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London Docks in the 1960s

The 1960s were the last decade of what might be called the traditional London docks scene. Ships could still be seen in the Pool, upstream of Tower Bridge; one could see lines of ships berth at the Royal Docks.
Famous shipping companies, some like P&O dating back over a hundred years, were represented, and cargo-handling methods were unchanged.

Barges were brought in to deliver or collect cargoes, while veterans of the war years and possibly earlier could still be seen. It was still possible to see passenger ships in the Royal Docks. As the new ships appeared they were a little bigger and a little faster, but otherwise little different from their predecessors of an earlier generation.

All this is captured through Mark Lee Inman's historic and rare images, taking in the stretch from Tower Bridge right down to Tilbury. The photography is supported by a wealth of available technical detail, including the vessel's date of build, gross tonnage and ownership, along with a comprehensive summary of its history and any claims to fame.

Shipping on the Thames and the Port of London During the 1940s - 1980s

During the 1970s and 1980s the Port of London, and shipping on the River Thames was in a state of transition. New methods of cargo handling, in particular the introduction of containers and Roll-on, Roll-off vehicle ferries called for new investment and a rethink on the way dock traffic was traditionally managed.
As a result, The Port of London Authority decided to run down and close the various London docks and concentrate all new investment downriver at their Tilbury docks.

These photographs, along with some from earlier decades, and mostly previously unpublished, are a fascinating insight into this period, when traditional ships and cargo handling methods worked alongside the new technology. Ships designed for carrying cargo in their holds were sometimes adapted to carry containers as deck cargo. There were also shipping types now lost to history, including colliers and sludge boats.
Not forgotten are the passenger ships - cruise liners to ferries. The various vessels that serviced the port from tugs to salvage craft and floating cranes.
Finally, the heritage craft from traditional Thames Sailing barges to former paddle steamers now adapted as floating pub/restaurants.

Thames Shipping in the 1960s and 1970s

At one point London had one of the largest dock systems in the world, and certainly one of the busiest. From Gravesend and Tilbury all the way to the Pool of London, the sides of the river were crowded with ships, with large dock systems full of ships loading and unloading their cargoes. Passenger ships called too, as well as numerous coasters feeding the power stations that served London.

Campbell McCutcheon uses a unique collection of images, all taken by the one person, to show the docks, wharves and the river as it was, teaming with ships from Blue Funnel, Clan Line, Ben Line, British India Steam Navigation Company, P&O, Union Castle Line and navy vessels as well as numerous foreign ships, ferries, ocean liners, cruise ships, tugs and barges.
With nostalgic views of the Pool of London, ships being repaired in the numerous dry docks, all of the docks, and some of the creeks, the book sets out to show the docks at the peak of their importance before the long decline of the 1970s and 1980s and the wholesale redevelopment of the London Docklands and the banks of the Thames.