Portcities London

reflecting our cultures

Maritime London Partnership

On this site:

The 20th-century port video gallery

The 20th century witnessed extraordinary changes in the port of London. Until the late 1950s, trade continued to grow, but by the 1960s, London faced increased competition from other ports as patterns of trade shifted. Huge container vessels replaced older ships and London's docks could no longer adapt. By 1981 they had all closed, leaving large areas derelict. New developments have now transformed the region.

Boom and bust: Docklands 1914 - 80. Boom and bust: Docklands 1914 - 80. Players: Windows Mediaplayer | Quicktime 4 Need help with video? View Transcription During the 1920s and 1930s the port continued to handle an increasing amount of goods. This was to continue after the Second World War, once the docks had recovered from extensive bomb damage. In the 1960s the amount of goods handled in the Port of London reached record levels. After that containerisation and other technological changes led to a rapid decline. Regenerating Maritime London 1980 - present. Regenerating Maritime London 1980 - present. Players: Windows Mediaplayer | Quicktime 4 Need help with video? View Transcription By the early 1980s the docks had all closed. At the same time, much of the industry that had grown up along the Thames also declined, leaving large areas of docklands derelict. The region has since been transformed and regenerated by new office, housing and transport developments.

• The 20th-century port
• The River Thames video gallery
• The port of London today