Port of Tilbury
Encyclopedia
The Port of Tilbury is located on the River Thames
at Tilbury
in Essex
, England
. It is the principal port for London
; as well as being the main United Kingdom
port for handling the importation of paper
. There are extensive facilities for containers
, grain
, and other bulk cargoes. There are also facilities for the importation of cars. It forms part of the wider Port of London
.
was a huge area of marshland. Gravesend
on the opposite shore had long been a port of entry for shipping, all of which had used the river itself for loading and unloading of cargo and passengers. There was also a naval dockyard at Northfleet
. The new deepwater docks were an extension of all that maritime activity.
, were opened in stages by what was to become the East and West India Docks Company
(E&WIDC) at the beginning of the 19th century. With the coming of the railways and increasing ship size, location close to the centre of London became less important than access to deep water, unrestricted sites and reduction in time spent travelling up the winding Thames. The Company had long been in competition with their rival, the London and St Catherine Dock Company (L&StCDC), and had been doing all it could to dominate it. The opening of the Royal Albert Dock
by the L&StCDC, with its deepwater quayage, in 1880 had given access to the Thames at Gallions Reach, 11 miles (17.7 km) by river below London Bridge and downstream of the then principal London docks. The E&IWDC were forced to retaliate.
In 1882, an Act of Parliament
allowed the latter to construct the docks at Tilbury; work began a fortnight later, and the first vessel to enter the docks was on 17 April 1886. This was the Glenfruin carrying the official party for the opening ceremony The opening of the dock took place at the beginning of the steamship era, and its location soon proved to be the correct one.
The original docks consisted of a tidal basin on Gravesend Reach opposite Northfleet
, connected by a lock to a main dock with three side branches named East, Central and West Branch docks. Between the tidal basin and Main Dock were two dry docks.
(PLA).
In 1921, and again in 1929, the PLA carried out major improvements. These included a new lock 1000 feet (304.8 m) long and 110 ft (33.5 m) wide, linking the docks directly to the Thames to the west at Northfleet Hope, and a third dry dock, 752 ft (229.2 m) and 110 ft (33.5 m).
During the 1960s, at the time when the upstream docks were closing, the PLA further extended the Tilbury dock facilities. Between 1963-1966
a huge fourth branch dock, running north from Main Dock for nearly a mile, was constructed. The tidal basin was closed and eventually filled in. In 1969 a £6m riverside grain terminal on Northfleet Hope (at the time the largest in Europe) was brought into use. By the early 1980s Tilbury was the last set of enclosed docks in operation by the PLA.
The first container service began in 1970, and Tilbury was soon to become the largest container port in the UK; in 1978 a deep water riverside berth was opened for large container ships on reclaimed land at Northfleet Hope.
organisation, the PLA retaining the role of managing the tidal Thames.
Today the port handles a variety of bulk cargo, timber, cars and container
traffic and remains, along with Southampton
and Felixstowe
, one of Britain's three major container ports. It is the main UK port for importing paper including newsprint
.
The Port of Tilbury Police
, among the oldest of such forces in the UK, are responsible for the security of the Port.
. Tilbury became the only port in the PLA to serve cruise liners, when, in 1916, it opened berths specifically for the P&O within the dock complex. With the need for expanded facilities, a large new passenger landing stage was constructed in the Thames jointly by the PLA and the London Midland and Scottish Railway, with rail connections. It was opened in May 1930 by Ramsay MacDonald
.
Tilbury operated as London's passenger liner
terminal until the 1960s. For many people Tilbury was their point of emigration to Australia under an assisted passage scheme established and operated by the Australian Government. The 'Ten Pound Poms
' as they were known in Australia, embarked on to ships such as RMS Mooltan
and set off for a new life. Tilbury was also a port of entry for many immigrants; among them being a large group of West Indians
on the Empire Windrush in 1948. The passenger landing stage was reopened by the Port of Tilbury group as the London Cruise Terminal, though no longer served by the railway.
Smaller cruise ships often dock or moor up-river in London. When tides or construction compromises their scheduled arrival, they may use this terminal instead.
, who was killed there in an accident on 16 September 1972. Rolf Harris
visited the Docks during a TV episode of Rolf On Art, when he recreated J M W Turner's famous painting The Fighting Temeraire
.
