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| © National Maritime Museum, London |
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| Repro ID: H4960 |
| Description: On 8 July 1921, King George V journeyed by boat to Silvertown, where he opened the dock that bore his name. At Northumberland Wharf in Poplar, demonstrators displayed a banner 'Work or maintenance for the unemployed'. Poplar had been hit hard by the depression of that year, and the borough's local councillors gained notoriety through their 'rates rebellion'. They withheld a portion of the rates (local taxes) due to the Greater London Council in order to increase local welfare payments. As a result, the councillors, including the future Labour minister George Lansbury, spent a short time in prison. |
| Creator: William Whiffin |
| Date: 8 July 1921 |
| Credit line: Tower Hamlets Local History Library Collection | |
