Saint Catherine's Dock - near the Tower of London and Tower Bridge

From Tower Bridge to the Royal Docks and the Isle of Dogs is one of the oldest areas of London, containing the wharfs, warehouses and ports along the River Thames. In the last half of the 1980s this whole area was rejuvenated with very modern buildings and an extensive new light rail system, Docklands Light Railway (DLR). The trains are fully automatic, with no drivers but a service agent on board to assist passengers.  

Throughout the Docklands, there are restaurants, shops, apartment and town house developments (with a distinct Canadian flavour) sometimes mingling with some of the oldest streets in London

The center of the Docklands is 
Canary Wharf - One Canada Square
is Britain's tallest building.

Walk alongside the Tower walls and suddenly you are thrust into the most modern area of London. The photo is St Katharine Dock, an inner harbour/marina just metres from Tower Bridge. (One night we were walking along the bridge when we heard the announcement that it would be opening and saw the traffic stop and the barrier come down. We were so excited. We waited and watched in the rain as the bridge slowly opened and a tall ship sailed through. Standing at the barrier, the bridge stretched above our heads into the air. If you have never seen it - especially from this close a viewpoint - it may be hard for you to imagine how grand it looked.) From the marina, you begin your adventure into Docklands. The contrast between London the Old and London the New will never be more apparent. Meanwhile, you can sit at St Katharine Dock and have a drink and pretend you are somewhere completely different. It's pretty hard to believe that moments before you were ins ide the ancient walls of The Tower. Dicken's Inn can also be found here. It used to be a spice warehouse (18th century) but now it's an inn with vaulted ceilings and fairly decent place to eat.