Britain’s Invisible Empire
The East India Docks were completed in 1806, built by the East India Dock Company and supported by the East India Company who had begun the process of colonising land and people in east, south and south-east Asia centuries before. The docks were built to protect the profits of increased trade as a result of the company’s strengthening colonial grip. The company eventually demised, and their profits came more directly into the hands of the British Crown, with the East India Docks continuing to be used for trade up until 1967.
While the fact that the docks were once located here is referenced in a couple of places, there is virtually zero recognition of their ties to imperialism, and the profits that were made here off the back of the repression of millions of people across the globe.
The people of Reflections
Mudlarking at Trinity Buoy Wharf
Trinity Buoy Wharf was set up by the Corporation of Trinity House as a depot for storing and testing chains and buoys in 1804. Lighthouse technology was tested and lighthouse keepers trained here. The East India Docks opened in 1806, with industries and eventually a community of people arriving in their wake. In this short film Nicola will explore the area’s relationship with scientific innovation, the manufacture of plate glass and Victorian London’s
criminal underworld.
Thank you Dance
The Thank You Dance was a ‘Thank You’ to the Queen for 70 years of public service, and a ‘Thank You’ to all those who selflessly contribute to society, looking after our communities and laying the foundation for a better life for generations to come