London Docklands

London Docklands, refurbished former docks situated in the East End of London. Docklands was the site of massive inner-city regeneration in the 1980s, the docks themselves having fallen into disuse. Today it is a tourist attraction and includes thriving sites such as St Katharine’s Dock, Hay’s Galleria and Canary Wharf, related leisure businesses, and many new shops and restaurants. Docklands comprises, on the north bank of the River Thames, the districts of Wapping and Poplar, the Isle of Dogs, and the Royal Docks, and on the south bank, the Surrey Docks. It covers 88 km (55 mi) of waterfront to the east of the City of London, and 16 km (10 mi) of the Thames runs through the area.

The Canary Wharf Tower lies at the heart of Docklands, and is currently the tallest building in the United Kingdom. It was designed by César Pelli, who also designed the World Financial Center in Manhattan, New York. The investment into the area in the 1980s totalled around £11 billion, and in 1996 Docklands had nearly 1 million visitors. Docklands is close to London City Airport, and the driverless Docklands Light Railway connects the area with the City of London and other East End locations. In February 1996 a 230 kg (500 lb) IRA bomb exploded at South Quay, near Canary Wharf, killing 2 people and injuring over 100; it brought an end to a 17-month ceasefire. In 1999 the extension to the Jubilee Line finally made a direct connection on the London Underground between the Isle of Dogs (where the station was designed by Norman Foster) and the rest of London. The economic boost given to the area by this and the activity around the nearby Millennium Dome (later renamed “O2”) led to a renewal of building work in the area, with the aim of completing the plan of development as it had been originally envisaged in the early 1980s.