4. On the Waterfront
Tasks 4.3

1a. Why did so many sailors from all over the world come to the Port of London?

b. From which parts of the world did the people who lived in the Strangers' Home come?

c. What do Sources M and N tell us about the problems these sailors faced in the port and why there was a need for places like the Strangers' Home?

2. You are a young reporter who has been given an assignment by your editor to write a short article on the riverside at the turn of the century. Use sources A - O in this chapter to help you write a vivid account of life on the waterfront. Include in your report:

- what the riverside and wharves looked like

- the different sorts of jobs which went on along the river and in the streets nearby

- the constant flow of passengers, immigrants and emigrants

- the variety of nationalities in the port and the impact this had on its character.

Try to give your readers some idea of the busy, hectic and exciting character of the waterfront. If you wish you can use the beginning suggested below.

The East London Observer
21st May 1900 RIVERSIDE VIEW by................

A visitor to the riverside below London Bridge would find himself or herself in a world altogether different from the rest of London.

The shouts of lightermen ring out across the water as dockers go noisily about their business on the narrow wharves that line the river. Here you will see...