K: Tilbury Docks 1979
The Closure of the Docks
The end of the upstream docks
The loss of trade, effects of containerisation and other new technology, failures in management and industrial unrest, all contributed to the decline of the upstream docks.
In the case of the smaller docks like London and St Katharine, there was simply not enough space for the container/unit-load revolution. There was also a conscious decision by the PLA to invest its energies and resources in developing downstream at Tilbury.
A bulk grain terminal costing £5 million was built there which was extremely efficient and successful in winning a large share of grain shipments to Europe.
Tilbury was picked to be a major container port as it had large areas of land and was easier for the enormous container ships to use. Its nearness to the sea made it suitable for roll-on/roll-off traffic and regular services with the Continent got under-way.
Although this investment in Tilbury made sense, it did not necessarily mean the end of the Royals and the India and Millwall Docks.
There was investment in new facilities in the Royals and particularly in the Millwall Docks, which in the 1970s were modernised with new sheds specially designed for fork-lift trucks and pallets. It did seem in the mid-1970s that after the early closures the upstream docks that were left could survive in a reduced form.
But this hope was short-lived. Mounting losses and a trade slump persuaded the PLA that they could not make the docks profitable. In 1979 the India and Millwall Docks closed, followed by the Royals in 1981.
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K: Tilbury Docks 1979
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Contact
Nigel Sagar
Design and Technology
London Borough of Barking
and Dagenham
Email: nigel.sagar@lbbd.gov.uk
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