London Docklands - February 2011
On the first of the reserve days, Friday the 11th, the 4th form Geography contingent made an excursion to the London docklands to investigate both the urban development taking place in the area and the control of the massive tidal river that is the Thames. This comprised a balanced mix of human and physical geography, the two almost always being interlinked.
The trip had two main geographical themes about it: the human aspect, which was studying the fall of the industrial docklands as industry grew too large for the thin London Thames to contain, and the rise of commercial industry in its place. Canary Wharf was a prime example of this, where banking enterprises have been encouraged to settle by the absence of building restrictions and tax bonuses in order to revitalise the area, after the move of industry to larger ports downstream. The class identified the effects of this, such as improved transport due to busy commutes and the improvement of housing near the commercial centre, where workers earning a lot of money through banking could live near to their workplaces, which also brought up the expansion of restaurants and supermarkets to supply the residential growth.
Later on in the day, the group made their way further East along the South of the Thames, towards the Thames barrier. Started in 1974, finally completed and in service ten years later in 1984, the barrier was constructed to protect London from the Thames, which, being a tidal river, is prone to being affected by the behaviour of the sea and its weather systems and thus poses a threat. With a river capable of flooding large areas, then, the water levels from London upstream have to be protected, and the trip learnt how at the site itself enormous rotating semicircular barriers, weighing over 3,500 tonnes are positioned to block the flow of water, to allow flow, or to maintain a balance between the two.
Alongside many interesting questions asked and answered, and analyses given by both students and teachers (including Mr. Pike’s opinion on the uselessness of the millennium dome, now the O2 arena...), the trip made for an overall enjoyable and relaxing, yet densely informative and challenging day.
Carlos Austin, 4M