Dock Life Renewed: How London's Docks Are Thriving Again

Forty years ago, London's Docklands had become 6,000 acres of forgott en wasteland aft er over a century as the busiest port in the world. Now these once-derelict docks are again fi lled with ships and boats, forming homes and businesses for an extraordinary range of people. Whether millionaires visiting on their super#2;yachts, country-house executives needing a London base, young tech workers wanting a cheaper place to live, jobbing craft smen keeping ancient marine trades alive or homeless people fi nding refuge, these are varied and dynamic communities. Highly acclaimed London photographer Niki Gorick focuses on St. Katharine Docks, the Surrey Docks and the Isle of Dogs to illustrate the rich mix of personalities and activities in these converted commercial docks. They enjoy central London locations but as fl oating communities with their own nautical customs and rules, they are a world apart from their land-based neighbours. These images reveal the amazingly diverse modern-day life within these urban marinas.