In 1601, Sir James Lancaster left London on a journey to what is now Indonesia – the first voyage of the East India Company. Over the following 250 years, the East India Company became one of the most powerful companies the world has ever seen, controlling the fate of millions of people, wielding its own army and dominating trade with South and East Asia. It was Britain’s first multinational company and its effects on London were immense.

Join Royal Oak as Rob Smith takes us on a tour that will illustrate the still prevalent legacy of the East India Company today, and where you can find them, including large houses like Danson House, parks like Wanstead, and East India Company Warehouses in the City at Devonshire Square, and National Trust property Sutton House in Hackney.

Rob Smith will look at how street names around the old East India Docks have a connection to the East India Company and explain where people can find connections in Croyden. He will also illustrate some East India Company objects found in London museums and even in the Crown Jewels collection.