The Docks stood in for Venetian waterways during the boat-chase scene in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
; and scenes from Batman Begins
were also filmed there, as was a scene in the 2004 Jude Law
film Alfie
. The Docks were also used in 1975 as the setting of John Wayne
's smuggler-busting operation in Brannigan
.
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,...
at Tilbury
Tilbury
Tilbury is a town in the borough of Thurrock, Essex, England. As a settlement it is of relatively recent existence, although it has important historical connections, being the location of a 16th century fort and an ancient cross-river ferry...
in Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. It is the principal port for 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...
; as well as being the main United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
port for handling the importation of paper
Paper
Paper is a thin material mainly used for writing upon, printing upon, drawing or for packaging. It is produced by pressing together moist fibers, typically cellulose pulp derived from wood, rags or grasses, and drying them into flexible sheets....
. There are extensive facilities for containers
Containerization
Containerization is a system of freight transport based on a range of steel intermodal containers...
, grain
Cereal
Cereals are grasses cultivated for the edible components of their grain , composed of the endosperm, germ, and bran...
, and other bulk cargoes. There are also facilities for the importation of cars. It forms part of the wider 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...
.
Geography
The Port of Tilbury lies on the north shore of the River Thames, 25 miles (40.2 km) below London Bridge, at a point where the river makes a loop southwards, and where its width narrows to 800 yards. The loop is part of the Thames lower reaches: within the meanderMeander
A meander in general is a bend in a sinuous watercourse. A meander is formed when the moving water in a stream erodes the outer banks and widens its valley. A stream of any volume may assume a meandering course, alternately eroding sediments from the outside of a bend and depositing them on the...
was a huge area of marshland. Gravesend
Gravesend, Kent
Gravesend is a town in northwest Kent, England, on the south bank of the Thames, opposite Tilbury in Essex. It is the administrative town of the Borough of Gravesham and, because of its geographical position, has always had an important role to play in the history and communications of this part of...
on the opposite shore had long been a port of entry for shipping, all of which had used the river itself for loading and unloading of cargo and passengers. There was also a naval dockyard at Northfleet
Northfleet
Northfleet is a town in the Borough of Gravesham in Kent, England. Its name is derived from North creek , and the settlement on the shore of the River Thames adjacent to Gravesend was known as Norfluet in the Domesday Book, and Northflet in 1201...
. The new deepwater docks were an extension of all that maritime activity.
Construction
The original docks of London, all built close to the CityCity of London
The City of London is a small area within Greater London, England. It is the historic core of London around which the modern conurbation grew and has held city status since time immemorial. The City’s boundaries have remained almost unchanged since the Middle Ages, and it is now only a tiny part of...
, were opened in stages by what was to become the East and West India Docks Company
East India Docks
The East India Docks was a group of docks in Blackwall, east London, north-east of the Isle of Dogs. Today only the entrance basin remains.-History:...
(E&WIDC) at the beginning of the 19th century. With the coming of the railways and increasing ship size, location close to the centre of London became less important than access to deep water, unrestricted sites and reduction in time spent travelling up the winding Thames. The Company had long been in competition with their rival, the London and St Catherine Dock Company (L&StCDC), and had been doing all it could to dominate it. The opening of the Royal Albert Dock
Royal Albert Dock
The Royal Albert Dock is one of three docks in the Royal Group of Docks of east London, now part of the redeveloped Docklands.-History:The dock was constructed to the east of the earlier Victoria Dock by the St Katharine and London dock companies and opened in 1880...
by the L&StCDC, with its deepwater quayage, in 1880 had given access to the Thames at Gallions Reach, 11 miles (17.7 km) by river below London Bridge and downstream of the then principal London docks. The E&IWDC were forced to retaliate.
In 1882, an Act of Parliament
Act of Parliament
An Act of Parliament is a statute enacted as primary legislation by a national or sub-national parliament. In the Republic of Ireland the term Act of the Oireachtas is used, and in the United States the term Act of Congress is used.In Commonwealth countries, the term is used both in a narrow...
allowed the latter to construct the docks at Tilbury; work began a fortnight later, and the first vessel to enter the docks was on 17 April 1886. This was the Glenfruin carrying the official party for the opening ceremony The opening of the dock took place at the beginning of the steamship era, and its location soon proved to be the correct one.
