GCSE Geography | Changes in the London Docklands (UK City Study: London 4)

The London Docklands area is in London's East End and covers 22 sq km (nearly 9 square miles), including parts of the boroughs of Tower Hamlets, Newham, Southwark, Lewisham and Greenwich. They are on the U-shaped section of the River Thames before it flows out to Essex and Kent.

It is an area that has been huge regeneration over recent decades.

19th century docklands boom!

The London Docklands have a long history. At the start of the 19th century Britain saw a huge increase in trade with goods imported from the British Empire and the number of ships on the River Thames rose rapidly. This led to an issue with theft as people took advantage of boats getting stuck along very crowded parts of the river. This led to the construction of the West India Docks in 1802, which were built to provide secure warehouses and underground vaults along guarded quays.

In 1805 London Docks opened at Wapping, and the East India Docks opened in 1806. In 1828 St Katharine Dock opened next to Tower Bridge. However, as more and more goods were imported the docks needed to expand further. In 1855 Royal Victoria Dock opened which had been dug deep out of marshland and was able to huge steamships coming in from India and parts of Africa. This expansion also saw a huge rise in factories to and the number of workers needed to process imported tobacco, fruit, vegetables, grain and meat

In 1868 Millwall Docks opened, followed by Albert Dock in 1880 (pictured below) - these modern docks had railway lines for easy transport as well as refrigerated warehouses to preserve imported food. Much housing was also built around the docklands for workers (of which there were 100,000 at the peak), and communities began to establish in places like Woolwich and Canning Town. Trade was so great that expansion continued down river with the opening of Tilbury Docks in 1886.

In 1909 the Port of London Authority (PLA) was created to manage the London docks - and in 1921 they were renamed as the Royal Docks as a recognition of their importance.

Decline throughout the 20th century...

In 1926 a General Strike happened across Great Britain - this had an impact on the Royal Docks as union members went on strike to fight for better working and living conditions - at the time much housing around the docks was described as 'slum housing'.

Throughout the Second World War the docks was bombed heavily by the Germans who hoped that they could disrupt Britain’s war effort by destroying its warehouses and factories.

The second half of the 20th century saw the introduction of containerised cargo which involved much larger ships that couldn't navigate down the Thames to the Royal Docks, so instead large container ports were built much further down the river or along the coast, and most of the imported goods which would have arrived at London Docklands were processed at Tilbury Docks instead. Over time the docks declined further, and the last commercial vessel left the Royal Docks in December 1981, marking the closure of the docks, and with it, mass unemployment and derelict buildings, such as Millennium Mills, pictured below. Around 60% of people in the area lost their jobs, which led to a negative multiplier as people couldn't afford to use services such as shops, pubs and restaurants, so those closed down too.

At the time the cost of regeneration was so high that investors were put off.

London Docklands Redevelopment

The London Docklands Development Corporation (LDDC) formed in 1981 to regenerate the derelict docklands and throughout the 1980s and 1990s dramatically transformed the old warehouses into residential, commercial and light industrial spaces. At the heart of the redevelopment was Canary Wharf on the Isle of Dogs - comprised of high-rise office blocks made of stone and glass, with One Canada Square in the centre (pictured below), which was London's tallest building London from 1991 until 2012 when the Shard was built. The area became London's second financial district.

Notable developments...

1987: The Docklands Light Railway (DLR) opened, connecting some of East London's neglected neighbourhoods with the London Underground, and was extended out to Beckton in the mid-1990s. The DLR (pictured below) has had a positive multiplier encouraging investment, which has transformed former derelict areas into vibrant communities.

1987: London City Airport opened on the site of the former Royal Docks, with the formed central wharf serving as the runway. The airport handles around 10,000 passengers each day, with 51 departures to more than 30 destinations across Europe.

1999: Jubilee Line extension on the London Underground, connecting Green Park in central London with the Docklands.

1999: The University of East London opens a new campus on the former Royal Albert Dock - the largest of its three campuses.

2000: The ExCel exhibition centre opened and is one of Europe's largest and most successful venues, hosting around 400 events annually which draw in more than 4 million visitors, and has seen a huge number of hotels, restaurants and bars opening up to cater for increased visitor numbers.

2012: Transport for London opened its 1km cable car service (also known as the 'Dangleway'- pictured below) - connecting the Greenwich Peninsula (and the O2 arena) to the Royal Victoria Dock (near ExCel). It was formally known as the Emirates Air Line (as it was sponsored by Emirates) but is currently sponsored by technology firm IFS. It acts as a convenient route across the river for commuters but also as a tourist attraction.

2022: Crossrail opened linking east London to west London by the new Elizabeth line, and is predicted to increase property prices by 25% close to stations along the route and encourage further regeneration, which will create thousands more jobs.

Has it been successful?

London Docklands is considered one of the most successful regeneration projects in the world - more than 100,000 people now work at Canary Wharf, and this is predicted to rise to 200,000 in the future. These jobs are mainly in the financial sector, but there are also many jobs in admin, and in some of the services that have popped up around the development to service those working in the financial sector.

However, the majority of these jobs are done by commuters. Only 10% of jobs are taken by people living in the borough of Tower Hamlets, one of the most UK's most deprived areas. And most of the jobs will be low-paid service workers, such as cleaning staff and hospitality workers.

Gentrification of the area has seen house prices increase dramatically, meaning that local people can't afford to rent or buy there, with rents for a 3-bed property ranging between £2,500 to £5,500 per month!