London as a port

The port of London is to the east of the City. Here, today, are miles and miles of docks, and the great industrial areas that depend upon shipping. This is the East End of London, unattractive in appearance, but very important to the country's commerce. The East End is a great proletarian area populated by factory workers, and small craftsmen. The East End is the "hands" of London. The hands which have built the palaces, theatres, shops and hotels, the hands which unload the cargoes in the docks, which make furniture, dresses, motor cars, and a million and one other things which fill the shops.

The River Thames, flowing from west to east, divides London into two parts known as the north bank and the south bank. Years ago the Thames used to overflow its banks when the tide came up, but now it has been banked up and you see a fine wide roadway called tie Embankment. The Thames estuary offered excellent facilities for shipping. The deep channel and high tide of the lower river enable vessels to pass inland as far as the bridge and unload in waters that were little troubled by heavy storms in the North Sea. In the early days they anchored in the river and unloaded into small boats and barges which carried the goods to landing-places on the banks.

As the ships grew larger this became too slow a process, and the river was overcrowded, so docks were constructed, deep-water basins excavated in the banks of the river, where vessels could come alongside and unloaded their cargoes directly on the wharves or even into lorries if necessary. Vessels increased rapidly in size during the last century and are still growing, and hence, larger and larger docks have had to be constructed with deeper and deeper basins.

The Thames has the benefit of a good tidal range so that the biggest vessels can go up the river and enter docks at high tide. By closing the dock gates and thus shutting off their waters from the river, deep water can be maintained in the dock all the time it is occupied by vessels. On the river there are ocean-going ships, and lines of barges pulled along by tug. Ships up to 6,000 tons can come as far as London Bridge below which is the part of the river called the Pool.

The ships can pass under Tower Bridge. It was designed by Sir Horace Jones, London architect, and Sir John Wolfe Barry, civil engineer. It took eight years to build it (1886-1894). It has permanent spans 270 feet long, suspended on great chains, connecting them with the river bank and smaller towers at the shore approaches. The two halves of the drawbridge each weighing 100 tons, can be raised for the passage of ships by hydraulic machinery in a minute and a half only.

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