Shipping Companies

The Carron Company The Carron Company was founded in 1758. It had extensive iron works in Scotland, and ran a regular service from London to Grangemouth and Glasgow in Scotland. All the ships of the Carron line could easily be identified by the cannon ball carried on their main masts. The Carron and London Continental Steam Wharf had ample space for the bottling of wines and spirits and the handling of tea and other general cargoes. Fresh fruit and vegetables were discharged here for the market at Covent Garden. It had two berths, the longest being 300 feet with hydraulic cranes lining the jetty & quay, one with a maximum lifting capacity of 6 tons. The wharves were demolished in 1974.	back to top
The London & Edinburgh Steamship Company In the 1930s this company operated a regular passenger and general cargo service to Leith every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Three ships were involved in this service, the Royal Archer (2,266 tons), the Ryal Fusilier (2,186 tons), and the Royal Scot (1,444 tons). These all feature on postcards. The Hermitage Steam Wharf had substantial storage facilities. The berth was over 300 feet in length. It was destroyed by bombing in the last war. During the blitz it was used as an air raid shelter by the people living in the Hermitage area of Wapping - see History of Wapping Trust page for more details. The company went into voluntary liquidation in 1964.	back to top
The General Steam Navigation Company This company operated regular services to many of the principal European ports from Irongate and Tower Wharves. In the 1930s general cargo was sometimes transported in containers from here. The company also ran a regular passenger service from nearby Tower Pier down river to Southend-on-Sea. With the Port of London Authority it also ran trips around the London Docks system.	back to top
The Aberdeen Steam Navigation Company The Aberdeen Steam Navigation company was founded in 1836, an amalgamation of the Aberdeen and London Steam Navigation Company and the Aberdeen and London Shipping Company. It operated a regular service, first from Wapping and later Limehouse between London and Aberdeen, using a number of small sailing craft and, by 1828, steamers. In 1844 a 1100 tons cargo and passenger carrying steamer, 'The City of London' was added to it's fleet. In the 1930s their passenger steamers Aberdonian and the Lochnagar operated during the summer months, and for the rest of the year their cargo steamers, Koolga and Harlow, carried general cargo between London and Aberdeen twice weekly. The company ceased operating in 1964.	back to top

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Local Shipping Companies ................
These shipping companies produced promotional picture postcards and is the reason for inclusion on this site: The Carron Company 86/120 St Katharine's Way, E1 London & Edinburgh Steamship Co., Hermitage Steam Wharf, St Katharine's Way, E1 General Steam Navigation, Irongate & Wharf, St Katharine's Way, E1 The Aberdeen Steam Navigation Company