Two Dockside Cranes - Millwall Docks, London, UK
Posted by: 
OrientGeo
N 51° 29.671 W 000° 01.453
30U E 706561 N 5709018
A pair of tall cranes have been preserved in situ in the north west corner of Millwall Outer Dock in east London.
Waymark Code: WM13PQT
Location: London, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 01/25/2021
Views: 2
London’s Millwall Docks opened in 1868 and consist of the north/south aligned Millwall Inner Dock and the east/west aligned Millwall Outer Dock. The Outer Dock was linked to the River Thames through a lock at its western end that is now filled in. Few original buildings or features survive following closure of the docks in 1980 and eventual redevelopment. On the plus side, it is now possible to walk all of the way around the two docks.
After initially struggling to attract significant trade, the Millwall Docks flourished, principally as a grain dock. There was a large flour mill and a significant trade in wool. As the docks, and the shipping that they handled, changed and developed over the years, so did the dockside cranes that were needed for loading and unloading. Amongst the last to be installed were two Stothert & Pitt three ton electric cranes of 1960s vintage which have survived redevelopment and can still be seen today. Gunmetal grey-painted and immobilised, the cranes still stand on the rail tracks along which they once moved.
There is no interpretation board at this location, but the cranes do still bear their maker's plates. These are positioned quite high and are difficult to photograph, but they read as follows:
STOTHERT & PITT
LIMITED
ENGINEERS
1967 (?)
BATH ENGLAND
LOAD NOT TO EXCEED
3 TONS
AT ANY RADIUS
The electric motors also bear plates showing they were made by Mawdsley’s of Dursley. Stothert & Pitt ceased trading in 1989, Mawdsley’s still exist although in 2000 they relocated to Gloucester and the old Dursley factory was demolished.
Type of Machine: Dockside Crane
Year the machine was built: 1967
Year the machine was put on display: 1980
Is there online documentation for this machine: Not listed
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