London Attractions Unfamiliar Attractions DocklandsDocklands - Limehouse Basin - Narrow Street pubs - ££
No trip to London would be complete without venturing out to see the Docklands development on the Isle of Dogs, which centres around Canary Wharf.
At the height of the British Empire, Britain was the foremost sea-trading power and London was its base. Consequently it has a vast dock area, which since the end of the Second World War went into a period of decline, resulting in huge tracts of East London becoming abandoned and derelict wastelands. (The film 'The Long Good Friday' was shot on location here before any development work started, if you want pictorial evidence).
In the 1980s, with businesses expanding in the City, especially financial services, the prospect of redeveloping the former commercial docks, became an economically viable prospect and the Docklands Development Corporation was born in 1981.
Canary Wharf, part of the West India Docks on the Isle of Dogs (so named because the area was home to thousands of wild dogs in the middle-ages), became the centre for this new financial business district. One Canada Square is the tallest building in the UK (for now, The Shard is set to overtake it) and the first major development to be completed. The developers went bankrupt shortly after completion and the area's future was by no means assured, however over the next two decades the area has established itself as a fifth postal district to the City (EC1, EC2, EC3, EC4 and E14), with major banks, financial services and media companies relocating here. It has it's own transport network - the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) which can be reached via Bank or Tower Gateway stations in the City, and the newest Tube extension on the Jubilee Line. The London Overground extension opened in the summer of 2010, connecting Docklands to London-wide rail services in preparation for the 2012 Olympics.
After visiting Canary Wharf, head west past the Limehouse Basin where many pleasure craft are moored and then down Narrow Street. 
There are numerous pubs and restaurants based along this road, though probably the best amongst them is The Grapes where you can enjoy lunch on the terrace overlooking the river. Limehouse DLR is nearby, for the return trip. Limehouse is so named as it was the main burial site of London's poor, who were dropped into large unmarked pits and covered in quicklime, rather than receiving a proper burial.
Taking the DLR south will take you under the Thames to Greenwich where many further attractions can be found.
Interesting slideshow of Docklands photos from YouTube - including the 'Cutty Sark' just before it went up in smoke.
Canary Wharf, E14 5NY (Approximately).
Canary Wharf Tube or Canary Wharf DLR (though they are a few hundred metres apart)
The Grapes, 76 Narrow Street, Limehouse, London, E14 8BP.
Westferry or Limehouse DLR.
Call: 020 7987 4396
