Silvertown
Encyclopedia
Silvertown is an industrialised district on the north bank of the Thames
in the London Borough of Newham
. It was named after Samuel Winkworth Silver's former rubber factory which opened in 1852, and is now dominated by the Tate & Lyle
sugar refinery and the John Knight ABP animal rendering plant.
, an adjacent park, new housing areas and the London City Airport
.
In the mid 1990s much of the business activity in the area was centred around the brewing firm Bass.
In 2007 Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester
visited Silvertown, to formally open the new Silvertown Ambulance Station on North Woolwich Road.
Sugar refiners in the area were joined in by Henry Tate in 1877 and Abram Lyle in 1881, who in 1921 merged to form Tate & Lyle
. They still have two large refineries in the area.
On 19 January 1917 parts of Silvertown were devastated by a massive TNT explosion at the Brunner-Mond munitions factory, in what is known as the Silvertown explosion
. Seventy-three people died and hundreds were injured in one of the largest explosions ever experienced in the British Isles.
In the early 20th Century the area suffered greatly from road congestion due to being located between the Thames
and the Royal Docks
, then the largest and one of the busiest dock groups in the world. The area was cut off for much of the time by lifting bridges over dock entrances, and by level crossing
s which were closed for up to three quarters of each hour by train movements. This led in the early 1930s to the construction of the elevated Silvertown Way, one of the earliest urban flyovers.
On the first night of The Blitz
, Tate and Lyle's sugar refinery, John Knight's Primrose Soapworks, and the Silvertown Rubber Works were all badly damaged by bombing.
Silver's was eventually taken over by the British Tyre and Rubber Co, later known as BTR Industries. The site closed in the 1960s and is now the Thameside Industrial Estate.
Another major local employer was the Loders and Nucoline plant at Cairn Mills, a traditional port oleo
industry and formerly part of Unilever
. This originally milled seeds but later concentrated on production of fats from palm kernel oil
.
The district formed part of the County Borough of West Ham
in Essex
until 1965.
. Access was much improved by an extension of the Docklands Light Railway
from Canning Town
to Woolwich Arsenal, which opened on 2 December 2005. However, the old Silvertown railway station
on the North London Line
, was closed in 2006.
, titled ‘Silvertown Blues’, which describes the area as it was before redevelopment. The district also features in Charlie Connelly
's book Attention All Shipping.
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
in the London Borough of Newham
London Borough of Newham
The London Borough of Newham is a London borough formed from the towns of West Ham and East Ham, within East London.It is situated east of the City of London, and is north of the River Thames. According to 2006 estimates, Newham has one of the highest ethnic minority populations of all the...
. It was named after Samuel Winkworth Silver's former rubber factory which opened in 1852, and is now dominated by the Tate & Lyle
Tate & Lyle
Tate & Lyle plc is a British-based multinational agribusiness. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index as of 20 June 2011...
sugar refinery and the John Knight ABP animal rendering plant.
Regeneration
The area has been transformed since the 1970s by the construction of the Thames BarrierThames Barrier
The Thames Barrier is the world's second-largest movable flood barrier and is located downstream of central London. Its purpose is to prevent London from being flooded by exceptionally high tides and storm surges moving up from the sea...
, an adjacent park, new housing areas and the London City Airport
London City Airport
London City Airport is a single-runway airport. It principally serves the financial district of London and is located on a former Docklands site, east of the City of London, opposite the London Regatta Centre, in the London Borough of Newham in east London. It was developed by the engineering...
.
In the mid 1990s much of the business activity in the area was centred around the brewing firm Bass.
In 2007 Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester
Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester
Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester is a member of the British Royal Family. Prince Richard is the youngest grandchild of King George V and Queen Mary. He has been Duke of Gloucester since his father's death in 1974. He is currently 20th in the line of succession...
visited Silvertown, to formally open the new Silvertown Ambulance Station on North Woolwich Road.
History
In 1852 S.W.Silver and Co moved to the area from Greenwich and established a rubber works, originally to make waterproof clothing. This subsequently developed into the works of the India Rubber, Gutta Percha and Telegraph Cable Company, which constructed and laid many submarine cables. By the 1860s a number of manure and chemical works and petroleum storage depots had been set up.Sugar refiners in the area were joined in by Henry Tate in 1877 and Abram Lyle in 1881, who in 1921 merged to form Tate & Lyle
Tate & Lyle
Tate & Lyle plc is a British-based multinational agribusiness. It is listed on the London Stock Exchange and is a constituent of the FTSE 100 Index as of 20 June 2011...
. They still have two large refineries in the area.
Silvertown explosion
The Silvertown explosion occurred in Silvertown in West Ham, Essex on Friday, 19 January 1917 at 6.52 pm. The blast occurred at a munitions factory that was manufacturing explosives for Britain's World War I military effort...
