The Docks in the Twentieth Century
Other industries
Many industries were not related to dock work or to ship repair and maintenance. They had been drawn to Docklands by the advantages of being near the port or along the River Thames, at the centre of a transport network.
Goods which arrived in the port could be manufactured, processed or packaged and then distributed by railway to other parts of Britain.
Tobacco, leather and fur, timber, furniture-manufacturing and food-processing were the type of industries mat had been attracted to Docklands by the beginning of the twentieth century.
Of course goods were also exported through the docks. Britain exported mainly manufactured goods such as engines, bridge sections and machinery for factories, which went to all parts of the world.
It was no accident that a large number of firms producing these goods were based in Docklands. Much of the heavy manufacturing and refining (oil, sugar, flour) industry was concentrated in West Ham.
This was partly to do with the nearness of the Royal Docks and the river. But it was also to do with the space offered by the area at the turn of the century and the lack of restrictions placed on industry.
West Ham was outside the boundaries of the London County Council which would not allow 'noxious' (unpleasant) industries to be developed in the area of London under its control.
E: List of manufacturers in West Ham, c. 1910.
The India Rubber, Gutta Percha, and Telegraph Construction Co. Ltd, Silvertown. Manufacturers of Rubber Goods, Submarine and all kinds of Electric Cable, Electrical Machinery and Apparatus of every description, & c, & c.
Messrs. Henry Tate & Sons Ltd, Silvertown. Sugar Refiners.
Messrs. James Keiller & Sons Ltd, Silvertown. Jam, Marmalade, and Confectionery Manufacturers.
The Co-operative Wholesale Society Ltd, Silvertown. Flour Millers, Soap Makers. Manufacturers and Packers of various Food Products, &c.
Messrs. Joseph Rank & Co. Ltd, Silvertown. Flour Millers.
The Thames Iron Works, Shipbuilding and Engineering Co.
Ltd, Tidal Basin, Canning Town. Shipbuilders. Mechanical, Electrical, and Constructional Engineers, & c. & c.
Messrs. Spencer, Chapman & Messel Ltd, Silvertown. Chemical Manufacturers.
Messrs. Burt, Bolton & Haywood, Silvertown. Timber Importers, Cutters, and Creosoters; Manufacturers of Residuals from Gas Production.
Messrs. Brunner, Mond & Co. Ltd, Silvertown. Chemical Manufacturers.
Messrs. Venesta & Co. Ltd, Silvertown. Manufacturers of Three-ply Wood Work, Packing Cases, & c.
Messrs. R. Moreland & Son Ltd, Silvertown. Iron Constructional and Mechanical Engineers.
Messrs. John Knight Ltd, Silvertown. Soap Manufacturers.
Messrs. Abram Lyle & Sons Ltd, Silvertown. Sugar Refiners.
The Anglo-Continental Guano Co. Ltd, Silvertown. Manufacturers of Artificial Manures and Fertilizers.
Messrs. Pinchin, Johnson & Co. Ltd, Silvertown. Paint and Varnish Manufacturers.
The United Alkali Co. Ltd, Silvertown. Soda Manufacturers & c.
C: Map showing industries along riverside in West Ham, about 1900.
1 Thames Ironworks
2 Chemical works
3 Ohlendorffs Guano works
4 Lyle sugar refinery
5 British Alazarine Works
6 Keiller marmalade works
7 India Rubber, Gutta Percha and Telegraph Construction Co. Ltd.
8 Tale sugar refinery
D: Poster to encourage industry to move to West Ham, produced by West Ham
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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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