Sited very close to the Prime Meridian , the garden is arranged as a microcosm of the world , with Asian plants to the east , North , Central and South American plants to the west , and – of course – lots of fynbos and other African plants to the south . Many of these plants , such as sugar , spices , tea , coffee , cocoa , hemp , cotton and rubber , would have formed the bulk of the imports unloaded at these very docks 200 years ago . And that brings us to the history of this site – the rise and fall of the Isle of Dogs .
The Isle of Dogs and the London Docklands were once one of the busiest parts of the city , as they handled the shipping that launched Britain as a global imperial power – the trading in sugar , steel , slaves , opium , tea , spices , ceramics , gold , diamonds , silks , cottons , and British wool . But by the 1970s , the world had changed . Britannia no longer ruled the waves , and the cargo vessels of yore had been replaced by unromantic but efficient container vessels and bulk tankers that needed deeper access and bigger docks . By the 1980s , almost all the shipping business had moved , industries followed , and largescale unemployment , urban decay and crime filled the gap .
Despite remaining derelict , the land was extremely valuable , and was owned by many different companies who were reluctant to either sell or gentrify . This was until , in 1987 , Canadian company Olympia & York , under the auspices of Paul Reichmann , took over the mammoth task of instilling life and money in the area .
In 1988 , construction began on One Canada Square , which is now the second tallest building in England . This iconic skyscraper rapidly became a magnet for commercial business looking to expand out of the city centre , and Barclays Bank moved its entire staff complement of 7000 to a new 93 000-square-metre tower on the estate . Today , the 33-storey Barclays building sits very well on the site , in the middle of the dock and surrounded by water on two sides and five large atria on the south elevation .
“ Barclays had been in the City of London for close on 300 years , so the move to Canary Wharf was a brave leap , but a highly successful one ,” says Brian Teale , of Barclays Bank . “ Canary Wharf was selected for economic and operational benefits , enabling the bank to consolidate its entire London operations in one single location ,” he explains . Summing up , he concludes “ Canary Wharf is a great place to work . It ’ s safe , clean and exciting , with great facilities , restaurants , bars and shopping – and all on the water . It has excellent communication links , and 100 000 people go there every day . It is a second financial district supporting the City of London .”
Canary Wharf is more than just a great place to live , work and relax . A key success of the development is its ability to increase workforce productivity and keep retention rates high . When Clifford Chance , the world ’ s largest law firm , moved its offices out of the city of London and into Canary Wharf in
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