St George Wharf Pier - Lambeth, London, UK
N 51° 29.152 W 000° 07.616
30U E 699470 N 5707772
This pier, that opened in September 2011, is located at the St George Wharf complex near Vauxhall station. The pier projects from the land in a north west direction with the "T" head running north east to south west.
Waymark Code: WMHEW6
Location: London, United Kingdom
Date Posted: 07/02/2013
Views: 11
The plaque, close to the entrance to the pier, reads:
St George Wharf Pier
Opened
14th September 2011
by the Mayor of London
Boris Johnson
The
Thames Clipper website
who operate passenger ferries on the River Thames, tells us:
Multi award winning property
developer St George PLC and Mayor of London Boris Johnson officially opened
a £1.7 million floating passenger pier and new river transport service at St
George Wharf in South West London on Wednesday 14th September, a major new
development which supports the Mayor's vision of increasing pier capacity on
the Thames by 20 per cent.
Located on the front of St George Wharf, the award winning development, near
to Vauxhall, River Bus operator Thames Clippers will provide the pier with a
new high speed river service west of Waterloo, opening the West of the River
Thames to nearby residents and the wider public for the first time in two
decades.
The service 'Tate to Tate & Service West'–will run from 3rd October every 40
minutes seven days a week from St George Wharf and will take commuters and
visitors into central London, the City and Canary Wharf.
St George PLC worked in partnership with the Greater London Authority,
Transport for London, Lambeth Council, the Port of London Authority and
Thames Clippers to help provide this vital piece of new transport
infrastructure for Vauxhall, Lambeth and South London. The pier has been
designed by Beckett Rankine.
The Mayor is committed to improving river services and believes that, with
partnerships such as this, the pier capacity on the Thames could be
increased by 20 per cent, opening up the river to half a million more users
by the end of 2012. This includes bigger piers in the central section and
new piers such as the St George Wharf pier in the outer London sections of
the river.
New piers in outer regions of the Thames, especially in growth areas such as
Nine Elms, Woolwich Arsenal and Barking Riverside, are key to opening up the
river for commuter travel and the Mayor welcomes private investment such as
this partnership with St George. The Mayor aims to increase capacity in the
central London region of the Thames which runs between Millbank and Tower
Bridge, by lengthening existing piers to ease congestion and creating a more
frequent and reliable service. An extension to Tower Pier is being delivered
by TfL in time for the 2012 Games, which will add an extra 25% capacity to
one of London's most popular passenger piers.
2012 is expected to be the busiest year on the river to date, as the river
plays a central role as a mode of transport for the Olympic Games and also
to the Queen's Diamond Jubilee celebrations.
Travelling by river is pleasurable and reliable and the new pier complements
work already done by the Mayor's River Concordat group to achieve his vision
for addressing the barriers to river travel in London. The River Bus Service
now accepts Oyster pay as you go and last year a package of improvements
were introduced for the six million passengers who use the river each year,
including a tube style map and real–time travel information through a mobile
app and online.
The Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: "More and more Londoners are
experiencing the joy of a daily commute that involves gliding along the
river Thames enjoying a fresh perspective of the city's iconic views.
"This latest development, involving vital private investment, is another
major step in opening up our great waterway to half a million more
passengers a year. There is huge potential to develop piers along the river
and increase passenger capacity by 20 per cent by 2012, securing the Thames'
reputation as an integral part of London's transport network."
"The Thames has traditionally been one of the most underused highways in the
capital and that's something I have been determined to change – we have
already made great strides with the Oysterisation of riverboat services,
better signage and clearer travel information for passengers."
Mark Griffiths, Managing Director of St George South London, comments:
"During the Olympics the opening of the waterway at this important
development will make travelling across the capital even easier for
residents and visitors."
The new pier extends the river services into West London helping it become a
truly integral part of the transport network. Signposting at St George Wharf
will help people easily find their way to both the river and to the tube
lines for commuting.
Port of London Authority (PLA) chief executive, Richard Everitt, said: "The
river is a great way to travel to work and to see the sights of London. This
pier will enable many more people in west London to take advantage of that
opportunity. We have worked closely with the developer on this project and
are very pleased to see it completed. We look forward to working on more
piers to expand river services further west."
