Royal Victoria Dock - London Docklands

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Royal Victoria Dock

 

The largest of the three docks in the Royal Docks of east London, the Royal Victoria Dock was the first London Dock designed to accommodate large steam ships, the first to operate its machinery using hydraulic power and the first to be connected to the national railway netowrk via the North London Line. A commerical success, the Royal Victoria Dock was able to take 850,000 tons of shipping a year.

Major redevelopment of the Royal Victoria Dock was undergone under the London Docklands Development Corporation. Although the dock is still accessible to ships, the western entrance is now used chiefly for watersports. Transport links were also developed, notably Docklands Light Railway

lines that runs along both its north and south side.

The ExCeL Exhibition Centre dominates the Royal Victoria Dock. It was constructed in 2000 and has been the host of the annual London Boat Show. The south side has the Britannia Village, which has its own Community Foundation.. Other developments include the high level footbridge funded by LDDC

and carried out by Wimpey Homes, the Peabody Trust and the East Thames Housing Group.

The year 1988 marked the Royal Victoria Dock as the chosen site of French electronic musician Jean Michel Jarre's signature large-scale concerts entitled Destination Docklands. It showcased the history

of the area, from the industrial revolution, swinging sixties and future regeneration of the area.

The buildings were used as giant projection screens throughout the show.