London's Thames & ROYAL DOCKS cruise 1966 

What a perfect moment to capture London at and at the perfect angle too. A city with a foot in two eras. Thank you!

So glad to see my old ship “ Taupo “ New Zealand Shipping Co , I sailed on her to NZ and then up to Japan and back ! Then off to Africa and the Med . Happy days as an Engineer .

This brings back happy memories of 60 years ago as a kiwi seaman in the British merchant navy.Port line and Blue Star were two lines l sailed with.

No chance of doing that boat trip again, no ships to see, a whole different London and a whole different Great Britain now gone forever !

Brings back so many memories of shipping out of the Royal Docks on Port Line, New Zealand Shipping Company, and Shaw Saville. Thank you.

Wonderful. Thanks so much

A lovely piece of history. My Dad (aged 71) always talks about how industrialised London was and it is more than evident in this film! My great-grandfather used to work at the East Greenwich gas works

Thank you for the trip down memory lane, evoking the times in the 60s and 70s when I worked a number of those vessels by HF wireless from the southern end of New Zealand. The Taupo, Port Burnie, Port Adelaide, etc, plus a lot of Blue Star ships, too. Then the Box Boats took over.

I can still smell the London docks after 50 years =it's something that never leaves you although the years gone.

In the 1960s most of NZ trade went to the UK.The ships in those days had character.

I enjoy Alan's movies so very much. Thank you.

Yes Alan, now living in Victoria BC, Canada, although when I was with Canadian Pacific in the late 60’s I lived in the UK as did all the CP crews and Officers. I emigrated to Canada in ‘74.

P.S. Queen of the South was originally called Jeanie Deans and was a sister ship to P.S. Waverley (though Waverley was built sixteen years later). The funnels had the old LNER colors of red and black tops separated by a band of white between the red and the black. Unlike Waverley, Queen of the South (QoS) was manned by amateurs (except one officer who was Merchant Navy as was required by law), this included the captain (who had a masters ticket but had only done screw driven ships, paddle steamer were much more difficult to control). The ship did voyages to Southend but only completed seven trips. QoS lasted two seasons and bankrupted the owners. Waverley, which is properly crewed did a large (and still do) number of voyages over the same stretch.

Brilliant bit of nostalgia now changed beyond recognition. The Almar at about 8.40 had the look of a WW2 Liberty ship, turns out she was, ex William M Eastland, scrapped in '69.

Dear Snowdons, many many thanks for your outstanding videos and this one is a gem. Your commentors Chris Hulin and Andrew Bolton are quite correct; The City vessels ( St. Albans and Exeter) were indeed ships of the Ellerman Line. (Black, White and Amber funnels) These are fascinating records of an amazing line and indeed an amazing family. In the 1960's it was the 2nd Baronet, Sir John Ellerman in charge. He is often recorded as being Britain's wealthiest man. He was a scientist, philanthropist and humanist as well as a shipping line chairmain. For example he and his sister managed the rescue of many Jewish people from Nazi Germany as so was even attacked by name by the infamous Lord Haw Haw during the second world war. He is succeed by his charitable foundations as he left no heirs. A much missed and noble English man. The lovely City of St Albans was a cruise ship and curiously a refrigerated cargo vessel. It only carried about 80 people but in exquisite luxury. Silver service throughout. A cruise from London to Cape Town took forever but stopped at delightful ports including St. Helena. Both vessels were built in Scotland incidentally. This line declined as the Empire nations began to compete with Britain and containerising became normal. The history of this line and it's family ( father and son ) who managed it from the 1800's and through both world wars is a record of determination and hard work. Your videos brought back so many memories and a jolt of nostalgia. Perhaps we shouldn't forget this historic treasure of a golden past of our mercantile and passenger shipping industry and the owners and captains who plied the oceans bearing our nations flag. Many Thanks. ML

City of Exeter and City of St Albans were owned by Ellerman Lines. London's riverside as changed a lot but not for the better I don't think

A superb look at our maritime and industrial past. Great viewing.

