Author Archives: Mick Lemmerman

This 1968 Port of London Authority map shows the extent of Isle of Dogs land that belonged to the Millwall Docks. Most people will recognize the area east of East Ferry Road as being the Mudchute, but what about that … Continue reading →

Some might be Daimlers – I’m not an expert at telling the difference 🙂 1970s. Westferry Road

The Millwall Docks’ original ‘business model’ (in modern parlance) was to rent quay space to other companies. Wharves close to the City, but without the disadvantages of Thames wharves. On offer were modern, spacious quays in a secure area, and … Continue reading →

In 1841 more than half the area of the Island was pasture or marshland. The best pasture was to be found west of East Ferry Road, on land that was drained thanks to the river walls and windmills in Millwall … Continue reading →

The word graving is an obsolete nautical term for the scraping, cleaning, painting or tarring of a ship’s hull. Originally, when ships were much smaller, the hull could be exposed by beaching the vessel, or by tilting it at an … Continue reading →

Throughout the 1800s, if you wanted to leave or visit the Isle of Dogs, you would most likely walk, take a ferry, or make use of a horse-drawn omnibus, described by Wikipedia as… …a large, enclosed, and sprung horse-drawn vehicle … Continue reading →

This 1862 map shows some of the streets that were laid out in Southern Cubitt Town; few had been built upon at the time apart from Church Street. The 46 houses in the street were built by W. Cubitt & … Continue reading →

Sir John McDougall Gardens is shown here in a 1986 aerial photo. Visible north and south of the park are some of the last vestiges of the industry which once dominated the Isle of Dogs riverfront as can be seen … Continue reading →

Asphalt is a sticky, black, highly viscous liquid or semi-solid form of petroleum which has been extensively used since the 19th century, mostly as a waterproofing material at first, but later as a component in the construction of road surfaces. … Continue reading →

In this 2018 article I wrote about the history of South Cubitt Town, and now it’s the turn of North Cubitt Town, which for the purposes of this article covers the following area: As most people know, Cubitt Town was … Continue reading →