Place to see: Royal Victoria Dock, London, United Kingdom

About this place:

an expanse of water of approximately .5 mile long situated on the north bank of the river thames in east london sandwiched between custom house & silvertown in londons borough of newham. it was originally built as a working dock opening in 1855 but ceased operating in 1981. now it is straddled by residential accommodation an enormous state of the art exhibition centre & numerous hotels & restaurants. there is a stylish footbridge which gives access north to south & which affords fabulous views of the canary wharf financial district skyscrapers & londons much maligned dome or now reincarnated o2 arena & the impressive london skyline which on a clear day includes buildings like the gerkin & the nat west tower. the original spillars grain mill; millenium mills still remains today derelict but a nonetheless imposing mausoleum to the ghosts of the past dockers & trade that passed through the dock in the decades it handled cargo. today the only boats that you can see are the small & medium sized sailing boats that use the water recreationally or in january when those expensive ocean going cruisers with price tags in the millions line the dock outside the excel exhibition centre for londons annual boat show. oh yes we also get the occasional frigate & the odd mtb now an again. and its other claim to fame is that it is home to a man few people are aware of who reputedly (well the british courts recognise him as the inventor at least; source wikipedia) invented the windsurfer back in 1958 on the banks of the river hamble in hampshire. peter chilvers can be seen most evenings serving ale behind the bar of his converted thames barge moored at the west end situated next to his sailling centre that is a fabulous amentity for the run down east end. as part of the ongoing regeneration of the area further housing & amenity projects (including a gigantic aquarium & oceanographic house) are planned along its banks. oh yes & of course with the 2012 olympics coming to the borough of newham we will be hosting wrestling badmington & other events in the excel centre. and its only a stones throw from londons boutique airport london city airport that sits on the south bank of the adjoining royal albert dock east of the victoria dock.

in short the dock lined with the gigantic derricks or cranes that once hauled cargo from the massive boats that moored here all those years ago from all around the world is slowly transforming into a small town in its own right. it boasts one of the highest number of dwellings per square yard of anywhere in the uk & rightly so has been given the transport infrastructure warranted to ferry the growing number of residents to their places of work on the isle of dogs & the main centre of london. the docklands light railway links the docks community with the city & with the airport & other places north & south of the river thames & will be an iintegral part of the transport links for the 2012 olympics. as a resident of 10 years i am proud to live in such a fantastic thriving community.