. Seventy-three people died and hundreds were injured in one of the largest explosions ever experienced in the British Isles.
In the early 20th Century the area suffered greatly from road congestion due to being located between the Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
and the Royal Docks
Royal Docks
The Royal Docks comprise three docks in east London - the Royal Albert Dock, the Royal Victoria Dock and the King George V Dock. They are more correctly called the Royal Group of Docks to distinguish them from the Royal Dockyards, Royal being due to their naming after royal personages rather than...
, then the largest and one of the busiest dock groups in the world. The area was cut off for much of the time by lifting bridges over dock entrances, and by level crossing
Level crossing
A level crossing occurs where a railway line is intersected by a road or path onone level, without recourse to a bridge or tunnel. It is a type of at-grade intersection. The term also applies when a light rail line with separate right-of-way or reserved track crosses a road in the same fashion...
s which were closed for up to three quarters of each hour by train movements. This led in the early 1930s to the construction of the elevated Silvertown Way, one of the earliest urban flyovers.
On the first night of The Blitz
The Blitz
The Blitz was the sustained strategic bombing of Britain by Nazi Germany between 7 September 1940 and 10 May 1941, during the Second World War. The city of London was bombed by the Luftwaffe for 76 consecutive nights and many towns and cities across the country followed...
, Tate and Lyle's sugar refinery, John Knight's Primrose Soapworks, and the Silvertown Rubber Works were all badly damaged by bombing.
Silver's was eventually taken over by the British Tyre and Rubber Co, later known as BTR Industries. The site closed in the 1960s and is now the Thameside Industrial Estate.
Another major local employer was the Loders and Nucoline plant at Cairn Mills, a traditional port oleo
Oleo
Oleo is a term for oils. It is commonly used to refer to a variety of things:* Margarine* Oleic acid* Oleo , A type of shock absorbers on airplane landing gear* Oleo , a bebop composition by Sonny Rollins...
industry and formerly part of Unilever
Unilever
Unilever is a British-Dutch multinational corporation that owns many of the world's consumer product brands in foods, beverages, cleaning agents and personal care products....
. This originally milled seeds but later concentrated on production of fats from palm kernel oil
Palm oil
Palm oil, coconut oil and palm kernel oil are edible plant oils derived from the fruits of palm trees. Palm oil is extracted from the pulp of the fruit of the oil palm Elaeis guineensis; palm kernel oil is derived from the kernel of the oil palm and coconut oil is derived from the kernel of the...
.
The district formed part of the County Borough of West Ham
County Borough of West Ham
West Ham was a local government district in the extreme south west of Essex from 1886 to 1965, forming part of the built-up area of London, although outside the County of London...
in Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
until 1965.
Education
Transport
The nearest Docklands Light Railway station is West SilvertownWest Silvertown DLR station
West Silvertown is a station on the Docklands Light Railway which opened in December 2005. It is located on the Woolwich Arsenal branch. Trains run Westbound to Bank in the City of London and Eastbound to Woolwich Arsenal, passing through London City Airport station.The station is in the London...
. Access was much improved by an extension of the Docklands Light Railway
Docklands Light Railway
The Docklands Light Railway is an automated light metro or light rail system opened on 31 August 1987 to serve the redeveloped Docklands area of London...
from Canning Town
Canning Town station
Canning Town station is an inter-modal transport interchange in Canning Town, northeast London, England. It is served by the London Underground Jubilee line, the Docklands Light Railway and local buses operated for London Buses. It is in Travelcard Zone 3...
to Woolwich Arsenal, which opened on 2 December 2005. However, the old Silvertown railway station
Silvertown railway station
Silvertown railway station was a station in Silvertown, east London. It was in Travelcard Zone 3, and located between Custom House and , the eastern terminus of the North London Line until the line closure from Stratford to North Woolwich on 9 December 2006....
on the North London Line
North London Line
The North London Line is a railway line which passes through the inner suburbs of north London, England. Its route is a rough semicircle from the south west to the north east, avoiding central London. The line is owned and maintained by Network Rail...
, was closed in 2006.
Popular culture
Silvertown is featured in a ballad by Mark KnopflerMark Knopfler
Mark Freuder Knopfler, OBE is a Scottish-born British guitarist, singer, songwriter, record producer and film score composer. He is best known as the lead guitarist, vocalist, and songwriter for the British rock band Dire Straits, which he co-founded in 1977...
, titled ‘Silvertown Blues’, which describes the area as it was before redevelopment. The district also features in Charlie Connelly
Charlie Connelly
Charlie Connelly is an author and broadcaster. Connelly began his career as a writer of books relating to sporting events, most commonly football. His breakthrough 2002 book, Stamping Grounds, was his fifth, and followed the Liechtenstein national football team in their unsuccessful campaign to...
's book Attention All Shipping.