St Katharine Docks

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Sitting in the shadow of Tower Bridge, this once-booming part of London's Docklands was built in 1828 by engineer-extraordinaire Thomas Telford. To make way for it, 1250 'insanitary' houses were razed and 11,300 people made homeless. The dock was badly bombed during WWII and was finally abandoned altogether in 1968. Its current incarnation, as a marina for luxury yachts, surrounded by cafes, restaurants and twee shops, dates from the 1980s.

It's the perfect starting point for a stroll along the Thames Path to Wapping and Limehouse.

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

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Nearby attractions

1. Tower Bridge Exhibition

0.15 MILES

The inner workings of Tower Bridge can't compare with its exterior magnificence, but this geeky exhibition tries to bridge that gap with details of the…

2. Tower Bridge

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It doesn't matter from where you first glimpse Tower Bridge, with two neo-Gothic towers rising gracefully from either side of the Thames: London's…

3. Tower of London

0.21 MILES

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4. Trinity Square Gardens

0.33 MILES

This pleasant little park was the site of the Tower Hill scaffold, where a confirmed 125 people met their fate, including St Thomas More, St John Fisher…

5. City Hall

0.36 MILES

Home to the Mayor of London, the bulbous glass-clad City Hall was designed by Foster and Partners and opened in 2002. Visitor access is limited to the…

6. All Hallows by the Tower

0.37 MILES

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7. St Olave's

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8. HMS Belfast

0.44 MILES

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