History of the Millwall Dock

City Sailing History of the Millwall Dock, now the home of the Docklands Sailing and Watersports Centre. After sailing and teaching on the Millwall dock for years and skippering the recycled plastic vessel Poly Mer on the Millwall dock I decided to look into its past history. Sailors on the dock have asked me how deep is the dock and even if it is a water feature for the housing around it. This is not the case!!! The dock was built to unload vessels and for vessel maintenance and was not originally connected to the rest of the West India Docks System until it was taken over by the Port of London Authority in 1908. The Millwall dock has had a variety of famous guests, the Endeavour, Cutty Sark, Lawhill, James Bond, Sir Ben Ainsley, and Kate Middleton to name a few. The dock was pumped out in a slurry across the road in a pipe to where the allotments are in a Mud Chute hence the station name. The name came from the seven windmills that were on the western raised edge wall of the River Thames - Millwall. It had a Flour Mill built and a football team with three grounds over the years on the Isle of Dogs before they moved out. Today the Millwall Dock is enjoyed by walkers and for watersports from the Docklands Sailing and Watersports Centre www.dswc.org where you can sail and see adults as well as children sailing all year round. Long may it continue. Paul - www.citysailing.com