History

A world by the water

In their heyday, the Surrey Docks were the heart of London’s timber trade. This is where the big ships came in from Canada and the Baltic. Where the Mayflower sailed from. And dockworkers, from Scandinavia to Malaysia, unloaded thousands of tonnes of timber a day.

A place of commerce. A melting pot of cultures.

“Practically every Sunday during the summer, you’d have the rowing clubs… All dockers and lightermen… And old pleasure boats.”

– Bill Lindley, On the River: Memories of a Working River

Explore the timeline to find out more about this special history