Brentford Dock
Encyclopedia
Brentford Dock in, Brentford
, west London
was a major trans-shipment point between the Great Western Railway
(GWR) and barges on the River Thames
. The building of Brentford Dock was started in 1855 and it was formally opened in 1859. The former dock yard
was redeveloped in 1972 and is now Brentford Dock Marina and Brentford Dock Estate.
and both the mouths of the River Brent
. The local heron
s still fish here to this day.
and Grand Junction Canal
, and opposite Kew Gardens. It was constructed to a design by Isambard Kingdom Brunel
. The company also built the Brentford Branch Line
to it from the GWR main line at Southall
, which was originally at 7 ft gauge and terminated at the dock. Construction began in 1855 and was completed in 1859. Brunel's original covered dock was destroyed by fire in 1920 and replaced by an iron and steel structure.
The dock provided a trans-shipment point for goods between the railway network and barges operating on the Thames to the Port of London
.
After World War I
the Thames frontage was adapted for boats of up to 300 tons. Craft using the dock included heavy river barges, canal boats and sailing barges. The dock included customs facilities. It has been claimed that 10% of Britain's trade passed through the dock.
Traffic included coal
, steel
, timber
, wood pulp
, flour
, animal feedstuffs, cork
, general merchandise and in the 1950s Morris cars
from Oxford. Coke
from Southall Gas Works
was carried in daily block trains from Southall to the dock.
The dock closed in 1964. It was redeveloped as housing and a marina in 1972 by the Greater London Council
.
Brentford
Brentford is a suburban town in west London, England, and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It is located at the confluence of the River Thames and the River Brent, west-southwest of Charing Cross. Its former ceremonial county was Middlesex.-Toponymy:...
, west London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
was a major trans-shipment point between the Great Western Railway
Great Western Railway
The Great Western Railway was a British railway company that linked London with the south-west and west of England and most of Wales. It was founded in 1833, received its enabling Act of Parliament in 1835 and ran its first trains in 1838...
(GWR) and barges on the River Thames
River Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
. The building of Brentford Dock was started in 1855 and it was formally opened in 1859. The former dock yard
Dock (maritime)
A dock is a human-made structure or group of structures involved in the handling of boats or ships, usually on or close to a shore.However, the exact meaning varies among different variants of the English language...
was redeveloped in 1972 and is now Brentford Dock Marina and Brentford Dock Estate.
History before 1855
The dock was built on a large island between the River ThamesRiver Thames
The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...
and both the mouths of the River Brent
River Brent
The Brent is a river within Greater London which is a tributary of the River Thames. It is 17.9 miles long, running north-east to south-west, and it joins the Thames on the Tideway at Brentford, Hounslow.- Hydronymy and etymology :...
. The local heron
Heron
The herons are long-legged freshwater and coastal birds in the family Ardeidae. There are 64 recognised species in this family. Some are called "egrets" or "bitterns" instead of "heron"....
s still fish here to this day.
Brentford Dock
Brentford Dock was built by Great Western and Brentford Railway Company (later part of the GWR), to the south of the mouth of the River BrentRiver Brent
The Brent is a river within Greater London which is a tributary of the River Thames. It is 17.9 miles long, running north-east to south-west, and it joins the Thames on the Tideway at Brentford, Hounslow.- Hydronymy and etymology :...
and Grand Junction Canal
Grand Junction Canal
The Grand Junction Canal is a canal in England from Braunston in Northamptonshire to the River Thames at Brentford, with a number of branches. The mainline was built between 1793 and 1805, to improve the route from the Midlands to London, by-passing the upper reaches of the River Thames near Oxford...
, and opposite Kew Gardens. It was constructed to a design by Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Isambard Kingdom Brunel
Isambard Kingdom Brunel, FRS , was a British civil engineer who built bridges and dockyards including the construction of the first major British railway, the Great Western Railway; a series of steamships, including the first propeller-driven transatlantic steamship; and numerous important bridges...
. The company also built the Brentford Branch Line
Brentford Branch Line
The Brentford Branch Line was built in west London, by the Great Western and Brentford Railway Company which was incorporated by Act of Parliament in 1855. The line was opened on 18 July 1859 and operated by the Great Western Railway from the outset...
to it from the GWR main line at Southall
Southall
Southall is a large suburban district of west London, England, and part of the London Borough of Ealing. It is situated west of Charing Cross. Neighbouring places include Yeading, Hayes, Hanwell, Heston, Hounslow, Greenford and Northolt...
