London Photo Gallery
Canary Wharf

In the late 1500's, the Port of London was alive with activity, trade was expanding and Docklands became a point of departure for merchant ventures - in 1620 the Mayflower set sail from Rotherhithe to America.

In 1802 the West India Docks opened and were considered to be the country's greatest civil engineering structure of its day. Growth was particularly fast in the 19th Century. It was an area which enjoyed a unique lifestyle based on the growth and prosperity of traditional port activities including ship repair, heavy engineering, food processing, warehousing and distribution. Industries grew up based on the import of raw materials such as tobacco, timber and animal skins.

By the 1930's the Port of London carried 35 million tons of cargo, worth approximately £700m carried by 55,000 ship movements and served by more than 10,000 lighters. 100,000 dockers and ancillary workers were dependent on the Port of London Authority (PLA) for employment, of whom over 30,000 were actually employed by the PLA itself.

New technology and containerisation meant that London Docklands couldn't keep up with its competitors and by the early 1970's most of the docks had closed - West India Dock closed in 1980. The London Docklands Development Corporation was created by the local Government Planning and Land Act 1980. It's job was to secure regeneration by bringing land and buildings into use, encouraging industry and commerce, creating an attractive environment, and assisting in the provision of housing and social facilities to encourage people to live and work in the area.

History of Canary Wharf