Home & Away

By HeidiAndDolly

Canary Wharf and the River Thames, London

Here is another area of the UK I have never been to, but have only seen from the air! And it's really not that far from where I live!

Canary Wharf is a major business and financial district in London. It's located in the West India Docks on the Isle of Dogs in East London.

History:
This has been one of the busiest docks in the world, since 1802. However, after a decline in the port industry after the 1960s, the docks closed in 1981 . The British Government then instituted various schemes to encourage redevelopment of the area.

A major office development started in 1988 by the Canadian company Olympia and York. The first buildings were opened in 1991, including what was then the tallest building in the UK. However, the London property market had collapsed and in 1992 Olympia and York Canary Wharf filed for bankruptcy.

In 1995 the scheme was bought by an international consortium and the estate has continued to expand with the recovery of the property market. A new expansion was recently approved including plans to build 30 buildings. Construction will begin this Autumn and the first buildings are expected to be occupied by the end of 2018.

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