Thriving port, derelict wasteland, contemporary vibrant business centre: few places in Britain have seen such extreme changes of fortune as London's Docklands.This book reveals the area's mysteries and secrets, such as the launch site of the Great Eastern, where pink pigeons were a common sight, where to find a piece of Britain's first iron-clad frigate, and how Mudchute got its name. It also explores oddities of the twenty-first century among them a floating church, a transporter bridge, a blue flying saucer, and a roof garden at ground level and, of course, the eye-popping architecture for which the district has become famous.Full directions are provided, making this an invaluable guide for those wishing to visit this remarkable area for themselves.