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A wharf, quay (, also ), staith, or staithe is a structure on the shore of a harbour or on the bank of a river or canal where ships may dock to load and unload cargo or passengers. Such a structure includes one or more berths ( mooring locations), and may also include piers,
warehouse A warehouse is a building for storing goods. Warehouses are used by manufacturers, importers, exporters, wholesalers, transport businesses, customs, etc. They are usually large plain buildings in industrial parks on the outskirts of citie ...
s, or other facilities necessary for handling the ships. Wharves are often considered to be a series of docks at which boats are stationed.


Overview

A wharf commonly comprises a fixed platform, often on pilings. Commercial ports may have warehouses that serve as interim storage: where it is sufficient a single wharf with a single berth constructed along the land adjacent to the water is normally used; where there is a need for more capacity multiple wharves, or perhaps a single large wharf with multiple berths, will instead be constructed, sometimes projecting over the water. A pier, raised over the water rather than within it, is commonly used for cases where the weight or volume of cargos will be low. Smaller and more modern wharves are sometimes built on flotation devices ( pontoons) to keep them at the same level as the ship, even during changing tides. In everyday parlance the term ''quay'' is common in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and many other Commonwealth countries, and the Republic of Ireland, whereas the term ''wharf'' is more common in the United States. In some contexts ''wharf'' and ''quay'' may be used to mean pier, berth, or
jetty A jetty is a structure that projects from land out into water. A jetty may serve as a breakwater, as a walkway, or both; or, in pairs, as a means of constricting a channel. The term derives from the French word ', "thrown", signifying somet ...
. In old ports such as
London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
(which once had around 1700 wharves) many old wharves have been converted to residential or office use. Certain early railways in England referred to goods loading points as "wharves". The term was carried over from marine usage. The person who was resident in charge of the wharf was referred to as a "wharfinger".


Etymology


Wharf

The word ''wharf'' comes from the
Old English Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlers in the mid-5th ...
''hwearf'', cognate to the Old Dutch word ''werf'', which both evolved to mean "yard", an outdoor place where work is done, like a shipyard ( Dutch: ''scheepswerf'') or a lumberyard (Dutch: ''houtwerf''). Originally, ''werf'' or ''werva'' in Old Dutch (''werf'', ''wer'' in Old Frisian) simply referred to inhabited ground that was not yet built on (similar to " yard" in modern English), or alternatively to a '' terp''. This could explain the name Ministry Wharf located at Saunderton, just outside High Wycombe, which is nowhere near any body of water. In support of this explanation is the fact that many places in England with "wharf" in their names are in areas with a high Dutch influence, for example the Norfolk broads.


Staith

In the northeast and east of England the term ''staith'' or ''staithe'' (from the Norse for landing stage) is also used. The two terms have historically had a geographical distinction: those to the north in the Kingdom of Northumbria used the Old English spelling ''staith'', southern sites of the Danelaw took the Danish spelling ''staithe''. Both originally referred to jetties or wharves. In time, the northern coalfields of Northumbria developed coal staiths specifically for loading coal onto ships and these would adopt the ''staith'' spelling as a distinction from simple wharves: for example, Dunston Staiths in Gateshead and Brancaster Staithe in Norfolk. However, the term ''staith'' may also be used to refer only to loading chutes or ramps used for bulk commodities like coal in loading ships and barges.


Quay

''Quay'', on the other hand, has its origin in the Proto-Celtic language. Before it changed to its current form under influence of the modern
French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
''quai'', its
Middle English Middle English (abbreviated to ME) is a form of the English language that was spoken after the Norman conquest of 1066, until the late 15th century. The English language underwent distinct variations and developments following the Old Englis ...
spelling was ''key'', ''keye'' or ''caye''. This in turn also came from the Old Norman ''cai'' (
Old French Old French (, , ; Modern French: ) was the language spoken in most of the northern half of France from approximately the 8th to the 14th centuries. Rather than a unified language, Old French was a linkage of Romance dialects, mutually intel ...
/ French ''chai'' "wine cellar"), meaning originally "earth bank near a river", then "bank built at a port to allow ship docking".CNRTL (French

/ref> The French term ''quai'' comes, through Picard or Norman-French, from Gaulish language, Gaulish ''caio'', ultimately tracing back to the Proto-Celtic ''*kagio-'' "to encompass, enclose". Modern cognates include
Welsh Welsh may refer to: Related to Wales * Welsh, referring or related to Wales * Welsh language, a Brittonic Celtic language spoken in Wales * Welsh people People * Welsh (surname) * Sometimes used as a synonym for the ancient Britons (Celtic peopl ...
''cae'' "fence, hedge" and Cornish ''ke'' "hedge",


Gallery

File:Long wharf and shipping, by J.W. & J.S. Moulton.jpg, Stereoscopic view of Long Wharf in
Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
, United States, c. 19th century, jutting into Boston Harbor File:Boston Long Wharf 2.JPG, Modern view of Boston's Long Wharf (2006) File:Tokoinranta Helsinki.jpg, The shore of the Tokoinranta wharf in
Hakaniemi Hakaniemi (; sv, Hagnäs) is an unofficial district of Helsinki, the Finnish capital. It covers most of the neighbourhood of Siltasaari in the district of Kallio. Hakaniemi is located at the sea shore and is separated from the city centre by th ...
, Helsinki,
Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bot ...
(2007) File:Wapping king henrys wharf 1.jpg, King Henry's Wharves, typical London wharves converted to apartments File:St Thomas Marriott Pacquereau Bay 1.jpg, Wharf by Marriott/Pacquereau Bay on St. Thomas File:tourist boat at sa calobra (majorca spain) arp.jpg, Tourist boat loading passengers at a small quay,
Sa Calobra Sa Calobra is a small village in the Escorca municipality on the northwest coast of the Spanish Balearic island of Mallorca. The port village is a popular destination for coach trips and road cyclists. It is accessed by a single winding road, d ...
, Majorca,
Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = '' Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , ...


See also

* Bollard * Canal basin * Dock (maritime) * Port * Safeguarded wharf


References


External links

* * {{Authority control Freight transport Coastal construction Port infrastructure