BW74
Millwall Dock Company
Description
Records of the Millwall Dock Company: plans 1896-mid 20th century.
Date
1896-mid 20th century
Reference code
BW74
Administrative / Biographical history
Originally the Millwall Canal Company, the arrival of railways led to the western part of its 200 acres of the Isle of Dogs being enlarged and opened as a dock. The company's name was changed to Millwall Dock Company in 1870. The 36-acre dock had a western side entrance of 450 feet by 80 feet.
Despite hopes to rent the site to industrial firms, the company ended up relying on importing traditional cargoes of grain and timber. In 1899 the company built the Central Granary. Grain mostly came from the Baltic, but was also imported from America and Canada. Their resident engineer, Frederick Duckham invented the first pneumatic system for unloading grain from vessels.
Many London docks were privatised in 1908 and responsibility transferred to the Port of London Authority. It appears that the company continued to exist until at least 1910.
System of arrangement
It has not been possible to ascertain any original structure of record-keeping from the small number of records held for this company. The fonds has therefore been arranged in chronological order.