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The view shows the Old Shadwell Entrance, which was built to handle Sailing Ships, at the close of the nineteenth century. In the background is the Dockmasters House and Offices, while behind it stands the slanted roof of Allam and Sons' boat yard and the east wall of the Prospect of Whitby Public House. The London Dock Co’s expansion plans in the 1830s saw the Dock grow more eastward towards Shadwell with the opening of the Eastern Dock and Shadwell Basin. To provide these new docks with access to the river, a new entrance at Shadwell was built. Opened in 1832, it was named Shadwell Entrance while the main entrance to the London Dock was through Wapping Entrance, opened in 1805. By the 1850s, it had become obvious to the London Dock Company that the entrances at both Wapping and Shadwell were too small to accommodate the larger ships coming into service with the shipping companies. To meet the changes taking place in the shipping industry, the London Dock Company decided to build a new larger entrance and basin at Shadwell, renaming them Old and New, Entrance and Basin accordingly. The Old Shadwell Entrance was used mainly for handling barges until it become too uneconomic to keep it open in the late 1890s. In the early 1920, it was filled in and a brand new jetty was built at Shadwell New Entrance. |
