19. Royal Victoria Dock Information & History
Opened in 1855 on a previously uninhabited area of the Plaistow Marshes, it was designed specifically to accommodate large steam ships. The dock was an immediate commercial success. By 1860, it was taking over 850,000 tons of shipping a year - double that of the London Docks, four times that of St Katharine Docks and 70% more than the West India Dock and East India Docks combined. It was badly damaged by bombing in World War II but experienced a resurgence in trade following the war. Ffrom the 1960s onwards, the Royal Victoria experienced a steady decline as the shipping industry adopted containerization, which effectively moved traffic to Tilbury. It finally closed to commercial traffic along with the other Royal Docks in 1980. The dock is dominated by the ExCeL Exhibition Centre, constructed on the north quayside and opened in November 2000, and by the adjacent high level Royal Victoria Dock Bridge. More at wikipedia | Read portcities.org.uk | Also read royaldockstrust.org.uk >
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