It went up, it very nearly came crashing down, but a resurgent Isle of Dogs is fast becoming much more than a City satellite...

The rise and fall and rise of the Isle of Dogs is a well-documented tale of vast fortunes lost and gained. The doom merchants have been muted somewhat by a fin de siecle boom in demand that has seen an influx of owner occupiers snapping up what were previously pied a terres.

However, despite the kind of growth that would suggest a thriving market, the rocky history of the area, not to mention the spectacular collapses of the early nineties, has given Docklanders a healthy pragmatism.

You won't find many sandwich-board apocalyptics strolling around, but there is little local inclination to shout the upturn in fortunes from the rooftops (a dizzying prospect in any case).

After all, property investors arriving when the Dogs' future was in doubt may have turned a very pretty penny indeed, but many who bought in just before the crash are only just crawling out of negative equity.

With good infrastructure and transport links (including Norman Foster's glorious Canary Wharf tube station) it seems that Docklands' future is rosy. But with public funding running well into eleven figures you would be more than entitled to expect it to be. The cranes are busy again, moving into Leamouth, and multiplex cinemas, restaurants and shopping centres are drawing people from new suburbias like Beckton.

Despite its grand maritime heritage, this is not a place that dwells on the past. Anything built more than ten years ago pretty much qualifies as a period property. And whilst forward-thinking E14 positions itself at the metropolitan cutting edge, a willed forgetting allows it to sweep past embarrassments under the carpet.

Memories of bitter disputes with the dictatorial London Docklands Development Corporation and high profile bankruptcies will fade with the proliferation of new gleaming office blocks, but unfulfilled promises to rejuvenate the deprived districts of Poplar and Millwall will haunt the district a lot longer. Whilst the glass towers continue to hold the reflection of grim council estates, the Isle of Dogs will remain two worlds apart, and be the poorer for it.

Just inside the Western border of E14 sits Limehouse Basin. The attractive clutter of masts here mark out a busy marina, and the basin itself routes into the canal network. It's overlooked by the enormous Marina Heights, a block of swish apartments typical of the area. Most of the residential blocks here are comparatively new, as the basin development was held up whilst a road was tunneled underneath.

Generally speaking, you'll find more conversions in Limehouse than elsewhere in Docklands, where the architectural designs have overwritten rather than renovated. A few old warehouses sit between the modern riverside blocks at Narrow Street. It's a fabulous spot with room for the odd detour into real luxury. Sun Wharf is just one of the homes that hogs a whole warehouse (or four in this case) to itself, with an asking price of several million.

Moving south, those who don't mind a little history seeping into their apartment will find more impressive warehouse conversions at West India Quay. Canary Wharf and the new HSBC building dominate this whole area.

The Starck-designed Four Seasons hotel is part of the Canary Riverside, which also has plentiful supplies of luxurious penthouses. There is no shortage of apartment options, with prices dependent on age, facilities (the usual run down of gyms, health clubs etc) and of course, that all-important view of the water.

Riverside developments fringe Ferry and Manchester Roads around the Isle of Dogs peninsular. Those on the southeastern side have splendid views across to the Millennium Dome: you can make up your own mind if this is a boon or a blot on the landscape from the comfort of your balcony, or at Cumberland Mills, your roof garden.

Inland and on much of the eastern strip sit the less prestigious terraces of council homes, which as to the north at Poplar, occasionally come to the market. Some of the older cottages are fairly attractive and offer cheap deals, but are a world away from the high-rise glamour of Docklands living. Those looking for town house accommodation can pick from the few Wimpey developments around the quays or head out to Beckton, where a mini suburbia is being formed.

Whilst there isn't a great deal of green space, you can easily take the footbridge under the river to Greenwich Park. Docklands itself is flowering with shops, restaurants and entertainment venues. Cabot Place has a fully equipped shopping centre, with its own arts centre. An all-important Tesco Metro provides the essential supply lifeline for locals. There's no need to cook yourself however; Canary Wharf alone has getting on for 30 bars, restaurants and cafes.

For recreation on a grand scale, the Virgin ten screen multiplex at India Quay, and the enormous London Arena (which when it isn't hosting major concerts is home to the London Knights ice hockey team and a rather jazzy sports club) should suffice.

A few public sculptures have made a potter round the Quays more attractive (drivers beware of the bizarre Traffic Light Tree flashing randomly on Herne Quay roundabout!), but the Docklands Sailing and Watersports Centre offer the best way to see the surroundings.

Transport links are now excellent with the West End a mere 15-minute hop along the Jubilee Tube Line. The main train stations routing in and out of the Capital (London Bridge and Waterloo) are nearer still. Locally, the DLR also snakes through the Isle of Dogs. The Limehouse Link provides speedily access to and from Canary Wharf by car, and getting out to the motorway network isn't too bad.

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