At 6.52pm on Friday 19 January, 1917, a massive explosion tore through Brunner Mond & Co munitions factory in Silvertown, East London. Fifty tonnes of TNT exploded, in what remains London?s largest ever explosion. 900 local homes were flattened, and 60,000 buildings damaged throughout London. Burning debris was scattered for miles, causing numerous fires, including a gas cylinder in North Greenwich to explode. The fires could be seen as far away as Guildford, whilst shockwaves from the explosion were reported in Norfolk and Southampton. The explosion was a humanitarian disaster, with 73 killed ? including many local children - and over 400 injured.
The Port of London Authority (PLA) ran London?s docks, including the Royal Victoria Dock right next to the Brunner Mond factory. This dock played a key role in the import, storage and processing of grain, and the silos and warehouses of the flourmills were amongst the 17 acres of PLA land damaged.
In the aftermath of the explosion, the PLA committee commissioned John H Avery to make a detailed photographic record to assist in dealing with claims for compensation. This album contains 24 photographs of Royal Victoria Dock, taken only a few days after the explosion. With limited access to both Silvertown and the docks, these images provide a unique view of the scale of devastation the Silvertown explosion caused to the nearby docks. Despite the freezing weather and damaged terrain, Avery used his signature bulky wooden field camera to produce well composed and incredibly detailed images. Each print is a contact sheet, that is, the same size as the glass plate negative. Together they make an extraordinary group of beautiful photographs which eclipse the business purpose for which they were taken.
The PLA became the largest single claimant against the government for damage and losses incurred as a result of the Silvertown explosion, asking for �357,540.