Tower Hamlets in Greater London, England, United Kingdom — Northwestern Europe (the British Isles)
The Colour Makers
Dockland Heritage
The Colour Makers
You are standing on the Wharf of what was once a colour factory, where the raw materials of chemical colours were manufactured for use in the making of paints, printing inks, plastics, rubber and paper.
The firm which employed many local people moved from this site in 1986. Until then, inside the rather gloomy workshops with their complex of pipes and equipment, mounds of pure colour glowed like heaps of jewels — green, yellow, indigo and blue. Faming brilliant scarlet bubbled in steaming vats and overalled women shovelled the thick, wet steaming masses of purple and aquamarine onto the drying racks. Coloured smoke issued from the boiler chimney and pigeons with pink tinted feathers strutted on the roof-tops.
The first industries on the site, in the middle decades of the 19th century, had been concerned with ship building. Burrells acquired the wharf and workshops in 1888 by which time ship building had declined in Millwall. The company already had a well established export business, trading in paints, chemicals, drugs and oils.
Initially, Burrells used the Millwall factory for paint manufacture but the production of dyes and pigments gradually became more important until in 1943 the company sold their interest in paint and concentrated on making pure colour.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Industry & Commerce.
Location. 51° 29.231′ N, 0° 1.217′ W. Marker is in Tower Hamlets, England, in Greater London. Marker can be reached from the intersection of Wynan Road and Burrells Wharf, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Tower Hamlets, England E14 3TH, United Kingdom. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. The Ferry House (approx. half a kilometer away); Greenwich Foot Tunnel (approx. 0.8 kilometers away); a different marker also named Greenwich Foot Tunnel (approx. 0.8 kilometers away); a different marker also named Greenwich Foot Tunnel (approx. 0.8 kilometers away); New Zealand Memorial (approx. 0.9 kilometers away); Turkish Bronze Gun (approx. 0.9 kilometers away); Britain's Oldest Brewer (approx. 0.9 kilometers away); Bellot Memorial (approx. one kilometer away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Tower Hamlets.
More about this marker. A short walk westward along Burrells Wharf is a marker “The Great Eastern, ” faded to illegibility. It is next to the launching ways of the the SS Great Eastern, the largest ship in the world when it was launched in 1858.
Also see . . . Burrells Wharf on Wikipedia. (Submitted on August 14, 2018, by Michael Herrick of Southbury, Connecticut.)
Credits. This page was last revised on January 27, 2022. It was originally submitted on August 14, 2018, by Michael Herrick of Southbury, Connecticut. This page has been viewed 197 times since then and 20 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on August 14, 2018, by Michael Herrick of Southbury, Connecticut.