West
India Docks, Poplar. By the late eighteenth century London desperately
needed new docks to cope with the growth in sea trade around the world,
particularly with the West Indies. Begun on 12th July 1800 and completed
within two years at an expense of £1,200,000, the docks stretched
across the Isle of Dogs, and consisted of an Import and an Export Dock.
Almost a mile of warehouses (mostly holding sugar and coffee) lined
the Import Dock - the docks were purposefully constructed in order to
display the extent and importance of Great Britain's trade.
