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Mountbatten Medallic History of Great Britain and the Sea Medal: Opening of Tilbury Dock
Mountbatten Medallic History of Great Britain and the Sea Medal: Opening of Tilbury Dock
Mountbatten Medallic History of Great Britain and the Sea Medal: Opening of Tilbury Dock
Mountbatten Medallic History of Great Britain and the Sea Medal: Opening of Tilbury Dock

Mountbatten Medallic History of Great Britain and the Sea Medal: Opening of Tilbury Dock

Associated (Frogmore House, Windsor, England, 1900 - 1979)
Medallist
DateMay 2004
Object NameMedal
MediumSterling Silver
ClassificationsMedals
LocationView by Appointment - Aberdeen Treasure Hub
Object numberABDMS072500.70
About MeTilbury Dock, part of the Port of London, owed its construction to the intense rivalry which prevailed between the various independent London dock companies in the 19th century. It was an exceptional enterprise, not only because of its scale and the imaginative scope of its design, but also because it was, in its day, an unusual phenomenon- a dock built in advance of demand for its services. The full benefits, indeed, have only been obtained in recent times. Tilbury Dock was promoted by the East and West India Dock Company, a powerful, independent dock enterprise. Its principal rival was the London and St. Katharine's Do~k Company which had constructed the Royal Albert Dock, opened in 1880. Tilbury was intended, therefore, to attract traffic away from a competing dock system.

The remote, marshy site, 25 miles down river from London Bridge, was chosen deliberately with a view to getting rid of the delays habitually experienced by many hundreds of ships which anchored at Gravesend, on the opposite side of the Thames, awaiting the flood tide to assist them to the many docks and riverside wharves which lay upstream. A large dock at Tilbury, it was argued, would save time and expense for ships in navigating the congested and tortuous river, reducing the dangers of collision and delay, particularly when fog enveloped the river, as it so often did. Unlike other London docks, Tilbury was not intended to be a warehousing dock. On the other hand, it was extensively served by railways, connected to the London, Tilbury and Southend Railway, and transit sheds were opened in Central London.

As soon as the bill promoting the Tilbury Dock scheme received Royal Assent in July 1882, Harry Dobree, chairman of the company, cut the first turf on the site. Work on the Dock, estimated to cost £1,100,000, proved more difficult than anticipated and the first contractors, Messrs. Kirk & Randall, fell behind schedule. A protracted legal wrangle ensued after which Messrs. Lucas & Aird completed the work, 3Y4m cubic yards of material having been excavated. The final cost was nearly £3m.

On 17th April, 1886, s.s. Glenfruin was the first vessel to enter the Dock, amid much celebration. However, it was found extremely difficult to attract shipping, thanks to the strenuous efforts of rival docks to undercut the rates. Ruinous competition ensued, since the Port now found itself with too much dock accommodation rather than too little. It was this cut-throat competition that determined the future management of the Port: a Royal Commission deliberated on the problem between 1900 and 1901, and Lloyd George, when President of the Board of Trade, obtained legislation creating the Port of London Authority in 1908 which gave the whole Port coherent and unified control.

The faith of those who had promoted Tilbury Dock was justified only in the long run: extensions and additions kept the Dock in the forefront of technological change. Tilbury Landing Stage was opened for passenger traffic in 1930, permitting passenger liners to berth at all states of the tide, and since the Second World War, container and roll-on roll-off berths have prospered at the expense of docks higher up the river. Indeed, the foresight of it's planners has been justified: now it is Tilbury that best meets the needs of shipping in the River Thames.

The Mountbatten Medallic History of Great Britain and the Sea, John Pinches Medallists Ltd.

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