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History of London Yard From 1898 - 1983 |
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Forward to: History of London Yard from 1984 Back to: History of London Yard 1800 - 1897 1898 In
1898 the property was taken over by the local shipbuilding firm of
Yarrow & Company. Yarrows had been eager to move from their small
Folly Wall Yard to larger premises, negotiating unsuccessfully with the
Millwall Dock Company for a new site before moving to London Yard
completely vacating the Folly Wall site.
In 1899 the Japanese Government placed a large order for ten torpedo-boats and eight (200ft) destroyers for the Imperial Japanese Navy. The photograph above shows the order under construction. The vessels were soon in active service, playing a major part in Japan's victory over Russia in the war of 1904-05.
1906
Between 1906 and 1908 the yard was gradually shut down and the firm moved to new premises at Scotstoun in Glasgow, accompanied by most of its machinery and 300 of the work-force. 1917
1936
Mortons decided to sell the wharf in 1936, and after the Second World War it was acquired by D. Badcock (Wharves) Ltd. of Greenwich, which had previously occupied part of the site as a tenant of Mortons. It was then known as London Wharf or, locally, as "Badcocks" or "Babcocks".
Ted Johns, a Waterman and latterly Canary Wharf Harbour Master remembers; "I recall London Yard from the dying days of the Second World War when I used to sail past, as a barge boy, aboard one of the Thames Sailing Barges which used to work the river and East Coast ports then. London Yard (or Badcock's as everyone called it) always appears to my mind to be shrouded in heavy river mists, or, wet, or a combination of these - always accompanied by a chill, biting wind. London Yard was obviously a place I did not like! Barges (or, properly, lighters) would be taken in from the "barge roads", great rafts of barges moored (twenty or thirty of them), in the river just by London Yard. On occasions, when it was slack time for us, the Guv'nor would send me down to Badcock's to check on the progress on one of the many barges he owned - I hated the job!" 1960 By the early 1960s
Badcocks had been joined by a variety of other firms, all of which made
use of existing buildings. But, by the mid-sixties Badcocks had closed
and London Yard ceased to be used, derelict and badly polluted by tar
and other industrial materials.
1977
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Forward to: History of London Yard from 1984 Back to: History of London Yard 1800 - 1897 |
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Redevelopment took place
between 1898 and 1901. Some of the existing buildings on Manchester Road
were retained and extended, but most of the yard was cleared for
redevelopment. Dominating the new yard was a large group of four
workshop units in a single building, over 200 ft by 360 ft, of brick and
cast iron, with glazed roofs. They were built by Sir William; Arrol
& Company, and housed the engineers’, boiler makers’ and
shipbuilders’ departments.
In
1906, Edward VII and his party were guests of the Yarrow family on their
motor yacht during Cowes Week. The vessel would have been built at
London Yard. Yarrow’s
did not remain long at London Yard, however. Alfred Yarrow’s business
had suffered badly during the engineers’ strike of
In 1917 the freehold wharf was purchased by C. & E. Morton, of Millwall, manufacturers of soups, pickles and jams. Yarrow’s large warehouse unit was converted into a case-making plant, and the other buildings were used mainly for storage. The site-plan shows the extensive railway
system on the site crossing Manchester Road, at what is now the entrance
to Friars Mead, which went across the present Asda site to Millwall
docks. Samuda Wharf is shown to the north of London Yard.
During WWII it is
believed that parts of the Mulberry Harbour installations, used for the
Normandy landings, were
constructed at London Yard. Motor Torpedo boats were also repaired.
London Yard survived the conflict relatively intact. Whereas the
neighbouring Samuda Wharf was flattened by bombing. After the
War the site was used to repair and paint barges.
By
1977 the site had
been acquired by the Greater London Council for £312,000. A newspaper
cutting, from the East London Advertiser of 1977, shows the cleared London Yard
site and expressed fears that the site
was contaminated "with poisonous chemicals". 
In 1978 a group of local people,
with the assistance of Ted Johns at the Island Resources Centre, undertook a
feasibility study on how the site could be best used for the benefit of
the local community. The study, using the catch-phrase "Bermuda in
Samuda" proposed that the GLC should build flats on
the site together with a water sports centre; a boat repair centre and a
clubroom. A Tenants Hall to be shared with the Sumuda Estate was also
proposed. The plan was supported by the GLC but, with the advent of the London Docklands Development
Corporation, the GLC lost control of the site and the plan was not
proceeded with.