Maritime London: 1700 to now
History of maritime London | The gallery | Timeline
Gallery location: National Maritime Museum, ground floor - see floor plans
Open daily, 10.00–17.00 (last admission 16.30). Admission free.
History of maritime London
London is Britain's gateway to the world. It has been at the hub of British commerce and industry for nearly 2000 years.
Since the Romans first established London at the lowest bridging point on the River Thames, the city's maritime connections have played a significant part in its development and in the growth of its financial institutions.
London very quickly became Britain's greatest port. Its location made it an ideal base for trade with northern Europe, the Baltic and other regions. In the 17th century, 90% of the country's trade passed through the port.
As a royal, administrative, judicial, commercial and cultural centre, London was able to offer merchants a range of maritime services unrivalled by other British ports. Major businesses like the East India Company had their headquarters in the city. Important institutions like Lloyd's of London and The Baltic Exchange began their insurance and ship-broking activities in the coffee houses of the 17th and 18th centuries. As well as trade, London was also a major centre for shipbuilding and the making of scientific and navigational instruments.
By 1800, the Thames was unable to cope with the sheer volume of trade and the huge numbers of vessels jostling for position along its banks. Imports and exports had increased dramatically as a result of the industrial revolution and the expansion of Britain's overseas interests. The government decided to act. Between 1801 and 1921, a massive dock-building programme was undertaken to make the port more efficient. The Port of London continued to grow until the early 1960s when containerisation and the development of larger cargo ships made purpose-built terminals, like those at Tilbury and Felixstowe, more viable. London’s docks closed down between 1967 and 1981.
Although London is no longer a major cargo-handling port, it continues to dominate important aspects of 'invisible' trade and maritime services.
Being at the centre of world time, London is able to benefit from trading with the other major financial markets, Tokyo and New York, on the same day. In total, the financial and business services sector, concentrated in the City of London, contributed more than £22.3 billion to the United Kingdom's trade balance in 2000. Maritime services accounted for almost £1 billion of this total and they employ more than 14,000 people in Britain. An ongoing programme of investment and redevelopment has now transformed Docklands through the building of new housing, offices, shops and leisure facilities, and the provision of improved transport links. The river is still at the heart of 21st century London.
The gallery
Shipping and ship building
For centuries London was Britain busiest port. Ships of every shape and size used the Thames and its huge system of docks and wharves. Shipbuilding was also an important industry in London and many famous ships, like the Great Eastern, were launched by its yards.
Bridges and buildings
As well as panoramas of the Thames, a stone mermaid from the façade of The Baltic Exchange's headquarters, and plans for Brunel's Thames tunnel, visitors can see the original model of Nelson's Column. William Raiton designed the column in 1838 and the model shows several features that do not appear in the completed monument in Trafalgar Square.
Cargoes and commerce
London was not only a very busy port, but also home to many specialist industries and businesses serving the maritime sector. London's distinguished makers of scientific and navigational instruments acquired a worldwide reputation for quality and innovation.
Pomp and pageantry
The Thames provides the backdrop for many national events making it the centre of world attention. Royal and sporting occasions, the Lord Mayor’s show and state funerals have all been help on London's 'broadest street'. The City’s maritime sector has also demonstrated its wealth and close links to the Royal Navy through the presentation of swords and Freedom boxes to distinguished naval officers.
Life in London
The Thames has always provided work for the communities along its banks. The river continues to attract people from all over the world. This has helped to make London a rich tapestry of peoples and cultures.
Interesting facts
-
The Lutine bell is rung at Lloyd's when news is received of a missing ship. - The Baltic Exchange is named after the Baltic Coffee House where it was founded.
- The International Maritime Organisation is the only United Nations agency based in Britain.
- The shipping business in the City of London earns up to £2 billion per year.
- The Greenwich Meridian makes London the centre of world time, thus it is possible to do business with New York and Tokyo in the same day. London is the centre of the electronic trading world.
Timeline
- 1360 BC: One of the earliest representations of an Ancient Egyptian vice-regal barge is painted on a wall in a tomb at Thebes.
- AD61: Roman London is a fortified town and centre of trade.
- 1105: Henry I grants a charter of self-rule to the City of London.
- 1192: The Corporation of London elects the first mayor.
- c.1400 –1600: Ships and marine landscapes feature in Renaissance altar-pieces, atlases, maps and charts.
- 1500 –1600: The population of London rises from 55,000 to 200,000.
