What’s great

What’s great

What makes the Royal Docks?

Overview

A home for enterprise, creativity and culture, the vast expanse of water at the centre of the Royal Docks remains one of its most appealing assets, offering a spectacular backdrop for the area’s regeneration.

Wander along the water’s edge, enjoy spectacular views over the Thames and the rest of London from the IFS Cloud Cable Car, and explore the cafés and artist studios in the diverse, creative neighbourhoods that are redefining this area of the capital.

When completed, this attractive urban environment will collectively deliver 30,000 new and affordable homes – connected with beautifully designed public spaces and anchored around its vibrant waterscape.

The history of the Royal Docks 

The Royal Docks were once the beating heart of the UK’s shipping industry. When London needed new docks to handle its surging shipping traffic, this former marshland was chosen as the home for an incredible feat of engineering.

Wider and deeper than anything seen before, the Royal Docks actually comprises three docks: Royal Victoria, Royal Albert and King George. They served as London’s main goods port between 1855 and 1981.

Today, the Royal Docks is reclaiming its historic vibrancy, with an added focus on sustainability, inclusion and quality of life. The presence of surviving dock infrastructure provides a unique physical and historical context for the area’s regeneration, underpinning its renaissance as a cultural centre.

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Timeline

1855

Victoria Dock opens to relieve London’s crowded and chaotic waterways

1921

A third dock, King George V, is added to what is now the capital’s main shipping hub

1939

The Royal Docks operate throughout WWII despite severe damage

1981

After two decades of decline, the docks close to commercial traffic

1987

The DLR and London City Airport open, later followed by ExCeL London

2019

The Royal Docks is reborn as a new commercial centre

Great Activities in the Royal Docks

The people of the Royal Docks are changemakers. Entrepreneurs, families, landowners, creatives, businesses and communities are all working in partnership to tell their story, weave it together with the area’s extraordinary past, and create an incredibly progressive and sustainable vision for the future.

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