The East Indiaman Repulse in the East India Dock Basin, 1839. © NMM
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| The East Indiaman Repulse in the East India Dock Basin, 1839. © NMM |
The docks were located on the Thames between Blackwall Reach and Bugsby's Reach. East Indiamen traded between Blackwall and Calcutta or other Indian ports, laden with the merchandise of two civilisations.
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| Unloading tea ships in the East India Docks, 1867. © NMM |
The trade expanded rapidly between 1750-1900. Tea-drinking began as an expensive and fashionable pastime in Britain. But as tea became cheaper more people could afford it.
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| Ordnance Survey map of East India Docks, 1893. © NMM |
All ships arriving from the East Indies and China had to unload in the East India Docks. Likewise, ships heading for those parts had to load at the docks. The docks could handle 250 ships at a time.
The new docks were opened with great celebration in August 1806. A newspaper report from the time stated:
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There is an entrance lock, and two communication locks, capable of admitting the largest Indiamen, and his majesty's ships of war, of 74 guns. The depth of water at ordinary spring tides is 26 feet (8 metres). The whole premises are surrounded by a boundary wall 21 feet
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| Entrance to the old spice warehouses at the East India Docks. © NMM |
As with the London Docks, the area around the East India Docks attracted other business.
Pepper warehouses and spice-grinding operations sprang up in the area.
Pubs, shops and cafes opened to cater for the dockers and sailors.
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| The entrance to the East India Docks at Blackwall. © NMM |
Apart from a few spice stores, the East India Docks did not have extensive warehousing.
This was largely because the Company's goods were of great value.
Once they were unloaded, imports were transported along Commercial Road to the Company's Cutler Street warehouses in the City of London.
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| Cutler Street warehouses, c. 1976. © NMM |
When its China tea monopoly ended in 1833, the East India Company sold 12 hectares (30 acres) of warehouses.
