London lambeth pier from lambeth bridge 30

Lambeth Pier is a pier on the

Albert Embankment Albert may refer to: Companies * Albert (supermarket), a supermarket chain in the Czech Republic * Albert Heijn, a supermarket chain in the Netherlands * Albert Market, a street market in The Gambia * Albert Productions, a record label * Albert ...

, near

Lambeth Bridge Lambeth Bridge is a road traffic and footbridge crossing the River Thames in an east–west direction in central London. The river flows north at the crossing point. Downstream, the next bridge is Westminster Bridge; upstream, the next bridge i ...

, on the south side of 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 ...

in London, England. It has been part of a ferry service up to the mid-18th century, and now serves pleasure rides and cruises along the river.

History

Ferry services

There has been a landing facility for boats here since

Roman Britain Roman Britain was the period in classical antiquity when large parts of the island of Great Britain were under occupation by the Roman Empire. The occupation lasted from AD 43 to AD 410. During that time, the territory conquered was ...

. It became the primary crossing point between

Lambeth Palace Lambeth Palace is the official London residence of the Archbishop of Canterbury. It is situated in north Lambeth, London, on the south bank of the River Thames, south-east of the Palace of Westminster, which houses Parliament, on the opposite ...

and

Westminster Palace The Palace of Westminster serves as the meeting place for both the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, House of Commons and the House of Lords, the two houses of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Informally known as the Houses of Parli ...

for the

Archbishop of Canterbury The archbishop of Canterbury is the senior bishop and a principal leader of the Church of England, the ceremonial head of the worldwide Anglican Communion and the diocesan bishop of the Diocese of Canterbury. The current archbishop is Justi ...

. A horse ferry was in operation by 1513, as it was one of the few places along the Thames that accommodate such a service. It sank in 1633, and again in 1656 while carrying

Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 Wars of the Three Ki ...

's coach.

Mary of Modena Mary of Modena ( it, Maria Beatrice Eleonora Anna Margherita Isabella d'Este; ) was Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland as the second wife of James II and VII. A devout Roman Catholic, Mary married the widower James, who was then the young ...

used the ferry to escape to France during the

Glorious Revolution The Glorious Revolution; gd, Rèabhlaid Ghlòrmhor; cy, Chwyldro Gogoneddus , also known as the ''Glorieuze Overtocht'' or ''Glorious Crossing'' in the Netherlands, is the sequence of events leading to the deposition of King James II and ...

. The service closed following the opening of

Westminster Bridge Westminster Bridge is a road-and-foot-traffic bridge over the River Thames in London, linking Westminster on the west side and Lambeth on the east side. The bridge is painted predominantly green, the same colour as the leather seats in the H ...

in 1750.

Leisure services

Since the closure of the ferry service, the pier has been used for leisure trips along the Thames. In the 19th century there were "constant stoppages" of steamboats at the pier. In 1961

Decca Radar The Decca Radar company was a British manufacturer of radar systems. There were originally two divisions, Marine and Heavy Radar, with separate product lines. The latter was sold to Plessey in 1965, and the term "Decca Radar" normally refers to ...

's training school moved to the area from

Blackfriars Blackfriars, derived from Black Friars, a common name for the Dominican Order of friars, may refer to: England * Blackfriars, Bristol, a former priory in Bristol * Blackfriars, Canterbury, a former monastery in Kent * Blackfriars, Gloucester, a f ...

. In 1860, the pier was moved further out into the river following the construction of the

. Capital Cruises were operating at Lambeth and Tower Piers by the 1980s. Today, Thames Cruises operate from the pier. Tidal Cruises has run pleasure services from Lambeth Pier since the 1980s.

Incidents

On 9 October 1888, a body was found floating in the Thames, from where it was taken to Lambeth Pier and identified as a woman aged about 29, before being transported to the mortuary. Although the incident occurred at the height of the

Whitechapel Murders The Whitechapel murders were committed in or near the largely impoverished Whitechapel district in the East End of London between 3 April 1888 and 13 February 1891. At various points some or all of these eleven unsolved murders of women have ...

, and the similar

Whitehall Mystery The Whitehall Mystery is an unsolved murder that took place in London in 1888. The dismembered remains of a woman were discovered at three sites in the centre of the city, including the construction site of Scotland Yard, the police headquarters ...

murder around the same time, it is not believed to be linked to any of these. On 20 August 1989, the Tidal Cruises-owned

Marchioness A marquess (; french: marquis ), es, marqués, pt, marquês. is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman wi ...

sank when it collided with a dredger, killing 51 people. In 1999, 120 passengers and crew on the Symphony were evacuated at Lambeth Pier after the vessel struck Lambeth Bridge. There were no injuries.

References

External links

* {{coord, 51.4949127, -0.1219824, display=title, region:GB_type:landmark Piers in London Buildings and structures in the London Borough of Lambeth Oliver Cromwell Mary of Modena