Sean Collins, Managing Director of Thames Clippers, said: "For centuries the
River Thames was the key transport method for the capital and I very much
feel that river travel is just as important today. Thames Clippers offers
commuters an efficient and comfortable means to travel between London's key
business districts and I am very pleased that we are now able open up the
opportunity of river travel to passengers in and around Vauxhall from St
George Wharf pier."
St George Wharf, London's premier riverside destination, has a variety of
shops, bars and restaurants and is perfectly located for easy access to the
best of London culture and entertainment in the nearby West End. With the
new pier, St George Wharf will benefit from another transport link adding to
the nearby underground stations and close proximity to international
airports.
The pier is one of many investments that St George PLC has made to the River
Thames in recent years. In continuing tough economic times, this investment
demonstrates commitment to helping improve London's transport
infrastructure.
The
Greater
London Authority website tells us about the mayor, Boris Johnson, who opened
the pier:
The Mayor's role as the executive
of London's strategic authority is to promote economic development and
wealth creation, social development, and improvement of the environment. The
Mayor also has various other duties in relation to culture and tourism,
including responsibility for Trafalgar Square and Parliament Square.
Boris Johnson has been Mayor of London since May 2008, when he received the
largest personal mandate in British political history.
Few Londoners have entirely English descent, and Boris is no exception. Born
in New York in 1964, he describes himself as a 'one man melting-pot', with
French, Turkish, Russian and German ancestry.
Boris went to primary school in Camden and was subsequently educated at the
European School in Brussels, Ashdown House and then at Eton College in
Berkshire, where he went on a scholarship. He later read Classics at Balliol
College, Oxford as a Brackenbury scholar. During his time at Oxford
University he served as president of the Oxford Union.
Upon graduation he lasted a week as a management consultant before becoming
a trainee reporter for The Times. After a short spell as a writer for the
Wolverhampton Express and Star, he joined The Daily Telegraph in 1987 as
leader and feature writer.
From 1989 to 1994 he was the Telegraph's European Community correspondent
and from 1994 to 1999 he served as assistant editor. His association with
The Spectator magazine began as political columnist in 1994. In 1999 he
became editor of the Spectator, a post he held for six years before stepping
down in December 2005. He has won several awards for journalism, both as
editor and columnist.
Besides his work as a journalist, Boris has published several books,
including 'Friends, Voters and Countrymen', an autobiographical account of
his experience of the 2001 election campaign, a novel, 'Seventy-Two
Virgins'. He has also produced a TV series on Roman History from his book of
the same name, 'The Dream of Rome'. In 2011 he published 'Johnson’s Life of
London', a celebration of some of the people who gave London its vibrancy
and character, from Roman times to the present day.
In 2001 Boris was elected as the Conservative MP for Henley on Thames,
replacing Michael Heseltine. He held shadow government posts as Vice
Chairman, Shadow Minister for the Arts and Shadow Minister of Higher
Education.
In July 2007, Boris announced he would seek the nomination for Conservative
candidate for Mayor of London. He was duly selected as the candidate in an
all London open primary that autumn, before being elected Mayor in May 2008,
defeating Labour incumbent Ken Livingstone. Boris resigned as MP for Henley
shortly after the 2008 election. He was re-elected for a second four year
term as Mayor in May 2012.
Under his tenure crime in London has fallen 11%, the capital has seen record
investment in transport and the city staged what are widely acknowledged to
be the most successful Olympic and Paralympic Games ever.
In his first term he introduced a hugely popular cycle hire scheme and a new
replacement for the 'Routemaster', the cleanest and greenest diesel hybrid
in the world. He also oversaw the building of a record number of new
affordable homes.
Boris has made jobs and growth his key focus during his second term,
prioritising house building, investment in road and rail infrastructure, and
support for financial services and the tech sector, as well as championing
low and stable tax rates and the construction of a new multi runway hub
airport to the east of London.
As well as being a passionate cyclist, Boris enjoys painting, and playing
tennis. He and his wife Marina have four children and live in north London.
What was opened/inaugurated?: St George Wharf ferry pier
Who was that opened/inaugurated it?: Boris Johnson - Mayor of London
Date of the opening/inauguration?: 14th September 2011
Website about the location: [Web Link]
Website about the person: [Web Link]
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