In Medieval times, the Isle of Dogs was known as Stepney Marsh and in the 13th Century was drained to support meadows and pastures as well as cornfield.

The name Isle of Dogs supposedly came about because there were royal kennels in the area.

In the late 1500's, the Port of London was alive with activity, trade was expanding and Docklands became a point of departure for merchant ventures - in 1620 the Mayflower set sail from Rotherhithe to America.

In 1802 the West India Docks opened and were considered to be the country's greatest civil engineering structure of its day.

The great stretch of docks from St. Katharine's by the Tower of London, past Surrey Commercial Docks, through the East and West Indies and the Royal Docks to Barking was the world's largest port. These docks grew and developed over 200 years.

Growth was particularly fast in the 19th Century. It was an area which enjoyed a unique lifestyle based on the growth and prosperity of traditional port activities including ship repair, heavy engineering, food processing, warehousing and distribution. Industries grew based on the import of raw materials such as tobacco, timber and animal skins.

In July 1921 the King George V Dock in the Royal Docks was opened by the King.

By the 1930's the Port of London carried 35 million tons of cargo, worth approximately £700m carried by 55,000 ship movements and served by more than 10,000 lighters.

100,000 dockers and ancillary workers were dependent on the Port of London Authority (PLA) for employment, of whom over 30,000 were actually employed by the PLA itself.

Mass bombings of Docklands begin during the Second World War - including Black Saturday, 7th September: 430 dead, 1,600 seriously injured, 10,000 homeless

1961 saw the peak year for the docks when over 60 million tons of cargo was handled.

Until the mid 1960's, Canary Wharf was a cargo warehouse at the centre of West India Docks at the heart of Docklands. With the exception of the buildings at West India Quay all the original warehouses on the Isle of Dogs have been removed.

New technology and containerisation meant that London Docklands couldn't keep up with its competitors and by the early 1970's most of the docks had closed - West India Dock closed in 1980.

In 1971 the PLA employed 6,000 people and only 3,000 by 1981.

Between 1966 and 1976 the five London Docklands boroughs lost 150,000 jobs. This represented 20% of all jobs in the area. This can be compared to 2% for the whole of Great Britain.

The Port of London Authority closed the East India Dock in 1967 and St. Katharine and London Docks in 1968.

During the 1970's there was massive disinvestment in Docklands as businesses closed or moved away with the progressive closure of the dock system.

Between 1978 and 1980 the PLA closed the West India and Millwall Docks.

The London Docklands Development Corporation ( www.lddc-history.org.uk ) was created by the local Government Planning and Land Act 1980. It's job was to secure regeneration by:

Bringing land and buildings into use

Encouraging industry and commerce

Creating an attractive environment

Assisting in the provision of housing and social facilities to encourage people to live and work in the area.

The PLA close the Royal Docks.

Speaking of the plight of London Docklands in 1981, the Environment Secretary Michael Heseltine said

">"The area displays more acutely and extensively than any area in England the physical decline of the urban city and the need for urban regeneration. It represents a major opportunity for the development that London needs over the last twenty years of the 20th Century: new housing, new environments, new industrial developments, new architecture - all calculated to bring these barren areas back into more valuable use."

London Docklands stretches 8 miles eastwards from Tower Bridge.

The Isle of Dogs becomes an Enterprise Zone which offered tax allowances to both investors and developers. The enterprise zone designation had a 10 year life cycle.

G Ware Travelstead proposed building a 10 million sq. ft office complex on Canary Wharf. G Ware Travelstead was unable to fund his scheme and it was taken over by North American developers Olympia & York.

Following detailed negotiations with Olympia & York Canary Wharf Ltd., the Private Bill for the extension to Bank on the Docklands Light Railway was deposited, receiving Royal Assent in Nov. 1986. The extension opened in 1991.

Docklands Light Railway opened. London City Airport opened. Canary Wharf contract signed. The Newham Compact signed. Daily Telegraph and Guardian move from Fleet Street to the Isle of Dogs.

The master building agreement was signed between Olympia & York and the LDDC ( www.lddc-history.org.uk ) for a 12.2 million sq. ft. development at Canary Wharf

London City Airport opened for business.

