London's docks were once the busiest in Britain. They had developed
piecemeal from the beginning of the nineteenth century as the existing
riverside wharves became too congested and pilfering became rife. Dock
systems were built on both sides of the Thames. The largest group, 'The
Royals' comprising the Royal Victoria, Royal Albert and King George V
Docks, created the greatest enclosed dock area in the world. Changes in
cargo handling methods such as containerisation led to all new
developments being concentrated at Tilbury from the late 1960s, and the
closure of the London docks, along with nearly all of the private
riverside wharves and canal wharves. The London Docklands Development
Corporation was set up to redevelop the dock sites. So what replaced the
docks, and what remains to remind us of what was there before? This book
follows the Thames Path, which has opened up much of what was once a
largely hidden world, from London Bridge to Greenwich to examine the
changes and the heritage that remains on both sides of the river. Also
included is the Regent's Canal, which took goods onwards into London and
linked to the Midlands, and the sewer network that makes use of the
Thames.