Silvertown History
Built on the Docks there is only one road into Silvertown and one road out, namely the Royal Albert Way. At the beginning of the road is a large major relief road, Silvertown Way, which was completed in 1934 followed by the Silvertown bypass which opened in 1935. At the time this was hailed as creating a broad new 'Road to the Empire', at the end of which lies North Woolwich. Silvertown consists of a lost, ageing, small but strong community with powerful ties and long standing traditions in Newham. Known in the past for the Docks, Tate and Lyle, many factories and a large ship building industry. Today it is renowned for London City Airport, Excel and home of the University of East London.
The Royal Dock is on Silvertown's doorstep has one of the largest bodies of enclosed water in the world, comprising of some 245 acres developed in a piecemeal fashion. The Victoria Dock, later to become the Royal Victoria, was completed in 1855. Years later the Royal Albert Dock was opened in 1880 and the King George Dock in 1921 after being delayed because of the war.
The Royals were the first Docks to be directly connected to the railway system. This meant large warehouses were no longer necessary, only transit sheds. The Docks themselves acted as the warehouse of the 'Empire', importing raw materials from all over the world and in turn exporting a vast range of finished and manufactured goods. The vastness of the Docks resulted in West Ham, Canning Town and Silvertown eventually becoming the largest manufacturing centre in the South of England, and renowned for chemicals, engineering and food. Sugar refining had always been important to the area and became even more so when Henry Tate set up shop in Silvertown in 1877. Tate's principle product was white cube sugar, their rivals Abraham Lyle produced mainly Golden Syrup. The companies were amalgamated in 1921 to create Tate and Lyle one of the largest sugar refiners in the world. From wherever you are in Silvertown you can see Tate and Lyle. It was a major employer in the area and offered many opportunities for local people to hold a job for life. Many residents' parents and grandparents worked all their lives for Tate and Lyle, however the only legacy today is the smell. Tate and Lyle no longer hold the same level of security for local people. Today it's workforce is less than half of what it was twenty years ago, and most employees commute from other parts of London as they say the job now requires transferable skills.
When the Docks first opened the Victoria Dock could take the largest steamships and had the largest hydraulic machinery to open the dock gates in the country. The Victoria Docks specialized in tobacco, South American beef, New Zealand lamb, citrus fruit and bananas. The closure in 1981 had a serious impact on the area and on local people. Many industries, factories, shops, pubs, cafes, restaurants and many local amenities have since closed leaving Silvertown with a history but nothing more, it is now a neglected rundown place to live. Young people move on and out but still the community stays together, it wants to stay and be heard.
People sought to improve their working and living conditions through Trade Union and political activities and sought office on West Ham Council and in Parliament. Canning Town had become the focus of a number of new movements and a leading voice for working class people, Will Thorne and James Keir Hardy became leading figures in the Labour Party. Women played a significant part in the struggles Eleanor Marx, Sister Edith Kerrison, Daisy Parsons and Sylvia Pankhurst all worked to improve the plight of working class people and helped to shape the new services provided by the council, they were especially concerned with housing, health and welfare.
Voluntary orgainisations such as churches, were very active in these areas especially during the early 1900s which was a period marked by high unemployment due to the closure of the Thames Ironworks. The start of the First World War brought employment to the area with industries involved in the war effort.
Silvertown was well known for it's munitions factory, where many women worked. On Friday January 19th 1917, a fire started in a room at the top of a factory in West Silvertown which produced TNT and munitions to go to the front. The Silvertown explosion killed 73 people and injured over 400 seriously. The Silvertown explosion highlighted the lethal conditions that people had to work and live in, the munitions factory was in the midst of a closely built up industrial and residential neighborhood which was most unsuitable.
Between the wars the residents of Silvertown felt a strong sense of common identity often helping one another, especially when times were hard. Families lived together or near each other. People worked and spent their leisure times together, pubs, dance halls, boxing or football.
The council sought to alleviate some of the worst aspects of housing and poverty through a programme of slum clearance and health promotion. New houses with modern facilities were built and new services including clinics and nurseries were set up. The long delays faced by traffic were reduced by the construction of the Silvertown Way and new approach roads to the Docks in the 1930s.
The Second World War brought dramatic changes. Silvertown was a prime target for bombing due to the docks and industries. Much of the area between North Woolwich and the Thames was destroyed. Once again the "Silvertown community was under attack". On 7th and 8th September 1940 the whole area was, for a time, encircled by fire. Hundreds were evacuated to safer areas or moved away never to return. Despite the dangers many stayed on and worked for the war effort in the docks, factories and the civil defense services. Silvertown was very badly bombed, one of the most heavily bombed in Britain and many families suffered tragedies. People who lived through these hard times felt that they deserved a better future for themselves and their families.
After the war the demand for housing could not be met, the area had been devastated. Many people moved away to new estates in Essex and new towns such as Basildon. It was not until the early 1960s that most of the bombsites were replaced by new houses and shops. Once again Silvertown's struggle continued and in the 1960s and 1970 proved to be a devastating time as long-established industries closed or moved away. Containerization had changed the whole nature of work in the docks, reducing the workforce by half. The docks, which had provided the base for much of the areas economic and community activity, closed down in 1981.
The sharp rise in unemployment has been reflected in the area's increased level of poverty, vandalism and past racism, coupled with deteriorating housing and health. A run down and neglected area. The local communities have seen little benefit from the developments around it.
