What We're Reading

REVIEW
The story of London's docklands is one of re-invention. It is perhaps fitting that the latest regeneration of this Thames-side land features ambitious temples to capitalism, for the ebb and flow of international trade has shaped (literally) the area for hundreds of years.

Makeshift docks made way for warehoused complexes which were overtaken by enclosed docks before they were all defeated by containerisation.

But for each twitch of modernisation (until the last), the docks had a visionary, an entrepreneur and a workforce ready to respond in kind.

This flexibility is captured in considerable detail in Fiona Rule's thorough book.

Not one to pass by a side-alley if one catches her fancy, she aims to encapsulate the woes and triumphs of an area, which, more than any other, has acted as a bellwether for the fortunes - and social conscience - of a nation.

If there is one criticism, it is the unrelenting rat-a-tat-tat of facts blasted from every page about all manner of things.

A less magpie-ish guide would have proved a handier introduction to those who simply want to know the history of the rich landscape they see from their office. But for those who want every twist and turn of the tale, this may be the one.