Docklands History Group

DOCKLANDS HISTORY GROUP

Members may like to know of the Docklands History Group, which meets once a month at the (cumbrously re-titled) Museum of London Docklands, in the old No. 1 Warehouse of the West India Docks.

The Group has been going since 1979, to encourage greater understanding of all aspects of the Port of London and the maritime, industrial and social history of the River Thames. Its very active President is Chris Ellmers, who did so much over many years to get the Museum in Docklands going, and the Chairman is now Edward Sergeant, who saw to it that many industrial archaeological features were suitably preserved and displayed (such as the bridges in the Surrey Docks) when he was the Conservation Officer of the London Docklands Development Corporation in the 1980s.

In recent years the group has heard talks on aspects of such diverse topics as Thames shipbuilding, labour unrest, ice-age geology, riverside land tenure and movable bridges, and the 2011 programme kicks off in February – see the website at www.docklandshistorygroup.org.uk/events.

The DHG welcomes visitors to its meetings at a small charge and is looking for new members.

Malcolm Tucker, Treasurer