The Gravesend–Tilbury Ferry is a passenger ferry across the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, se ...

east of London. It is the last public crossing point before the

Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...

reaches the sea.

History

''See also notes on

Tilbury Tilbury is a port town in the borough of Thurrock, Essex, England. The present town was established as separate settlement in the late 19th century, on land that was mainly part of Chadwell St Mary. It contains a 16th century fort and an ancie ...

Gravesend-Tilbury passenger ferry 'Gertrude' (1906)

There were many ferries crossing the Thames in the area around Tilbury: one such operated between Higham and

East Tilbury East Tilbury is a village and former civil parish in the unitary authority of Thurrock borough, Essex, England, and one of the traditional Church of England parishes in Thurrock. In 1931 the parish had a population of 353. History In Saxon ti ...

. This was owned by the Manor of South Hall in East Tilbury which itself was owned by

Rochester Bridge Rochester Bridge in Rochester, Medway was for centuries the lowest fixed crossing of the River Medway in South East England. There have been several generations of bridge at this spot, and the current "bridge" is in fact four separate bridges ...

. The principal ferry operated between

West Tilbury West Tilbury is a village and former civil parish on the top of and on the sides of a tall river terrace overlooking the River Thames. Part of the modern town of Tilbury (including part of Tilbury Fort) is within the traditional parish of West ...

and

Gravesend Gravesend is a town in northwest Kent, England, situated 21 miles (35 km) east-southeast of Charing Cross (central London) on the Bank (geography), south bank of the River Thames and opposite Tilbury in Essex. Located in the diocese of Ro ...

and was under the ownership of the

Lord of the Manor Lord of the Manor is a title that, in Anglo-Saxon England, referred to the landholder of a rural estate. The lord enjoyed manorial rights (the rights to establish and occupy a residence, known as the manor house and demesne) as well as seig ...

of Parrock in

Milton-next-Gravesend Milton-next-Gravesend is an ecclesiastical parish in the north-west of Kent, England, which is now part of the Gravesend built-up area. History Feudal ownership of land in the parish was the subject of a legal action of 1076, ''Abbot Scotland ...

. A sketch-map of 1571 shows evidence of two jetties, the one on the north bank leading to a northward road crossing the marsh. There are also houses marked on the marsh itself, which was important for sheep grazing; and there is some evidence to suggest that the ferry was used for the cross-river transport of animals and wool. Although the 17th-century drawing might suggest a boat too small for large consignments, the long-established Gravesend market encouraged such traffic, and a contemporary account suggests that one of the boats used was a

hoy Hoy ( sco, Hoy; from Norse , meaning "high island") is an island in Orkney, Scotland, measuring – the second largest in the archipelago, after Mainland. A natural causeway, ''the Ayre'', links the island to the smaller South Walls; the tw ...

, a forerunner of the

Thames sailing barge A Thames sailing barge is a type of commercial sailing boat once common on the River Thames in London. The flat-bottomed barges with a shallow draught and leeboards, were perfectly adapted to the Thames Estuary, with its shallow waters and narr ...

. The rights to the Gravesend–Tilbury ferry were purchased by Gravesend Town Council in 1694. At the same time, the governor of

Tilbury Fort Tilbury Fort, also known historically as the Thermitage Bulwark and the West Tilbury Blockhouse, is an artillery fort on the north bank of the River Thames in England. The earliest version of the fort, comprising a small blockhouse with artill ...

obtained the right to a ferry in the opposite direction. This originally operated from within the fort, but was later moved to a ferry house (now the World's End

public house A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

) just to the west of the fort. Sailing and rowing boats operated between Gravesend and Tilbury until they were replaced by a steam ferry service in 1855. In 1852, the

London, Tilbury and Southend Railway The London, Tilbury and Southend Railway (LT&SR), was a British railway company, whose network connected Fenchurch Street railway station, Fenchurch Street station, in central London, with destinations in east London and Essex, including , , , T ...

(LTS) was authorised to operate a ferry but only for its own passengers. In 1862, the Gravesend Town Council ferry and the Board of Ordinance ferry were purchased by the LTS. The railway company and its successors continued to operate the ferry until 1984. Car ferries were introduced in 1927 and discontinued in 1964, following the opening in 1963 of the first

Dartford Tunnel The Dartford-Thurrock River Crossing, commonly known as the Dartford Crossing and until 1991 the Dartford Tunnel, is a major road crossing of the River Thames in England, carrying the A282 road between Dartford in Kent in the south and Thurro ...

. In 1991 the service was taken over by White Horse Ferries and was operated by the , purpose-built in their own yard until 1995 when it was transferred to their

Southampton Water Southampton Water is a tidal estuary north of the Solent and the Isle of Wight in England. The city of Southampton lies at its most northerly point, where the estuaries of the River Test and River Itchen meet. Along its salt marsh-fringed wes ...

service.

Services

From 17 September 2012, ferries from

use the Town Pier instead of the West Street terminal. The ferry is currently operated by Jetstream Tours and runs every 30 minutes between about 6 am and 7 pm from Monday to Saturday. The ferry operation is subsidised by both

Thurrock Thurrock () is a unitary authority area with borough status and unparished area in the ceremonial county of Essex, England. It is part of the London commuter belt and an area of regeneration within the Thames Gateway redevelopment zone. The l ...

Council and

Kent County Council Kent County Council is a county council that governs most of the county of Kent in England. It is the upper tier of elected local government, below which are 12 district councils, and around 300 town and parish councils. The county council h ...

. Cycles are carried at no extra charge.

Vessels employed from 1855

London, Tilbury and Southend Railway

Owned by

(LTS): All vessels in service in 1912 were transferred to the Midland Railway Company, and then became part of the

London, Midland and Scottish Railway The London, Midland and Scottish Railway (LMSIt has been argued that the initials LMSR should be used to be consistent with LNER, GWR and SR. The London, Midland and Scottish Railway's corporate image used LMS, and this is what is generally u ...

's fleet after 1923.

London, Midland and Scottish Railway car ferries

Car ferries introduced to service by

(LMS): In 1948 control of the service was transferred to the

British Transport Commission The British Transport Commission (BTC) was created by Clement Attlee's post-war Labour government as a part of its nationalisation programme, to oversee railways, canals and road freight transport in Great Britain (Northern Ireland had the se ...

(BTC) London Midland Region and all operational vessels were taken under their control. In 1959 that control was changed to the Eastern Region of

British Railways British Railways (BR), which from 1965 traded as British Rail, was a state-owned company that operated most of the overground rail transport in Great Britain from 1948 to 1997. It was formed from the nationalisation of the Big Four British rai ...

Eastern Region of British Railways

Vessels brought into service by the Eastern Region:

Vessels since 1995

References

External links

Gravesend to Tilbury (Thurrock Council)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gravesend-Tilbury Ferry Transport in Thurrock Transport in Kent River Thames ferries Gravesend, Kent British Rail ferry service Tilbury