, which was originally at 7 ft gauge and terminated at the dock. Construction began in 1855 and was completed in 1859. Brunel's original covered dock was destroyed by fire in 1920 and replaced by an iron and steel structure.
The dock provided a trans-shipment point for goods between the railway network and barges operating on the Thames to the Port of London
Port of London
The Port of London lies along the banks of the River Thames from London, England to the North Sea. Once the largest port in the world, it is currently the United Kingdom's second largest port, after Grimsby & Immingham...
.
After World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
the Thames frontage was adapted for boats of up to 300 tons. Craft using the dock included heavy river barges, canal boats and sailing barges. The dock included customs facilities. It has been claimed that 10% of Britain's trade passed through the dock.
Traffic included coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
, steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
, timber
Timber
Timber may refer to:* Timber, a term common in the United Kingdom and Australia for wood materials * Timber, Oregon, an unincorporated community in the U.S...
, wood pulp
Wood pulp
Pulp is a lignocellulosic fibrous material prepared by chemically or mechanically separating cellulose fibres from wood, fibre crops or waste paper. Wood pulp is the most common raw material in papermaking.-History:...
, flour
Flour
Flour is a powder which is made by grinding cereal grains, other seeds or roots . It is the main ingredient of bread, which is a staple food for many cultures, making the availability of adequate supplies of flour a major economic and political issue at various times throughout history...
, animal feedstuffs, cork
Cork (material)
Cork is an impermeable, buoyant material, a prime-subset of bark tissue that is harvested for commercial use primarily from Quercus suber , which is endemic to southwest Europe and northwest Africa...
, general merchandise and in the 1950s Morris cars
Morris Motor Company
The Morris Motor Company was a British car manufacturing company. After the incorporation of the company into larger corporations, the Morris name remained in use as a marque until 1984 when British Leyland's Austin Rover Group decided to concentrate on the more popular Austin marque...
from Oxford. Coke
Coke (fuel)
Coke is the solid carbonaceous material derived from destructive distillation of low-ash, low-sulfur bituminous coal. Cokes from coal are grey, hard, and porous. While coke can be formed naturally, the commonly used form is man-made.- History :...
from Southall Gas Works
Southall Gas Works
Southall Gas Works is a site of around in Southall, west London, formerly occupied by a plant for the manufacture of town gas. Today a much reduced site is used for the pressure reduction and storage of natural gas and the remainder of the site is the subject of planning proposals.-Location:The...
was carried in daily block trains from Southall to the dock.
The dock closed in 1964. It was redeveloped as housing and a marina in 1972 by the Greater London Council
Greater London Council
The Greater London Council was the top-tier local government administrative body for Greater London from 1965 to 1986. It replaced the earlier London County Council which had covered a much smaller area...
.
Brentford Dock Estate
Construction work for the Brentford Dock (housing) Estate housing estate began in 1972 and was the project was completed in 1978.Brentford Dock Marina
The construction of Brentford Dock Marina started in 1978 and the official opening was on on 7 August 1980. Sir Horace Cutler, head of what was then the GLC (Greater London Council), sailed up river from County Hall on the boat Princess Freda.External links and mapping
- Brentford Lock Residents - History
- http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=51.48179,-0.30223&spn=0.01,0.01&t=h&q=51.48179,-0.30223 A 2011 satellite image.
- .
- http://www.npemap.org.uk/tiles/map.html#519,177,1 1940 O.S. map.
- http://www.old-maps.co.uk/maps.html?txtXCoord=517989&txtYCoord=177236 1904 O.S. map
- http://visionofbritain.org.uk/maps/results.jsp?xCenter=3311215.918289&yCenter=2792347.6676756&scale=63360&mapLayer=europe&subLayer=new_pop&title=Ordnance%20Survey%20Popular%20and%20New%20Popular%20Editions 1940 O.S. Map.
- http://visionofbritain.org.uk/maps/results.jsp?xCenter=3311215.918289&yCenter=2792347.6676756&scale=63360&mapLayer=nineteenth&subLayer=first_edition&title=Ordnance%20Survey%20and%20Ordnance%20Survey%20of%20Scotland%20First%20Series 1856 O.S. map
- http://www.ponies.me.uk/maps/osmap.html?z=14&x=-0.30223&y=51.48179 1925 O.S. map.
- http://streetmap.co.uk/grid/517879_177291_106 2010 street map.
- http://magic.defra.gov.uk/website/magic/viewer.htm?startTopic=maggb&latlongref=51.48179,-0.30223 A DEFRA environmental map.
- http://streetmap.co.uk/grid/517879_177291_120 A 2010 O.S. map.