Erith Pier (River Thames) - Erith, Kent, UK - Piers on Waymarking.com

Erith Pier

After various previous attempts had failed, the Guardians of the Wheatley Estate constructed a wooden pier jutting some 444 feet into the river.

The opening ceremony took place on 22 August 1842. Entertainment included rowing matches, duck hunting and a jingling match (which meant men hitting one another with ash sticks, last one standing was the winner). A public dinner held in a marquee followed the event. In 1844 the Pier Hotel was built.

On the 6 July 1845 the gardens were opened. They consisted of a broad grand walk, archery field, bowling green, conservatory, maze, refreshment rooms and a fountain. Two ships, the 'Diamond' and 'The Star', travelling between London and Gravesend, called at the pier daily.

It would appear to have been difficult to make the project a success. Not least because of the Southern Outfall Works at Crossness, which was opened in 1865, and disgorged 70 million gallons of raw sewage into the river as the full tide was turning, on the assumption it would all float gently into the North Sea. It did not.

There was also the coming of the railway to Erith in July 1849, which considerably reduced the travelling time albeit without the wine. The site consisting of eight acres, two rods and four poles, was sold with the rest of the Wheatley Estate in 1874.

The whole site was taken over by Beadle Bros. coal merchants, then, in 1896, all the London wholesale distributors amalgamated and the site became Wm. Cory and Sons Ltd.

By 1957 the old wooden piers had outlived their usefulness. New deep water facilities were required. A new concrete pier was constructed outside of the former piers allowing access to larger ships. As part of the plan, the Pier Hotel, which had been used as offices, was demolished to make way for warehouses.

In the early 1990s the complex was abandoned until Morrisons took over in 1999, and thankfully retained the concrete pier as a public amenity.

Text source: (visit link)

Type of pier: Public Expenses: Free to walk. Rod licence required if over 12. Parking is available: Yes Web site: [Web Link] Contact information: General enquiries Telephone: 03708 506 506** (Mon-Fri, 8am - 6pm) Telephone from outside the UK: 00 44 1709 389 201 (Mon-Fri, 8am - 6pm) Minicom service: For the hard of hearing a minicom service is also available by calling 08702 422 549* Floodline Type talk: our number is 0845 602 6340 Email: enquiries@environment-agency.gov.uk (do not use for reporting environmental incidents) You can also use our enquiry form to request information. Postal address: National Customer Contact Centre PO Box 544 Rotherham S60 1BY Handicap Accessible: Yes Fishing Regulations: See Environment Agency for details.

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Date Logged Log User Rating   07/14/2021 OrientGeo visited it