Coldharbour is an area of the

London Borough of Havering The London Borough of Havering () in East London, England, forms part of Outer London. It has a population of 259,552 inhabitants; the principal town is Romford, while other communities include Hornchurch, Upminster, Collier Row and Rainham, Lo ...

by 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, s ...

and southwest of the Rainham Marshes Nature Reserve. It is the location of Coldharbour Point, where there has been a lighthouse since 1885. This point is adjacent to the town of

Erith Erith () is an area in south-east London, England, east of Charing Cross. Before the creation of Greater London in 1965, it was in the historical county of Kent. Since 1965 it has formed part of the London Borough of Bexley. It lies north ...

Bexley Bexley is an area of south-eastern Greater London, England and part of the London Borough of Bexley. It is sometimes known as Bexley Village or Old Bexley to differentiate the area from the wider borough. It is located east-southeast of Ch ...

, across the Thames.

History

Coldharbour was an estate primarily in the ancient parish of Wennington. It included Little Coldharbour (also partly in Rainham), Coldharbour Point and Great Coldharbour. It was originally a marsh island. A ferry (known as the 'short ferry' in contrast to the 'long ferry' to London) operating from Coldharbour Point to

(then in Kent) on the southern bank of the Thames existed from the Middle Ages until the 19th century. Plaques entitled 'Pilgrim Ferry' commemorate this in Coldharbour and Erith.

Geography

The nearest accessible settlement on land is the town of Rainham, which is connected by Coldharbour Lane; the village of Wennington is also nearby but not accessible by road (both are separated by the A13 and

marshland In ecology, a marsh is a wetland that is dominated by herbaceous plants rather than by woody plants.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p More in general ...

s). The area around the point is mainly industrial land known as the Freightmaster Estate depot. The

London Loop The London Outer Orbital Path—more usually the "London LOOP"—is a 150-mile (242 km) signed walk along public footpaths, and through parks, woods and fields around the edge of Outer London, England, described as "the M25 for walke ...

passes through Coldharbour on its way east to

Purfleet Purfleet-on-Thames is a town in the Thurrock unitary authority, Essex, England. It is bordered by the A13 road to the north and the River Thames to the south and is within the easternmost part of the M25 motorway but just outside the Greater ...

Thurrock Thurrock () is a unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area with Borough status in the United Kingdom, borough status in the Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county of Essex, England. It lies on the north bank of the River ...

Gallery

File:Coldharbour Point - geograph.org.uk - 1022454.jpg, Coldharbour Point File:Check point on Coldharbour Lane - geograph.org.uk - 1601732.jpg, Checkpoint on Coldharbour Lane, leading to the depot File:Pipeline Bridge near Coldharbour Lane - geograph.org.uk - 1601685.jpg, A pipeline bridge on the Rainham Marshes across the Common Watercourse File:Cycleway 13, Coldharbour Lane - geograph.org.uk - 1601697.jpg, Cycleway 13, next to Coldharbour Lane File:Sluice on a drainage ditch, Coldharbour Lane - geograph.org.uk - 1601749.jpg ,

Sluice A sluice ( ) is a water channel containing a sluice gate, a type of lock to manage the water flow and water level. There are various types of sluice gates, including flap sluice gates and fan gates. Different depths are calculated when design s ...

on a drainage ditch, Coldharbour Lane File:Coldharbour Depot - geograph.org.uk - 49372.jpg, The Freighmaster Estate depot - facilities include an extensive complex of warehouses, ample parking for trucks and a helipad File:Rubbish to Rainham - geograph.org.uk - 49380.jpg, ''Cleanaways'' waste transfer depot, Erith can be seen in the background

References

Districts of the London Borough of Havering Areas of London Districts of London on the River Thames Port of London {{london-geo-stub