King's Lynn Docks are located to the north of the town of

King's Lynn King's Lynn, known until 1537 as Bishop's Lynn and colloquially as Lynn, is a port and market town in the borough of King's Lynn and West Norfolk in the county of Norfolk, England. It is north-east of Peterborough, north-north-east of Cambridg ...

in the English

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

Norfolk Norfolk ( ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in England, located in East Anglia and officially part of the East of England region. It borders Lincolnshire and The Wash to the north-west, the North Sea to the north and eas ...

.''OS Explorer Map 23” (Edition A 1997) – “Norfolk Coast West''. . They are on the

River Great Ouse The River Great Ouse ( ) is a river in England, the longest of several British rivers called "Ouse". From Syresham in Northamptonshire, the Great Ouse flows through Buckinghamshire, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Norfolk to drain into the ...

which provides access to the

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Denmark, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. A sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian Se ...

via the Lynn Channel and

The Wash The Wash is a shallow natural rectangular bay and multiple estuary on the east coast of England in the United Kingdom. It is an inlet of the North Sea and is the largest multiple estuary system in the UK, as well as being the largest natural ba ...

. They are located north of

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a List of cities in the United Kingdom, city and non-metropolitan district in the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It is the county town of Cambridgeshire and is located on the River Cam, north of London. As of the 2021 Unit ...

, west of

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of the county of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. It lies by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. The population of the Norwich ...

and north of

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

on the A1078 Edward Benefer Way. The docks are operated as the Port of King's Lynn by Associated British Ports. It handles around 400,000 tonnes of cargo per year, including forest products, agribulk and manufacturing and recycling materials.
Associated British ports. Retrieved 2014-03-29. Three docks, including the tidal Riverside Quay, can accommodate vessels up to in length. The docks cover an area of and include the 25,000 tonne capacity Alexandra Grain Silo complex.

History

In the 13th century

was one of England's most important ports. It attracted traders from the

Hanseatic League The Hanseatic League was a Middle Ages, medieval commercial and defensive network of merchant guilds and market towns in Central Europe, Central and Northern Europe, Northern Europe. Growing from a few Northern Germany, North German towns in the ...

trading for wool, cloth and salt.King's Lynn Haseatic Trail
Visit East Anglia. Retrieved 2014-03-29. The port infrastructure developed in the 19th century following the formation of the by the ( 28 & 29 Vict. c. lxxxviii). This built the Alexandra Dock which was completed in 1869 and linked by rail in 1870. By 1876 over 500 ships were using the new dock each year.The King's Lynn Docks
, Norfolk Museum Service, Norfolk County Council. Retrieved 2014-03-29. The larger Bentinck Dock with a length of was opened in 1883. The port has traditionally relied on exporting agricultural produce for the bulk of its traffic.

Transport links

The docks are on the A1078 road and linked via this and the A148 road through King's Lynn to the main A47 trunk road to the south of the town. This provides links to the A17 and A1 roads to the west. Other main roads connect the port to the

M11 motorway The M11 is a motorway that runs north from the A406 road, North Circular Road (A406) in South Woodford to the A14 road (Great Britain), A14, northwest of Cambridge, England. Originally proposed as a trunk road as early as 1915, various plans ...

and A14 trunk road at

, providing links to the UK motorway network. The nearest railway station is

King's Lynn railway station King's Lynn railway station is the northern terminus of the Fen line in the east of England, serving the town of King's Lynn, Norfolk. It is from and measured from Liverpool Street station, London Liverpool Street. The station and all train ...

on the Fen Line which runs between King's Lynn, Ely and Cambridge and provides links to London King's Cross and London Liverpool Street stations. The port had a railway link to this line in the 19th century, the last elements of which were closed in the 1990s.Comment: Stuart Corrigan says Lynn to Norwich line should be reopened
'' Lynn News'', 2013-10-13. Retrieved 2014-03-29.

Seafarers' welfare

The port now has a dedicated centre, set up by th
Apostleship of the Sea
for visiting seafarers. The facility offers them a place to relax, and spend some quiet time, with free internet connection for them to use. It was opened on 17 November 2014 by Bishop Alan Hopes, Bishop of East Anglia. The centre is largely-funded by the Merchant Navy Welfare Board and the site on which it was built was provided by Associated British Ports.

References

External links

Port of King's Lynn
official website {{Associated British Ports Transport in Norfolk Ports and harbours of Norfolk Port cities and towns of the North Sea Coastal features of Norfolk King's Lynn