The British Empire was expanding and there was need for more trade. With the advent of steam ships, larger and deeper docks were required to cope with the increased size of the steam ships.

First to be built were the East and West India Docks, which helped relieve the pressure on cargo berths for a while. But it was not enough. The growing city needed a radical solution. The answer was the Victoria Dock which was opened in 1855. However, it soon became evident that more wharf space was required and plans for another dock were developed.

The Royal Albert Dock was opened in 1880. It was longer than Victoria Dock, and featured some unique innovations, such as railway lines that went straight to the dock edge, and refrigerated warehousing to store perishable goods. The last of the three docks is the King George V Dock which was opened in 1921.

As a result of the increased commercial activities, employment opportunities increased, creating a huge demand for accommodation for workers. Hence, new villages such as Canning Town and North Woolwich. There was also an expansion of housing in areas later known as Custom House, Silvertown (so named after Samuel Silver’s waterproof clothing works), and West Silvertown.

The Royal Docks suffered severe damage during World War II. It is estimated that some 25,000 tons of ordnance fell on the docklands, with much of that on the Royal Docks and surrounding area. Human losses were extremely high, but in spite of the sustained bombardment, the Royal Docks remained open and helped keep Britain supplied with food.

Towards the end of the war, the Royal Docks played a vital role when the portable harbours for the Normandy landings were constructed in secret within the docks themselves. Despite the damage, the Royal Docks enjoyed a brief boom in trade after the war and for a while it looked as though the docks would continue to thrive through to the end of the 20th century.

However, the Royal Docks could not sustain a viable business with the introduction of containerised cargo, and other technological changes. Large container ports were developed further down the river and gradually the Royal Docks business fell into decline. The closure of the Royal Docks led to massive unemployment and social problems across East London.

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