Docklands Light Railway starts running, Britain's first ever automated light rail transit system.

Construction begins at Canary Wharf.

The steel pyramid is placed on One Canada Square.

First tenants move to Canary Wharf (State Street).

Telegraph Group Ltd move into One Canada Square.

Olympia & York Canary Wharf Ltd. goes into Administration.

Olympia & York Canary Wharf Limited exits from Administration, renamed Canary Wharf Limited.

Jubilee Line Extension construction starts at Canary Wharf.

Working population approximately 7,000.

15 shops and restaurants.

Working population approximately 12,800

27 shops and restaurants.

Live TV starts broadcasting from Canary Wharf.

Docklands Light Railways weekend service commences.

Sale of Canary Wharf to international consortium completed. Principal investors: Paul Reichmann; CNA Financial Corporation (83% owned by Loews Corporation); Franklin Mutual Series Fund; Affiliates of Republic New York Corporation; HRH Prince Al Waleed bin Talal bin Abdulaziz al Saud.

Canary Wharf is 75% leased.

Working population approximately 13,000.

42 shops and restaurants.

Working population approximately 14,000

Hotel Properties Ltd, Pidemco Land Ltd and Canary Wharf Limited sign joint venture agreement to develop Canary Riverside.

Working population approximately 25,000.

Canary Wharf existing buildings are 99.5% let.

Boots become the first retailer to sign for the new Canada Place shopping mall at Canary Wharf.

Canary Wharf floats on London Stock Exchange.

Canary Wharf’s Jubilee Line station opens on 24th September

Docklands Light Railway extension to Lewisham opens.

Jubilee Line Extension opens through to Green Park, completing its through route from Stanmore to Stratford.

Working population approximately 27,000.

90 shops and restaurants.

Canada Place retail mall opened on 28th March 100% pre-let.

Working population approximately 35,000.

Working population approximately 41,000.

The first Green Canary Day is held to promote environmental awareness in the workplace. This new initiative, set up by Canary Wharf Group, is a free event featuring a series of displays and exhibition stands.

Working population approximately 55,000.

A third retail mall opens to the public on 18 July 2003. 38 shops, bars and restaurants open at Jubilee Place, an additional 89,500 sq ft retail mall. Marks & Spencer Food is the anchor store.

The East Wintergarden, a new events venue, opens. This glass-covered atrium, designed by Cesar Pelli, is a unique space accommodating up to approximately 800 people. It features a 27-metre high arched glass roof structure, 682 sq m of uninterrupted Italian marble floor and steamed beech wooden wall panelling.

Working population approximately 60,000.

There are now over 200 shops, bars and restaurants on the estate.

London Pedicabs launches a new free, sustainable transport
initiative at Canary Wharf.

On 21 May the Songbird Acquisition Limited ('SAL') offer for Canary Wharf Group plc, the ultimate parent company of the Canary Wharf group of companies, was declared wholly unconditional.

When the SAL offer closed on 15 July 2004, SAL, together with its parent company Songbird Estates plc, held 66.3% of Canary Wharf Group plc. Canary Wharf Group plc was delisted from the London Stock Exchange.

Working population approximately 64,000.

British Waterways names Canary Wharf Group as the preferred partner in its re-development of the Wood Wharf site, which lies adjacent to the Eastern side of the Canary Wharf estate. The masterplan scheme will be approximately 5 million sq ft of mixed commercial, residential and retail.

Canary Wharf becomes Europe's largest business district to offer WiFi technology.

Working population approximately 82,000.

Construction re-commences at Canary Wharf with agreement reached to construct 4 new buildings.

Working population approximately 90,000.

Formed a joint venture with Morgan Stanley Real Estate Fund V (MSREF V) and Exemplar Developments LLP, on behalf of Omega Land BV to undertake the redevelopment of the 300,000 sq ft Drapers Gardens scheme in the City of London and also acquired 20% of the share capital in the companies that own the property.

The Government agreed to finance Crossrail and we reached an agreement to design, build, finance and contribute to the new Crossrail station at Canary Wharf.

Working population approximately 93,000.