Discover a city being transformed by vast new docks.

The early 19th century brought great change to London's river and port. A huge docks complex was built on the Isle of Dogs, new bridges spanned the Thames and a tunnel was dug beneath it.

When old London Bridge was torn down in 1831, it got recycled - into knives and forks! The wood and iron salvaged from the bridge was bought by cutlery maker John Weiss.

You could have used the river as the quickest way to get to work. Thames watermen ferried passengers and carried goods along & across the Thames - which still had very few bridges.

In the 1840s, the London docks had their own armed police force. At the time of the Chartist riots in London, swords and guns were issued to the police to defend the docks.