HOME AND HARBOUR

THERE could be no more powerful physical evidence of the former importance of maritime trade to London than its vast docklands. These extend over an area of about nine square miles on both sides of the River Thames, downstream from Tower Bridge to Greenwich and Woolwich. It’s an area that has completely changed its character over the past 40 years, from an industrial to a residential district. Over the same period, the Thames itself has been transformed from a thoroughfare and open drain to a public amenity.

The first London docks were