Study how London was involved in the development of the British Empire.

After the abolition of the slave trade in 1808 the growth of the British Empire during the 19th century was mainly due to the industrial revolution in Great Britain creating manufacture goods that could be traded with countries in Africa, Asia, North America and the Caribbean.

1. Do some research on what British goods were sent to these countries (exports) and what goods came back from those countries (imports).


2. Draw some pictures of the goods and put these on a map of the world, the one of Africa, showing how these goods linked Great Britain and those countries.

Map of British Empire 1886 (British Library)


Customs House (and the Pool of London) from the River Thames – 1808 (British Library)


Pool of London 1927 – Customs House is just out of sight on the left but this is the same stretch of the River Thames as in the drawing above from 1808 © Museum of London


The Cutty Sark (1869) was a tea clipper.
It brought back tea leaves from India (Royal Museums Greenwich)


Cutty Sark at Greenwich - 2014

Download Resources for this Lesson Plan

1. history1.pdf