- 1588: The first issue of Mariner's Mirrour is published
- 17th century: The great age of marine painting in the Netherlands. Artists active in this period include Hendrick Vroom (1566-1640), Simon de Vlieger (1600–53), Willem van de Velde the Elder (1611–93) and his son Willem van de Velde the Younger (1633–1707). In 1672 the van de Veldes emigrate to England. Find out more in our 'Art of the van de Veldes' gallery in the Queen's House.
- Late-17th – mid-18th century: Under the influence of the van de Veldes, a school of marine painting emerges in England. Their followers include Isaac Sailamker (1633–1721) and Peter Monamy (1681–1749).
- 1691: Lloyds Coffee House in London becomes an office for maritime insurance
- Mid – to late-18th century: The rise of the professional marine artist. Those who come to prominence in Britain include Dominic Serres (1722–93) and Nicholas Pocock (1740–1821). Portait painters such as Sir Joshue Reynolds (1723–92) and George Romney (1734–1802) paint numerous naval officers. See more of their work and of other marine artists in our past exhibition 'Images of Seapower'.
- 1750: London is Europe's largest city with a population of over 700,000.
- Late –18th to mid-19th century: The great age of Romantic painting, with seascapes and battle paintings by Philippe-Jacques de Louthenbourg (1740–1812), J.M.W. Turner (1775–1851) and Theodore Gericault (1791–1824).
- 1799 – 1829: The first phase of dock building, including West India Dock (opened 1802), East India Dock (1803), London Docks (1805), St.Katherine's Dock (1828). These new companies enjoy a monopoly for the first 21 years of their existence. Later, as their monopoly ended, several of the companies merge.
- 1840s: First railway links to the docks.
- 1868 – 80: Another round of building, including Millwall Docks (1868), Tilbury Docks (1886) and the Royal Albert Docks (1880).
- 1874: Eugene Boudin, influential French marine painter, exhibits for the first time at the Impressionists' exhibition, Paris.
-
1877: Built in about 1500 BC by Pharaoh Thothmes III, Cleopatra's Needle had been presented to England at the beginning of the 19th century. Its transport to London was only made possible in October 1877 by a private sponsor, Dr Erasmus Wilson, and by John Dixon who designed a cylindrical vessel, the Cleopatra, built around the Needle. - Late-19th century: Important marine painters in the USA include Fitz Hugh Lane and Martin Johnson Heade.
- 1908: The Port of London Act brings the management of the port under the control of the Port of London Authority (PLA), established in 1909.
- 1914 – 18: During the First World War, Canadian and British governments commission artists to paint scenes of war at sea and on land
- 1920s: Introduction of the Dock Labour Registration scheme, and a minimum wage for dockers.
- 1929: Noroldeutscher Lloyd Liner Bremen captures Atlantic 'Blue Riband'
- 1940s: Emergence of St Ives school of painting. Ben and Winifred Nicholson in St Ives, whose paintings and sculptures evoke marine landscapes and forms, also 'discover' local 'primitive' artists such as Alfred Wallis.
- 1939 – 45: During the Second World War, the War Artists' Advisory Commission established in Britain to record the war; artists engaged include Eric Ravilious and Richard Eurich. Bombing causes extensive damage to London's docks, estimated at £13.5 million.
- 1947: A new National Dock Labour Board becomes the employer of all registered port workers.
- 1960s: Labour disputes and failure to invest leads to London being bypassed in the first phases of containerisation. In 1960 there are over 23,000 men on the Dock Register. By 1971 only 16,500 registered dockers remain, their numbers cut by a severance scheme.
- 1974 – 82: Construction of the Thames Barrier (Silvertown to Charlton) to protect London from flooding.
- 1981: London's Docklands Development Corporation is set up and authorised to spend public money in buying up derelict and empty docks to build offices and housing.
- 1987: Docklands Light Railway opens at an initial cost of £77 million.
Gallery details
Curator: John Graves
Designer: Bill Kerridge, 3D Concepts
Graphic Designer: Diane Allard and Ned Spires, 3D Concepts
A/V Producer: Bubble Media and Oliver Heath
Sponsors: Brockband Managed Syndicates; Janson Green Ltd; Jardine Lloyd Thompson Group; Wellington Underwriting plc; Norton Rose, Willis Corron Group, J&H Marsh & McLennan; Marine & Energy Ltd; Sedgwick Group Plc; Norton Rose ; Willis Corroon Plc; Ince & Co; Lloyds of London; Holman Fenwick Willan LLP and Marlborough Underwriting Agency Ltd