Tilbury
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Tilbury | |
  Tilbury shown within Essex |
|
| Population | 12,091 (2001 Census) |
|---|---|
| OS grid reference | |
| Unitary authority | Thurrock |
| Ceremonial county | Essex |
| Region | East |
| Constituent country | England |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | TILBURY |
| Postcode district | RM18 |
| Dialling code | 01375 |
| Police | Essex |
| Fire | Essex |
| Ambulance | East of England |
| European Parliament | East of England |
| UK Parliament | Thurrock |
| List of places: UK • England • Essex | |
Tilbury is a town located on the north bank of the River Thames, in the borough of Thurrock in England, at the point where the river suddenly narrows to about 800 yards (732 m) in width. It is notable for being the location of a deep water port, a 16th century fort, the site of what was an important ferry to Gravesend on the south bank of the river and close to the location where Queen Elizabeth I made her famous speech to the troops at the time of the expected invasion by the Spanish Armada in 1588.
Contents |
[edit] History
Until the 12th century, the area on which the present town of Tilbury is built was a natural salt marsh. However, there is some evidence that in the early Roman period, when sea-levels dropped, making the marshes inhabitable there may have been a Roman settlement on the site of what is now Tilbury Docks.[1] Around 1200, the land was protected from the tidal Thames, but was still an unhealthy place to live - Daniel Defoe [2], who lived here for a while, wrote about "the Essex ague".
The first permanent fort at Tilbury was built in 1539 by Henry VIII to defend London from ships sailing up the Thames. It was here in 1588, that Queen Elizabeth I came ashore to review her main army at the nearby village of West Tilbury and make her famous speech. (see Speech to the Troops at Tilbury)
In 1696 (when the area was still part of Chadwell St Mary), Daniel Defoe operated a tile and brick factory in the Tilbury marshes and lived in a nearby house.
Following the coming of the railways - initially the London Tilbury and Southend Railway which later was taken over by the London Midland and Scottish Railway (LMS) - a few houses were built for railway workers. The major expansion followed the building of Tilbury Docks at the end of the 19th century.
In 1943 and 1944, during the second world war, the flexible pipes for operation Pluto which were designed to carry oil to mainland Europe after D-day were assembled at Tilbury Docks. [3]
[edit] Docks
Tilbury Docks were built in 1886 by the East & West India Docks Company in response to the construction of the vast Royal Docks by the London & St Katharine Docks Company. With the growth of the railways and increasing ship size, location close to the centre of London became less important than access to deep water, unrestricted sites and reduction in time spent travelling up the winding Thames. The opening of the Royal Albert Dock in 1880 had given the Royal Docks access to the Thames at Gallions Reach, 11 miles (18 km) by river below London Bridge and far downstream from the East India and West India docks. Tilbury in turn was 25 miles (40 km) below London Bridge, well down river from the Royal Docks.
The docks originally consisted of a tidal basin on Gravesend Reach opposite Northfleet, connected by a lock to a main dock with three side branches named East, Central and West Branch docks. Between the tidal basin and Main Dock were two dry docks. In 1909 Tilbury, along with the upstream docks, was taken over by the Port of London Authority (PLA). In 1929 the PLA carried out major improvements. These included a new lock 1,000 feet (300 m) long and 110 ft (34 m) wide, linking the docks directly to the Thames to the west at Northfleet Hope, and a third dry dock, 752ft long and 110 ft (34 m) wide. A large new passenger landing stage was built in the Thames by the PLA and the LMS, opened in 1930 by Ramsay MacDonald.
In the 1960s, as the upstream docks declined, the PLA built a riverside grain terminal on Northfleet Hope (at the time the largest in Europe) and a huge fourth branch dock, running north from Main Dock for nearly a mile. The tidal basin was closed and eventually filled. Tilbury became highly mechanised to handle primarily containers, timber and grain. In the early 1970s Tilbury was the largest container port in the UK. In 1978 a new riverside container handling terminal was built on reclaimed land at Northfleet Hope. By the early 1980s Tilbury was the last set of enclosed docks in operation by the PLA. In 1992 the port was privatised, the PLA retaining the role of managing the tidal Thames.
