Historical Context for Family History Research for London Docklands:the old site of the Port of London Authority is next to Smithfield Market. The archive is in the safe hands of this useful museum.
The archive consists of a unique perspective on what was the most important port in the world, the role of the Port of London was pivotal to the development of London as a commercial ,financial and maritime success which exploited the Thames and the unique links east and west across the south of England.
The canal system was a conduit from the port to the industrial north and the history of both is key to not only the development of London but the Industrial Revolution.
Type of Resource: museum, archive, online catalogs, artefacts,objects,documents: the museum holds an extensive archive for the POL as they state:
- 10,000 books and pamphlets
- 50,000 plans and engineering drawings
- 500 maps
- 40,000 historic photographs
- 4000 historic glass slides
- 5000 paintings, drawings and prints (framed and unframed)
- 350 film reels
- 2500ft run of primary and secondary archive
- The Minute Books of the Corporation of London’s River Committee 1770-1857)
- Minute books and archives of the Thames Conservancy (1857-1909)
- Minute Books and Archives of the private dock companies
- Comprehensive records of the Port of London Authority.
Here is a blog post from the museum team so you can see how extensive the cataloguing alone is
Map of Location and other resources:
Links and resources
Intriguing Connections for family historians