The new docks
Northfleet
Northfleet is a town in the Borough of Gravesham in Kent, England. Its name is derived from North creek , and the settlement on the shore of the River Thames adjacent to Gravesend was known as Norfluet in the Domesday Book, and Northflet in 1201...
, connected by a lock to a main dock with three side branches named East, Central and West Branch docks. Between the tidal basin and Main Dock were two dry docks.
Docks expansion
In 1909 Tilbury, along with the upstream docks, became part of the newly-established Port of London AuthorityPort of London Authority
The Port of London Authority is a self-funding public trust established in 1908 by the Port of London Act to govern the Port of London. Its responsibility extends over the Tideway of the River Thames and the authority is responsible for the public right of navigation and for conservancy of the...
(PLA).
In 1921, and again in 1929, the PLA carried out major improvements. These included a new lock 1000 feet (304.8 m) long and 110 ft (33.5 m) wide, linking the docks directly to the Thames to the west at Northfleet Hope, and a third dry dock, 752 ft (229.2 m) and 110 ft (33.5 m).
During the 1960s, at the time when the upstream docks were closing, the PLA further extended the Tilbury dock facilities. Between 1963-1966
a huge fourth branch dock, running north from Main Dock for nearly a mile, was constructed. The tidal basin was closed and eventually filled in. In 1969 a £6m riverside grain terminal on Northfleet Hope (at the time the largest in Europe) was brought into use. By the early 1980s Tilbury was the last set of enclosed docks in operation by the PLA.
The first container service began in 1970, and Tilbury was soon to become the largest container port in the UK; in 1978 a deep water riverside berth was opened for large container ships on reclaimed land at Northfleet Hope.
The port today
In 1992 the port was privatised and is part of the Forth PortsForth Ports
Forth Ports Limited is one of the largest port operators in the United Kingdom. It is based in Edinburgh, Scotland, which is situated on the Firth of Forth...
organisation, the PLA retaining the role of managing the tidal Thames.
Today the port handles a variety of bulk cargo, timber, cars and container
Containerization
Containerization is a system of freight transport based on a range of steel intermodal containers...
traffic and remains, along with Southampton
Southampton
Southampton is the largest city in the county of Hampshire on the south coast of England, and is situated south-west of London and north-west of Portsmouth. Southampton is a major port and the closest city to the New Forest...
and Felixstowe
Port of Felixstowe
The Port of Felixstowe, in Felixstowe, Suffolk is the UK's busiest container port, dealing with 35% of the country's container cargo. It was developed following the abandonment of a project for a deep-water harbour at Maplin Sands. In 2005, it was ranked as the 28th busiest container port in the...
, one of Britain's three major container ports. It is the main UK port for importing paper including newsprint
Newsprint
Newsprint is a low-cost, non-archival paper most commonly used to print newspapers, and other publications and advertising material. It usually has an off-white cast and distinctive feel. It is designed for use in printing presses that employ a long web of paper rather than individual sheets of...
.
The Port of Tilbury Police
Port of Tilbury Police
The Port of Tilbury Police is a small, specialised police force responsible for policing the Port of Tilbury, owned by the Port of Tilbury London Ltd, a subsidiary of Forth Ports plc. Known before 1992 as the Port of London Authority Police, at over 200 years old, it claims to be the oldest police...
, among the oldest of such forces in the UK, are responsible for the security of the Port.
London Cruise Terminal
One of the shipping lines using the docks was the P&OPeninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company
The Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company, which is usually known as P&O, is a British shipping and logistics company which dated from the early 19th century. Following its sale in March 2006 to Dubai Ports World for £3.9 billion, it became a subsidiary of DP World; however, the P&O...
. Tilbury became the only port in the PLA to serve cruise liners, when, in 1916, it opened berths specifically for the P&O within the dock complex. With the need for expanded facilities, a large new passenger landing stage was constructed in the Thames jointly by the PLA and the London Midland and Scottish Railway, with rail connections. It was opened in May 1930 by Ramsay MacDonald
Ramsay MacDonald
James Ramsay MacDonald, PC, FRS was a British politician who was the first ever Labour Prime Minister, leading a minority government for two terms....
