London Docks

For the bigger area, see London Docklands.

A map of the London Docks in 1831

A birdseye view dated 1845

At the London Dock in the 1820s, the Customs employed around 250 men and the Excise around 200.

Port wine from Porto being unloaded on a London Docks quayside, c. 1909

The London Docks were one of several sets of docks in the historic Port of London.

They were constructed in Wapping, downstream from the City of London between 1799 and 1815, at a cost exceeding £5½ million.

Traditionally ships had docked at wharves on the River Thames, but by the late 1700s more capacity was needed. They were the closest docks to the City of London until St Katharine Docks were built two decades later.