Fellows' Forum: The Battle for Global Supremacy: The Ports of London and New York in the Early Twentieth Century

From spices and ivory to wheat and oil, trade was booming on both sides of the Atlantic at the beginning of the twentieth century. The bustling ports of New York and London were full of cargoes and peoples from far-flung lands. Yet prosperity for the merchant classes was jeopardised by chaos and delays, and both ports were forced to re-organise themselves, with the creation of the Port of London Authority and the Port of New York Authority in 1909 and 1921 respectively.

Guy Collender will explore the uncanny parallels between these two ports, and how they were both championed as the ‘world’s greatest port’ (itself a contested term) in these years. Challenging the historiography about the port of London’s longstanding dominance, Guy will show how London was supplanted by New York after World War One and how London never caught up.

Open to all. A sandwich lunch will be provided.