The Port of London Authority (PLA) was created to bring order to the chaos and congestion that prevailed on the Thames as rival wharfs, docks and river users battled for business in the late 1800s.
The only form of British international transport and trade at the time was sea-based and a successful Port was essential to a nation's success. (Flight was in its infancy - in 1909 Louis Bleriot was setting records as the first pilot to cross the English Channel.)
Structural improvements were seen to be essential to maintain and improve the Port's position against its leading European rivals.