[torhag]

Which shipping company transported cognac to London before WWII?
I know that Harrison Line served the West Coast, but I doubt that they also sailed to London.
Which dock in London was used?

[David Wilcockson]

General Steam Navigation Co. maybe, also perhaps Moss Hutchinson but they may have been to the west coast.

[duquesa]

Fairly certain GSNC were involved in that trade.

[Aberdonian]

Originally Posted by torhag

Which shipping company transported cognac to London before WWII?
I know that Harrison Line served the West Coast, but I doubt that they also sailed to London.
Which dock in London was used?

In 1966 I sailed as Second Mate in the General Steam Navigation Company ship MV Heron which was then on the regular London/Bordeaux run. In Bordeaux we loaded mainly brandy and cognac, bottled and in barrels for discharge at the old London Dock situated just downriver from Tower Bridge. To be exact, the ship normally berthed alongside the North Wall of the Western Dock. Liquor, tobacco and other precious goods were stored in bond in the vaults.

To quote from Wiki: “GSNC, incorporated in 1824, was London's foremost short sea shipping line for almost 150 years and the oldest shipping company in the world to begin business with steamships.”
It would be reasonable to suggest the company engaged in that same trade prior to the Second War.

Keith

[torhag]

Thank you, Keith. Just the information I was looking for.

[Rob Hilliard]

I can only add that GNS' Drake (delivered1938) and Auk (delivered 1947) were regular runners from SW France and Portugal into London, as my father was mate on these during 1954-1959, including summer rush spells on their pleasure steamers such as Royal Sovereign. We used to go onboard Auk and/or Drake to meet him, not far from Tower Bridge. GSN had a bunch of wharfs since before WWI, ging from Deptford to London Bridge, including wharfs near Tower Bridge beside or on the previous Brewers, Chesters and Galley Quays (1910-1940?). Loading in Portugal in the 1950's was interesting - Oporto had a small upriver wharf. They had to go upstream of this wharf with the flood tide, and turn around in the narrow river by running the bow into the bank and letting the tide push the stern upriver as they floated off, and then they headed back downstream to tie up at the wharf to load the barrels and pallets of port and other booze. At low tide they sat on the mud. My mother was happy in this period, she was never short of booze, but preferred gin to port lol.