.
Tilbury operated as London's passenger liner
Ocean liner
An ocean liner is a ship designed to transport people from one seaport to another along regular long-distance maritime routes according to a schedule. Liners may also carry cargo or mail, and may sometimes be used for other purposes .Cargo vessels running to a schedule are sometimes referred to as...
terminal until the 1960s. For many people Tilbury was their point of emigration to Australia under an assisted passage scheme established and operated by the Australian Government. The 'Ten Pound Poms
Ten Pound Poms
Ten Pound Poms is a colloquial term used in Australia to describe British subjects who migrated to Australia after the Second World War under an assisted passage scheme established and operated by the Government of Australia.The scheme, a follow-on to the unofficial Big Brother Movement,...
' as they were known in Australia, embarked on to ships such as RMS Mooltan
RMS Mooltan
The Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company placed the order for RMS Mooltan with Harland and Wolff Ltd on 29 November 1918. On the same date, an order was placed for her sister ship RMS Maloja. RMS Mooltan was given the yard #587 and work began on her in the Belfast shipyard. She was...
and set off for a new life. Tilbury was also a port of entry for many immigrants; among them being a large group of West Indians
British West Indies
The British West Indies was a term used to describe the islands in and around the Caribbean that were part of the British Empire The term was sometimes used to include British Honduras and British Guiana, even though these territories are not geographically part of the Caribbean...
on the Empire Windrush in 1948. The passenger landing stage was reopened by the Port of Tilbury group as the London Cruise Terminal, though no longer served by the railway.
Smaller cruise ships often dock or moor up-river in London. When tides or construction compromises their scheduled arrival, they may use this terminal instead.
People
Near the Dockmaster's office, on New Lock, is a memorial to Captain Peter de Neumann, GMPeter de Neumann
Commander Bernard Peter de Neumann GM RN was a British sailor, convicted pirate, and dockmaster....
, who was killed there in an accident on 16 September 1972. Rolf Harris
Rolf Harris
Rolf Harris, CBE, AM is an Australian musician, singer-songwriter, composer, painter and television personality.Born in Perth, Western Australia, Harris was a champion swimmer before studying art. He moved to England in 1952, where he started to appear on television programmes on which he drew the...
visited the Docks during a TV episode of Rolf On Art, when he recreated J M W Turner's famous painting The Fighting Temeraire
The Fighting Temeraire
The Fighting Temeraire tugged to her last Berth to be broken up, 1838 is an oil painting executed in 1839 by the English artist J. M. W. Turner...
.
Tilbury Docks in film
The port has been used as a location for several films.The Docks stood in for Venetian waterways during the boat-chase scene in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade is a 1989 American adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg, from a story co-written by executive producer George Lucas. It is the third film in the Indiana Jones franchise. Harrison Ford reprises the title role and Sean Connery plays Indiana's father, Henry...
; and scenes from Batman Begins
Batman Begins
Batman Begins is a 2005 American superhero action film based on the fictional DC Comics character Batman, directed by Christopher Nolan. It stars Christian Bale as Batman, along with Michael Caine, Gary Oldman, Liam Neeson, Katie Holmes, Cillian Murphy, Morgan Freeman, Ken Watanabe, Tom Wilkinson,...
were also filmed there, as was a scene in the 2004 Jude Law
Jude Law
David Jude Heyworth Law , known professionally as Jude Law, is an English actor, film producer and director.He began acting with the National Youth Music Theatre in 1987, and had his first television role in 1989...
film Alfie
Alfie (2004 film)
Alfie is a 2004 British/American comedy-drama film based on the 1966 British film of the same name, starring Jude Law as the title character, originally played by Michael Caine. The film was written, directed and produced by Charles Shyer.-Plot:...
. The Docks were also used in 1975 as the setting of John Wayne
John Wayne
Marion Mitchell Morrison , better known by his stage name John Wayne, was an American film actor, director and producer. He epitomized rugged masculinity and became an enduring American icon. He is famous for his distinctive calm voice, walk, and height...
's smuggler-busting operation in Brannigan
Brannigan (film)
Brannigan is a British action film set principally in London, directed by Douglas Hickox, and starring John Wayne and Richard Attenborough...
.