The Royal Group of Docks in East London were one of the largest engineering projects in London's history. Comprising The Royal Victoria, Albert and King George V Docks, when built, they were also the largest enclosed body of water in the world. They still make an imposing sight - 12 miles of waterfront undergoing redevelopment. This 50-minute Virtual Walk via Zoom tells their story. Your guide, Rob Smith, will show slides about the building of the docks, the people who built them, the technical advances that had a huge impact on London's economy, and the factories that were built alongside them. Rob will look at the communities that worked in the docks, how they struggled to improve working conditions and how they faced challenges like the Silvertown explosion of 1917 and the Blitz. You will hear about the decline of the docks and the long-running plans to redevelop them, and get to see heritage features that remain today so you can go and explore for yourself.
Virtual Guide: Rob Smith
Online Event
Our walk from Leyton Midland station (on the Suffragette Line) to Leyton tube station takes us along the course of a hidden river, past a 16th Century house hiding in plain sight, through residential streets and green spaces. We meet the UK's first Asian policewoman and the first black footballer to play for England in a competitive international match and the man who invented the tube map.
Guide: Sue McCarthy
Meet at Leyton Midland Road Overground Station, Midland Road, London E10 6JT
In the 1980 classic thriller The Long Good Friday, Bob Hoskins’ character, Harold Shand, gives his view on the future of Docklands: “I believe this is the decade in which London will become Europe's capital. Having cleared away the outdated, we've got mile after mile and acre after acre of land, for our future prosperity. No other city in the world... has got right in its centre, such an opportunity... for profitable progress.” While things don't go well for Harold - his vision of the future proves fairly accurate and the old docks are redeveloped and London does host the Olympics. On this Guided Walk, Rob visits many of the East London locations from the film -- some recognisable, some changed beyond Harold's wildest dreams -- and also talks about the recent history of Docklands that brought the changes about.
Guide: Rob Smith
Meet at Tower Hill Tube Station, Trinity Square, EC3N 4DJ
This fifty-minute Virtual Walk, hosted online via Zoom video conferencing, explores the fascinating Thames Estuary, a place London has always relied on but which remains a mystery to many Londoners. Starting in East London and following the river to the sea. Your guide Rob Smith will tell you some of the stories from the history of the area, and tell you about places to visit in real life: forts built to defend London from invasion, container ports that bring goods to our shops today, hidden places for wildlife, genteel Georgian towns that have grown up a bit today, Saxon settlements and World War Two sea forts.
Virtual Guide: Rob Smith
Online Event
The Thames Ironworks was a large shipbuilding yard at Bow Creek in East London. In 1895, they formed a company football team that played in the Southern League and FA Cup. In 1900 the club was wound up and reborn as West Ham United. This walk tells the story of Thames Ironworks FC. We will visit Hermit Road and the Memorial Ground, two of the places where the club played, as well as the site of the Ironworks and a few other locations connected with the club.
Guide: Rob Smith
Meet at Canning Town Station, Silvertown Way, London E16 1DQ
Blackwall in London’s Docklands has as much maritime history as Greenwich – it’s just that you have to look a bit harder to find it. In this two-hour Guided Walk, Rob Smith uses fragments of the old dockyard and street names to tell the story of the East India Company, who made Blackwall their home for almost 250 years. You will hear stories of bravery, greed and ingenuity. The walk also visits the Leamouth Peninsula, one of the most unusual places on the Thames with a maritime history of its own. Rob will also tell the stories of some of the ships built in the famous Blackwall Yard and you’ll hear how Blackwall is at the heart of communications in the 21st century.
Guide: Rob Smith
Meet at East India DLR Station, Blackwall Way, London E14 9PS
This walk with Rob Smith from Royal Victoria Dock to Pontoon Dock looks at the vast Royal group of docks, built for steamships by entrepreneur engineers and at some of the industry that was created by the docks. Rob will also talk about the dock workers strike of 1889 and the creation of the Port of London Authority. One of a series of walks by Rob covering different periods in the development of the Port of London from the Romans to Canary Wharf, uncovering some of the legacy of the Port of London through street names, mooring posts, cranes, plaques etc. and using old maps and photographs.
Guide: Rob Smith
Meet at Royal Victoria DLR Station, Seagull Lane, London E16 1BZ
As recently as 1979, 85% of the area around what is now Canada Water was occupied by the waters of the Surrey Commercial Docks. Since then there has been a radical transformation, the former docks and timber storage ponds becoming woodland, parks, housing and shops. A new phase of development is bringing change again. On this Guided Walk, Rob will find the buildings from the old docks that have survived, explain how the docks worked and tell the story of their complex history. He will also explain how this part of London transformed into Docklands and why it is different to Canary Wharf, its neighbour on the other side of the river.
Guide: Rob Smith
Meet at Canada Water Station, Deal Porter Way, London SE16 2YS
