Beneath the London sky stands Tobacco Dock a Grade I listed warehouse with a rich past. It began as part of the London Docks in Wapping. Scottish civil engineer John Rennie designed it. Completed in 1812 it stored imported tobacco hence its name.
The London Dock Company gained a 21-year monopoly. They managed vessels carrying rice tobacco wine and brandy. This excluded those from the East and West Indies. The East India Trading Company managed those.
Imagine the vaults beneath Tobacco Dock. They resembled Gothic cathedral crypts. Granite columns supported brick groins. This 20-acre subterranean city stored wines and spirits. A stable temperature of 15.5 °C helped them mature. Impressive amounts of alcohol were stored here.
Victorian England offered permits to visit these vaults. Women weren’t allowed after 1 pm. Wine merchants offered tasting orders. Visitors sampled wines brandies spirits and ports. Today only four original vaults survive. The ground floor became the Skin Floor. It held wool furs skins cork and molasses from the 1860s.
Picture an army of 300 cats. They controlled the rat population at Tobacco Dock. The Reverend Harry Jones noted this in his writings. Dogs also helped but the company paid for cat food only.
The former entrance was Ratcliffe Highway now The Highway. This Roman road suited trade. It was notorious for prostitution. Sailors sought drink and women there. Taverns and brothels met their needs. John Stow described it as a filthy passage with small cottages for sailors.
Consider Charles Jamrach’s Animal Emporium on Ratcliffe Highway. He traded wild animals. He bought and sold to nobles zoos and circuses. In 1857 a Bengal tiger escaped. It grabbed a boy who tried to stroke it. Jamrach fought the tiger. He rescued the boy. A statue now commemorates this event at Tobacco Dock’s north entrance.
Tobacco Dock’s name reflects its original use. It stored tobacco and other valuable imports. The London Dock Act of 1800 authorized the wet dock in Wapping. The initial cost was £4 million. Houses and Raine’s Foundation School were demolished. This made way for warehouses offices and quays. Many became homeless. Part of St. John’s Churchyard was used. Some dead were reburied.
The high walls cost £65000. They ensured security for tobacco and liquor. Strict laws required bonded warehouses. Piracy was rampant in the 19th century. River Pirates and Night Plunderers sought victims. Daniel Asher Alexander designed Dartmoor Prison. He also designed The London Dock.
The Great Tobacco Warehouse was the Queen’s Warehouse. The Queen’s Tobacco Pipe burned defective goods. It also burned goods without duty paid. John Timbs described the process. Ashes were sold as manure. Iron scraps were used for gun barrels. Gold and silver were recovered.
In 1990 it became a shopping centre for £47 million. Developers aimed for the Covent Garden of the East End. The scheme failed due to the early 1990s recession. In 2003 English Heritage placed it on the at-risk register. This prevented inappropriate development.
In 2012 Tobacco Dock Ltd launched it as an events space. It hosts up to 10000 people. It also houses offices and co-working spaces. Today Tobacco Dock hosts corporate and commercial events. It is a smoke-free venue.
Reflect on Tobacco Dock’s journey. From a bustling warehouse to a modern event space it stands as a testament to London’s ever-changing landscape.