We operate as a self-storage company in East London, specifically around the Docklands region. Much though it pains us to say, we’re not the first to have used this area for offloading and storing goods and materials (the name Docklands should give you a clue here), and the area has a rich storage history! Here at Store That E14, we’ve had a fair bit of time over recent months, to dig through the history books of our local area and we found out some pretty interesting things! Read on to find out more…

When Were The Docklands Created (Officially)?

Traditionally, ships carrying cargo had docked at one of the many wharves along the River Thames (from which Canary Wharf originally derived its name). This worked for a time, but by the 18th century, the sheer quantity of cargo being delivered dictated something more substantial – a full-scale dock. The original London Docks were created at the turn of the nineteenth century, with construction taking place between 1799 and 1815. Around this time, The London Dock Company (formed in 1800) brought more standardisation to the table, and greater professionalism to what had been something of a higgledy-piggledy industry beforehand. These docks very much offered the original self-storage in East London.

What Did The Docks Store?

Back in the day, some pretty luxurious commodities were housed within the London Docks. These included exclusive wines, spices, tea and coffee, all of which were housed in correspondingly elegant storehouses. I’m not sure that, today, our self-storage in East London would be used to store Nescafe! We may not have a patch on these architectural structures, here at our own self-storage company, but they do the job just as well! These new docks drastically improved everything trade-related in the area. Offshoot jobs sprouted from the newly built docks, and the better-policed storehouses, which were much more secure in their own right, meant that far less money was being lost to thieves and criminals. In short, it modernised the area at a time where industrial modernisation was critical.

Recent Times

Commercial shipping, centralised logistics and improved transport times meant that by the mid twentieth century, the docks’ purpose had been made somewhat redundant, at least in trading and goods setting. This meant that, sadly, in 1969, the Docks were closed for trading purposes. Subsequently, the area was converted into one comprising residential properties and other smaller businesses. Our own company has been here, on its current site, for nearly 60 years and as a child, I used to watch our own cranes load barges of our products over our wharf-side (also jumping in for a swim occasionally when safe to do so).  There’s been an increased need for self-storage over the past few years, especially with space coming at such a premium in the capital. We offer both internal rentals and sea container storage, under one secure premise (featuring in-house security and around-the-clock CCTV footage). For an area with such a goods-based history, we believe it’s important that we keep it going where we can!

Our company has a wealth of history in the area in which we operate and certainly have the expertise to handle and store your goods safely and securely.. So, if you’d like to find out more about our self-storage in East London, then get in touch! Contact Store That E14 today on 020 7515 1300.