock opened in 1855. It was built on an empty area called Plaistow Marshes. This dock was special for a few reasons. It was the first of the Royal Docks. It was also the first London dock made for big steamships.
The dock was also a pioneer in technology. It was the first to use hydraulic power for its machines. This power helped move things around the dock. It was also the first London dock connected to the national railway system. This connection was through the Eastern Counties and Thames Junction Railway. Today, part of that railway is the North London line. The dock was first called "Victoria Dock." It got the "Royal" part added to its name in 1880.
The dock was linked to the national railway network. A train line ran between Canning Town and North Woolwich. When the dock was first built, the railway line cut right through it. To fix this, a swing bridge was built over the dock's entrance. But this made train journeys slower. So, in 1855, a new line was built. This new line went around the north side of the dock to Silvertown. A station called Custom House opened there. The older southern line stayed open. It served local factories and was known as the Silvertown Tramway.
The Royal Victoria Dock had a main dock and a basin to the west. This basin was an entrance to the River Thames. The dock had four long piers. Each pier was 152 meters long and 43 meters wide. Two-story warehouses were built on these piers. Other buildings like warehouses and storage sheds were all around the dock. The dock had about 3.6 kilometers of quays.
The dock quickly became very successful. It could handle almost all large steamships. By 1860, it was handling over 850,000 tons of shipping each year. This was much more than other docks in London.
During the Second World War, German bombs badly damaged the dock. But after the war, trade picked up again. From the 1960s, the Royal Victoria Dock started to decline. This happened to all of London's docks. Shipping companies started using large metal containers. This is called containerisation. It meant ships went to bigger ports further down the river, like Tilbury. The Royal Victoria Dock finally closed to commercial ships in 1981.
In 1988, a French musician named Jean-Michel Jarre chose the dock for a huge concert. The concert was called Destination Docklands. The area also inspired him to create his album Revolutions.
The London Docklands Development Corporation started a big redevelopment project in the 1990s. New homes were built, like Britannia Village. This project was done by Wimpey Homes, the Peabody Trust, and the East Thames Housing Group.
Most of the old buildings were taken down. But a few historic warehouses were saved. Newer additions include the Royal Victoria Dock Bridge, built in 1998. The ExCeL Exhibition Centre was built on the north side. It opened in November 2000.
Exciting Events at the Dock
On August 15, 2009, the dock hosted the first Great London Swim. This was a big open water swimming event. People swam one mile in the dock. This event has happened every year since then, usually in early July. On June 16 and 17, 2018, the dock hosted the F1H2O Grand Prix of London. Erik Stark won this powerboat race. Britannia Village also has its own Community Foundation.
The Royal Victoria Dock is the starting point for the annual Docklands Head. This is a rowing race hosted by the Poplar Blackwall and District Rowing Club. The race begins under the Royal Victoria Dock Bridge. Rowers go east under the Connaught Footbridge and Connaught Road Bridge. The race finishes at the eastern end of the Royal Albert Dock.
Gallery
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Looking west from Connaught Road swing bridge in 1973
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Looking west towards Canary Wharf
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Looking east to London City Airport
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Spiller's Millennium Mills in 1934. Behind is the Graving Dock
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Looking south: some new development but Spillers Mills in need of renovation
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Looking south: some new development and cranes as memory of the past
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Looking east-south-east from the top of Spillers Millennium Mills
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Looking east towards the ExCeL Exhibition Centre
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The O2 and Canary Wharf from the Royal Victoria Dock