Today the port handles a variety of bulk cargo, timber, cars and container traffic and remains, along with Southampton and Felixstowe, one of Britain's three major container ports. It is the main UK port for importing paper including newsprint.
Tilbury operated as London's passenger liner terminal until the 1960s. For many people Tilbury was their point of emigration to Australia under an assisted passage scheme established and operated by the Australian Government. The 'Ten Pound Poms' as they were known in Australia, embarked on to ships such as RMS Mooltan and set off for a new life. Tilbury was also a port of entry for many immigrants, for example the well known arrival of the first large group of West Indians on the Empire Windrush in 1948. The passenger landing stage was reopened by the Port of Tilbury group as the London Cruise Terminal, though no longer served by the railway.
Near the Dockmaster's office, on New Lock, is a memorial to Captain Peter de Neumann, GM, who was killed there in an accident on 16 September 1972.
[edit] Skinhead culture
In the early 1980s, the Tilbury Trojan Skinheads were among the most violent skinhead gangs in British history.[4] They hit the headlines in a Sun newspaper article entitled Aggro Britain. The Oi! band Angela Rippon's Bum emerged from the Tilbury skinhead scene.[5]
[edit] Travellers
In recent years Tilbury has gained a large travelling community[6].
[edit] Transport
Thurrock Council operates a ferry between Tilbury and Gravesend, together with Kent County Council.
Tilbury has one railway station on the c2c (London, Tilbury and Southend) rail route:
Tilbury Riverside railway station was closed November 29th 1992 and a bus service now connects Tilbury Town railway station and the ferry to Gravesend. There is also a station further down the line called East Tilbury. However, this is not in the town itself, but in a village to the east.
[edit] Appearances in film and television
[edit] Film
- The Docks at Tilbury stood in for those of Venice during the boat chase scene in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.[7]
- Scenes from Batman Begins were also filmed at Tilbury Docks and nearby East Tilbury's Coalhouse Fort was used as the location for the Ninja Lair.[8]
- A scene in the 2004 Jude Law film Alfie was filmed at Tilbury Docks.[9]
- The Docks were also used as the setting of John Wayne's smuggler-busting operation in Brannigan.[10]
[edit] Television
- Tilbury Fort was used as a location for "Sharpe's Regiment", starring Sean Bean.[10]
- Rolf Harris visited the Docks during an episode of Rolf On Art, when he recreated J M W Turner's famous painting The Fighting Temeraire.[11]
- There was also an episode of London's Burning (A fireman drama show) which was shot in the old fire station, in Civic Square in Tilbury.[citation needed]
- A scene from an episode of James Nesbitt's Murphy's Law was filmed at Tilbury Docks' Cruise Terminal.[citation needed]
[edit] Notes
- ^ FCJ Spurrell, Early sites and embankments on the margins of the Thames estuary (in The Archaeological Journal, 1885)
- ^ Defoe. D. (1724). A tour thro' the Whole Island of Great Britain.
- ^ Thurrock heritage, parish facts; http://www.thurrock-community.org.uk/council/heritage/content.php?page=parish_facts_details&id=12
- ^ Thurrock: A Visionary Brief in the Thames Gateway
- ^ Skinhead History - the Tilbury Trojan Skins
- ^ Thurrock: A Visionary Brief in the Thames Gateway
- ^ Reeves, Tony. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. The Worldwide Guide to Movie Locations. Titan. Retrieved on 2007-12-26.
- ^ Reeves, Tony. Batman Begins. The Worldwide Guide to Movie Locations. Titan. Retrieved on 2007-12-26.
- ^ "Tilbury: Alfie comes to Essex", Clacton and Frinton Gazette, 2004-08-17. Retrieved on 2007-12-26.
- ^ a b Filming in Thurrock. Thurrock Heritage Files. Thurrock Council. Retrieved on 2007-12-26.
- ^ "Rolf Harris helps to recall historic event on Thames", Port of London, Port of London Authority, Nov/Dec 2004, pp. p. 3. Retrieved on 2007-12-26.
