This title was first published in 2000. 'Little better documented than King Arthur or Robin Hood' complained one historian in 1998 describing the lack of information on Thames shipbuilding. This study of iron shipbuilding on the capital's river fills this noticeable gap. A.J. Arnold examines the initial domination of the iron shipbuilding trade by Thames firms from the launch of the first iron vessel on the river in 1832 to the end of serious Thames-side shipbuilding in 1915. For the first time, the factors that caused this pre-eminent British industry's demise are explored fully, together with an analysis of the effect that it had on its locality.

Contents: Introduction; Iron shipbuilding comes to rural London, 1832-46; Vertical integration, 1847-53; The Crimean War and the first crisis, 1854-59; Trade boom and the effects of 'shady finance', 1860-67; The long slump, 1868-88; An excessive dependence on the state, 1889-1915; Conclusions; Appendices; Bibliography; Index.