I was taken on just such a trip in that very year. I was nine.

The Taupo was a New Zealand Shipping Company vessel. I worked for them in the city and at the Royal Albert Dock in the late 60s. The red funnel with black top and white square with red cross and blue square in the centre were either New Zealand Shipping or Federal Steam Navigation vessels.

I noticed the Ben Avon I sailed on her sister ship Ben Alder from the Royal Docks in 1964/65

Very cool

City of Exeter also an Ellerman Lines ship, built 1953 on the Tyne

i sailed on the Taupo sister ship the West Moreland

I worked for Scruttons Maltby in the early 70s at the muster point offices next to the Connaught pub. Outside the entrance to the royal Albert dock. Halfway up the dock Scruttons had an office at 17 shed and Ellermans were at 13 shed . Everything went to Tibury and containers .

Taupo belonged to New Zealand Shipping Co. Built 1966.

I can also remember seeing HMS Belfast brought into the King George the Fifth dry dock , for painting and a refit. She was a blue green colour before being taken up to where she is now.

My lovely old dad used to take me down to Erith near us in the early 60s, and there was a beautiful framed list of ships funnels, and l had to identify each one as they passed! Ten years later there was hardly any river traffic!

A most entertaining film. Well done.

Yet another gem !! 👍 Interesting how many of the names are now stations on the Overground or DLR. Yet, when the docks were fully operational, there were few stations to serve the workforce.

After the gain silo, the boat passes a Canadian Pacific ‘Beaverboats’ we used to call them - Beaveroak, Beaverash, Beaverelm etc. I couldn’t read the name on the stern on that one. I served three very happy years with CP as Second Officer 1969 - 1972

The City of Exeter and the City of At Alban's were both Ellerman lines ships, then the largest privately owned shiping company and run by Sir John Ellerman, the son of the founder.. Both are diesel engine ships built in the 1950s. The St. Alban's had 7 cylinder Zalzer engine and was my first ship. I went on her to Bombay Karachi in 1961.

City of St Albans belonged to Ellerman Lines. Built 1960.

Much busier then it was a major highway. Now I can canoe there and hardly see a soul except for the Thames clippers which do about 30 knots and make huge wash waves. But in the lock down the river is as flat as a mill pond.

Dunedin Star , Blue Star line, Port Townsville Port Line

Great to ponder and recall seeing Blue Star Ships and NZ Shipping Company, also Shaw Savill Office I actually tied up in King E docks twice once on MV Iberic and MV Zealandic both Shaw Savill an Albion known by seafaring lads as ( S---T Starvation and Agony )

Certainly changed a bit today!

I sailed on the TAUPO after Vesty purchased 3 of the class and she had been renamed MANDAM my brother sailed on Tongariro and Uncle Frank Kent was Comodore Chief Engineer on the Westmorland all sister ships Happy Days!!. I went to Royal Docks on the Mataura as first trip Engineer Cadet. rgds

Superb my late father in law would have been able name the lines as he worked in docks till closure for Mowlem jetty and driving posts just by hand with sledgehammer Hard Graft !!

Benavon Ben Line replaced by larger Container ship with the same name. Port Line Cunard, Big Blue Star Line (8 years on the ships) Joined Taupo in Dubai Shaw Savill great shipping companies sadly all gone like the London Docks. 43 years at sea only a couple left for this old sea dog 👨‍🍳👨‍🍳👍👍🤣

The entire docks standing idle on a Sunday. Not a single cargo being handled. The Dockers Union signed their own death warrant.

The ship aground at 12.14 was one of the LCC sludge carriers, known as bovril boats, called the Sir Joseph Rawlinson, she had been sunk in collision, raised and converted into a cargo ship.

what about more old railway videos?

It shows how much our politicians have frittered away