Green Blackwall shipyard

The first ship builder connected with Blackwall Yard was Sir Henry Johnson (d.1683), who passed it on to his son (d 1693). The yard then passed on to Philip Perry who passed the firm to his second son John Perry in 1776. The yard was then taken over by Sir Robert Wigram (1744- 1830), who bought the Perry shares. In 1819 he sold half the yard to George Green and his two sons Money and Henry Loftus Wigram retained the other half. George Green (1767- 1849) was taken into partnership in 1796 and married his employer' s daughter (Miss Perry). He built the Green' s sailors' Home in the East India Dock Road in 1840-1 and the Trinity Schools and Trinity Chapel. In 1829, Richard Green, known as "Dicky Green" (1803-1863), was taken into partnership. The company became known as Green, Wigram and Green. In 1843 the eastern portion of the yard became R and H Green's and the western portion Money Wigram and sons. "Dicky" left the practical side of the yard to his brother Henry who was trained as both shipwright and seaman. In 1858 the East India Company dissolved due to the Indian Mutiny. This led to much competition with individual firms and the Green' s Blackwall line became occupied with purchasing and building vessels in the interests of valauble eastern trade and the Australian passenger trade. In 1855 the Greens became involved with the Crimean War, they built 14 screw gunboats over 200 tons. Dicky Green was a lover of teak and British Oak and would not build using iron, but, after his death all opposition was removed and the firm built their first iron ship, the SUPERB (lauched 1866). Money and Wigram and son' s shipyard closed in 1893, sold to the London Midland and Scottish Railway. The fleet was sold to Mr Allen Hughes. R and H Green, from the 1970's onwards built mainly paddle steamers; the final ship built was the AMY in 1903. R and H Green merged with Silley Weir Ltd in 1910 and became shiprepairers. In 1918 R and H Green and Silley Weir Ltd took over Cox and Co Ltd and acquired Falmouth Docks and Engineering Co. In 1977, London Graving Dock Co Ltd merged with R and H Green and Silley Weir Ltd and became the River Thames Shiprepairers Ltd (ceased trading 1982).