Fancy experiencing a commercial success story? The Royal Victoria Dock offers just that. It stands as the largest of the three docks in London’s Royal Docks. These docks are now part of the redeveloped Docklands.
Let’s journey back to 1855. The Royal Victoria Dock opened then. This was on a previously uninhabited area of the Plaistow Marshes. It was the first of the Royal Docks. It was also the first London dock designed for large steamships. Hydraulic power operated its machinery. The dock was also the first connected to the national railway network. The Eastern Counties and Thames Junction Railway provided this link. Today, it’s part of the North London line. Initially, it was simply known as Victoria Dock. Queen Victoria granted it the prefix Royal in 1880.
Imagine trains running right through the docks. A swing bridge was built over the dock entrance. However, this slowed journeys. So, in 1855, a new line went around the north side of the Royal Victoria Dock to Silvertown. A station opened at Custom House. The older southern line served local factories as the Silvertown Tramway.
The Royal Victoria Dock included a main dock. A basin to the west provided an entrance to the Thames. The dock featured four solid piers. Each measured 152 meters long and 43 meters wide. Two-story warehouses stood on these piers. Warehouses, granaries, sheds, and storage buildings surrounded the dock. It offered 3.6 kilometers of quays.
Its design allowed it to easily accommodate almost all steamships. By 1860, it handled over 850000 tons of shipping annually. That was double the London Docks. It was four times St Katharine Docks. It exceeded the West India Docks and East India Docks combined by 70%.
German bombing badly damaged the Royal Victoria Dock in the Second World War. It experienced a trade resurgence after the war. However, from the 1960s, the Royal Victoria Dock declined. Containerization shifted traffic to Tilbury. In 1981, it closed to commercial traffic.
Picture this: Jean-Michel Jarre chose the dilapidated site for his large-scale concert in 1988. It was titled Destination Docklands. The area inspired his album Revolutions.
The London Docklands Development Corporation initiated major redevelopment in the 1990s. This included Britannia Village. Wimpey Homes, the Peabody Trust, and the East Thames Housing Group carried it out.
Most original buildings were demolished. But some historic warehouses survived. More recent development includes the Royal Victoria Dock Bridge. It was completed in 1998. The ExCeL Exhibition Centre opened in November 2000.
In August 2009, the dock hosted the inaugural Great London Swim. This mass participation open water swim covered one mile. The event has been held annually in July since then. In June 2018, the dock hosted the F1H2O Grand Prix of London. Erik Stark won.
The Royal Victoria Dock also marks the starting point for the annual Docklands Head. This rowing head race is hosted by Poplar Blackwall and District Rowing Club. The race starts under the Royal Victoria Dock Bridge. It proceeds eastwards, finishing at the Royal Albert Dock.
Today, the Royal Victoria Dock stands as a testament to London’s maritime past. It is also a symbol of regeneration and reinvention.