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The architectural embodiment of Thatcherism, a symbol of 1980s smash-and-grab culture according to its critics, or a blueprint for inner-city regeneration to its free-market supporters - the Docklands redevelopment provokes extreme reactions. Despite its catch-all name, however, Docklands is far from homogeneous. Canary Wharf, with its Manhattan-style skyscraper, is only its most visible landmark; industrial-estate sheds and riverside flats of dubious architectural merit are more indicative of the area. Wapping , the westernmost district, has retained much of its old Victorian warehouse architecture, while the Royal Docks , further east, are only just beginning to be transformed from an industrial wasteland. The docks were originally built from 1802 onwards to relieve congestion on the Thames quays, and eventually became the largest enclosed cargo-dock system in the world. However, competition from the railways, and later, the development of container ships, signalled the closure of the docks in the 1960s. Then, at the height of the recession in the 1980s, regeneration began in earnest. No one thought the old docks could ever be rejuvenated, and twenty years on, more has been achieved than many thought possible (and less than some had hoped). Travelling through on the overhead railway, Docklands comes over as an intriguing open-air design museum, not a place one would choose to live or work - most people stationed here still see it as a bleak business-oriented outpost - but a spectacular sight nevertheless
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