The aim of the trip, which is part of the Year 9 Geography curriculum, is to assess the success of the Docklands regeneration, following the relocation to Tilbury in the early 1980s.
Preparation for the trip involved investigating why the docks closed, and the impact this was likely to have on the inhabitants of the local area.
Setting off soon after 7am, we arrived at Beckton (the terminus for the Docklands Light Railway) around 11am on the quickest of the journeys. There, we analysed the urban environment before taking the DLR to Canary Wharf. Walking around the area allowed the boys to analyse the quality of the built environment and consider the attraction of the area to commerce and workers.
From Canary Wharf we moved on to Greenwich, via the foot tunnel under the Thames, and took the river taxi to Tower Bridge. St. Katherine’s Dock, Butler’s Wharf apartments and Tower Bridge were initial stops before walking through Wapping to Shadwell, considering the reduction in quality of housing and amenities – that is, seeing ‘how the other half live’! Passing by 1930s tenements and 1970s tower blocks revealed a very different side to the Docklands development, and was in sharp contrast.
From there, it was back onto the DLR for the trip back to Beckton and the coach ride back to Nottingham – via the motorway service station with fast-food aplenty, of course!
