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London East Research Institute wins Heritage Lottery Fund support for ‘Ports of Call’ Royal Docks heritage trail

Thursday 22 February 2007

The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) has awarded a £50,000 grant to the London East Research Institute at the University of East London (UEL) to develop the ‘Ports of Call’ project, which will create an accessible and interesting heritage trail for visitors and local residents in the Royal Docks.

The Royal Docks were built in the 1870s, and were for decades the world’s busiest port and trading hub of empire.  After lying derelict for decades, the docks have in recent years been transformed by the advent of the DLR, City Airport, and developments such as Excel and UEL’s Docklands campus.

The Royal Docks area is now at the heart of the Thames Gateway, the largest urban development project in Western Europe. The Heritage Lottery Fund award will help develop a trail of the Royal Docks landscape that will cover the industrial, maritime, transport, environmental and community history of the area.  It will consider the realities of living and working in the area now and in the future.

The ‘Ports of Call’ project, which will also be funded by Tate and Lyle, will involve the local community and historians. Heritage workshops along with other activities are being arranged as part of a packed programme that will help participants discover the history surrounding them.  UEL is setting up a programme to enable local unemployed people to train as Royal Docks guides.

Professor Phil Cohen, Director of the London East Research Institute at UEL, said: “It’s fantastic that the Heritage Lottery Fund has enabled this work to take place as the Royal Docks have so much history to be discovered and shared with the public.  With UEL’s Docklands Campus being so closely situated to the Royal Docks it is really great for us to be involved.”

London East Research Institute provides a regional network for research and consultancy on issues of urban regeneration, investigating the impact of regeneration on local communities. Ports of Call draws on the pioneering work of Toby Butler in creating audio-visual heritage trails.

If you are interested in getting involved or want more information, please contact 020 8223 2544 or email P.A.Cohen@uel.ac.uk.

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For details and pictures contact Patrick Wilson: 020 8223 2061 or 07951 797 975

Notes to Editors

The University of East London (UEL) is a global learning community with over 28,000 students from over 120 countries world-wide. Our vision is to achieve recognition, both nationally and internationally, as a successful and inclusive regional university proud of its diversity, committed to new modes of learning which focus on students and enhance their employability, and renowned for our contribution to social, cultural and economic development, especially through our research and scholarship. We have a strong track-record in widening participation and working with industry.

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