From 1855 until 1981, London's Royal Docks ushered prosperity and diversity into the city. Now, after decades of decline and neglect, £3.5bn is being spent on redeveloping the area.
But the past is not forgotten; thanks to heritage project Forgotten Stories, the docks' past is recalled with a series of videos exploring those who lived and worked there. Here's a selection of the best yarns.
A story about the Kray brothers, by George Horncastle, who worked on the docks in the 1950s and 60s.
Stan Dyson, who grew up at Westward Road, describes the aromas of Silvertown, some of which were pleasant, others, definitely not.
Two dock workers accidentally drank embalming fluid once. Bill Fleming recalls the incident.
Patricia Holland discusses the strikes that occurred, due to shipments coming in with asbestos.
The time a piano was loaded onto a ship, and the fun the dock workers had with it, as told by Jimmy Childs.
Stan Dyson reminisces about getting into trouble at his first job after buying an air rifle.
You can watch the rest of the videos in the series on the Your Royal Docks YouTube channel and find out more about the project on the website.
