ABSTRACT
London's dominance rested on the quantity of ships it built and on the widely attested quality of its work; the phrases 'river built' and 'Blackwall fashion' had by passed into general usage as indicators of high-quality workmanship. The development of iron shipbuilding relied upon an initial technological transfer: the application of a material in widespread use on land to marine purposes. The very first iron ship constructed in the south of England was built by the noted marine engineers and engine-makers, Maudslay Sons and Field of Lambeth. London was a leading shipbuilding centre throughout the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century. The Peninsular Steam Navigation Company sailed from the Thames, and this was of considerable benefit to local shipbuilders and engine-makers. During the 1840s, Pennisular bought 24 ships direct from shipbuilders, of which seven were from Scotland, five from Merseyside and nine from the Thames.
