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'What does 'wharf' stand for?'
Answer:
'Warehousing at river front'.
For centuries before the building of the docks, the riverside wharves WERE the Port of London. With the coming of the docks, the wharves became busier than ever. There were many types of wharf, reflecting the rich variety of commercial life on the river.
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| Black Eagle Wharf with the schooner Express of Alnmouth. |
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| © National Maritime Museum, London |
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| Repro ID: H0042 |
| Description: The Black Eagle Wharf at Wapping in the late 1850s. Lighters, a sailing barge, coasters and watermen's skiffs are lying off the wharf. The ship alongside the wharf is the schooner 'Express of Alnmouth'. On the quayside, dockers stand under umbrella cranes. In the 18th and 19th centuries Wapping was a centre for mast making and boat building. Housing now occupies this site. |
| Creator: Unknown |
| Date: c. 1856-1860 |
| Credit line: National Maritime Museum, London | |
