Glorious Docklands

The newly restored steamship "SS Robin" berthed in front of the derelict 20th century Millennium Flour Mills building on the south side of Royal Victoria Dock in Silvertown, London, England. The SS Robin was originally built in Bow Creek, London in 1890 and has been lovingly restored to be now included in the UK Core Collection of the National Historic Ships Register. She will shortly be opened as a museum, theatre and educational centre.
In stark contrast Millennium Mills is a sad shell of a building. Built at the start of the 21st century it was damaged extensively during the First World War and was rebuilt as a 10 storey art deco building in 1933, also undergoing large scale re-construction after the Second World War. The Royal Docks closed in 1981 with most businesses relocating downstream on the River Thames. This is one of the last remaining old buildings in an area that has undergone an enormous re-development in recent years. It has featured in many films, TV dramas and been the backdrop to several music videos, the most recent being Coldplay's "Every Teardrop is a Waterfall".
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