John Stockdale
The Proposed London Docks, 1796
12 x 30 in
31 x 76 cm
31 x 76 cm
LDN7073
A fascinating map of East London showing Samuel Wyatt's proposal to reduce shipping congestion in the Pool of London via a series of docks at Wapping and five large docks...
A fascinating map of East London showing Samuel Wyatt's proposal to reduce shipping congestion in the Pool of London via a series of docks at Wapping and five large docks in the Isle of Dogs.
The scheme was initiated by a group of merchants with large interests in the Caribbean trade who felt that the current arrangements to unload their goods in the Pool of London were poorly managed and unsafe. They petitioned Parliament to find alternate location for a series of docks which would only be accessible to merchant ships from the West Indies.
Samuel Wyatt, an architect and marine civil engineer, drew a proposal for Parliament for a group of three parallel docks on the northern part of the Isle of Dogs, as well as a large cut to connect the docks at Wapping with the Thames at Blackwall. Wyatt's new docks would support an additional 388 loaded ships in Wapping and over 900 ships in the Isle of Dogs, a dramatic improvement for London shipping. These plans were printed in a report to Parliament in 1796 and, after some deliberation, the proposal was approved.
Though slightly modified in shape and size from Wyatt's proposal, both projects were undertaken: the West India Docks in modern-day Canary Wharf were completed in 1802 and the London Docks at Wapping were opened in 1805.
[LDN7073]
The scheme was initiated by a group of merchants with large interests in the Caribbean trade who felt that the current arrangements to unload their goods in the Pool of London were poorly managed and unsafe. They petitioned Parliament to find alternate location for a series of docks which would only be accessible to merchant ships from the West Indies.
Samuel Wyatt, an architect and marine civil engineer, drew a proposal for Parliament for a group of three parallel docks on the northern part of the Isle of Dogs, as well as a large cut to connect the docks at Wapping with the Thames at Blackwall. Wyatt's new docks would support an additional 388 loaded ships in Wapping and over 900 ships in the Isle of Dogs, a dramatic improvement for London shipping. These plans were printed in a report to Parliament in 1796 and, after some deliberation, the proposal was approved.
Though slightly modified in shape and size from Wyatt's proposal, both projects were undertaken: the West India Docks in modern-day Canary Wharf were completed in 1802 and the London Docks at Wapping were opened in 1805.
[LDN7073]
