London Docklands - New and Old
Looking across the River Thames from the promenade in front of the Millennium Dome to the Isle of Dogs, at first glance it might appear that the apartment complex in the foreground is the old, and the glass-sided towers in the background are the new. But it's actually the other way around - and neither are anywhere near 'old'.
In the background can be seen the conjoined Towers 1 and 2 of Harbour Exchange Tower and, lower and to the right of the image, the curved front of 3 Harbour Exchange. This complex of buildings designed by the Frederick Gibberd Partnership was completed in 1989 during what might be considered the early phase of Docklands development. Towers 1 and 2 are 72m tall and were the tallest structure in the Docklands (outside of Canary Wharf) until as recently as 2005. 3 Harbour Exchange is 42m tall.
In this modern era of 'fake news', I think it is worth noting that (according to Skyscrapernews.com) in the summer of 1988 The Sun newspaper ran an article about a skills shortage in the construction industry, and based the story on bricklayers being paid the unheard-of sum of £100 per day to work on Harbour Exchange. But no bricklayers ever worked on the project...
In the foreground is a Barrett Homes residential development called Pierhead Lock designed by the architects Goddard Manton. The 90-apartment complex was completed in 2000 with a distinctive, graduated terraced look. The 15-storey tower on the left is 46m tall.
Pierhead Lock is so-named because just off-image to the right is the South Dock Entrance to the West India Docks. On the river's edge, the flagpole and the single-storey brick building partially visible on the right (originally the Dockmaster's House), belong to British Waterways which controls access to the docks.
London Docklands - New and Old
Looking across the River Thames from the promenade in front of the Millennium Dome to the Isle of Dogs, at first glance it might appear that the apartment complex in the foreground is the old, and the glass-sided towers in the background are the new. But it's actually the other way around - and neither are anywhere near 'old'.
In the background can be seen the conjoined Towers 1 and 2 of Harbour Exchange Tower and, lower and to the right of the image, the curved front of 3 Harbour Exchange. This complex of buildings designed by the Frederick Gibberd Partnership was completed in 1989 during what might be considered the early phase of Docklands development. Towers 1 and 2 are 72m tall and were the tallest structure in the Docklands (outside of Canary Wharf) until as recently as 2005. 3 Harbour Exchange is 42m tall.
In this modern era of 'fake news', I think it is worth noting that (according to Skyscrapernews.com) in the summer of 1988 The Sun newspaper ran an article about a skills shortage in the construction industry, and based the story on bricklayers being paid the unheard-of sum of £100 per day to work on Harbour Exchange. But no bricklayers ever worked on the project...
In the foreground is a Barrett Homes residential development called Pierhead Lock designed by the architects Goddard Manton. The 90-apartment complex was completed in 2000 with a distinctive, graduated terraced look. The 15-storey tower on the left is 46m tall.
Pierhead Lock is so-named because just off-image to the right is the South Dock Entrance to the West India Docks. On the river's edge, the flagpole and the single-storey brick building partially visible on the right (originally the Dockmaster's House), belong to British Waterways which controls access to the docks.