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Ports & Creeks - Stations & Wharves in the London Division |
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THE STRUCTURE OF THIS SECTION |
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This is a gateway to the 'Pen Pictures' of the Waterguard's environment - unique to each Port, Creek, Station and Wharf - and is based on the post Second World War structure of the service. The Waterguard Divisions listed below have their own sub-pages to facilitate faster browsing and for ease of maintenance and can be viewed by selecting the appropriate 'button.' |
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London Division - Page contents: |
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The Port of London and the docks and wharfs between the mouth of the River Thames and Teddington, including the River Medway, were all reliant on the states of the tides and an orderly flow of traffic on the rivers. This traffic was managed jointly by the Thames Navigation Service, the Medway Operations Service, the Thames Haven Communications Centre and the Collier Signal Station Tilbury Port.
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HM C&E subscribed to the Thames Navigation Service to monitor the arrival of vessels within the Port limits and their destinations within the London Division. A copy of the R/T procedure laid down by the Waterguard Superintendant for the use of Multi-frequency Radiotelophone sets within the Division is available by selecting the 'button' on the right. |
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A Notice To Mariners entitled 'Thames Estuary / River Medway - Port Information Radar and Navigational Services Available' was issued. A copy of this Notice can be seen by selecting the 'button' on the right. |
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Ray Stanford was stationed at Gravesend in the 1960s and recalls: |
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A creek, situated near Queenborough to the south of the Medway estuary, which used to host a small vessel from foreign about once every two months. Its cargo was dreadfully smelly fish, or bits thereof, which was used to manufacture fish glue. Unsightly modern sea wall defences have hindered the character of the beaches but a large yachting harbour now exists, where the pirate radio ship Radio Caroline - in the river Medway 2003/4 - anchored for a while.
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Trevor Tomasin was stationed at Shadwell for a month or two in 1966 and recalls: |
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'The staff at Shadwell also covered Regents Canal Dock. Built by the Regent's Canal Company, it was used by seagoing vessels and lighters to offload cargoes to canal barges, for onward transport along the Regent's Canal. Although initially a commercial failure following its opening in 1820, by the mid 19th century the dock - and the canal - were an enormous commercial success for the importance in the supply of coal to the numerous gasworks and latterly electricity generating stations along the canal.
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c1832 |
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The dock gates allowing entrance to the basin and the canal from the River Thames. The building on the right is the Customs & Excise office. |
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1953 |
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Ray Stanford was stationed at Gravesend in the 1960s and recalls: |
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A port covered by a single PO imported beech bauls from Scandinavia. It was established during the First World War for loading ammunition. Later it was used for importing raw materials for the manufacture of newsprint at the Kemsley Mill, approximately 2km to the south of the dock.
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Trevor Tomasin was stationed at Shadwell for a month or two in 1966 and recalls: |
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'The staff at Shadwell also covered St. Katharine's Dock St Katharine Dock took its name from the former hospital of St Katharine's by the Tower,built in the 12th century, which stood on the site. Construction commenced in May 1827 and was opened on 25 October 1828. Although well used, it was not a great commercial success and was amalgamated in 1864 with the neighbouring London Dock. It was closed in 1968 and sold to the Greater London Council. Most of the original warehouses were demolished and mostly replaced by modern commercial buildings - the Canary Wharf development - in the early 1970s, with the dock itself becoming a marina.
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Trevor Tomasin was stationed at Shadwell for a month or two in 1966 and recalls: |
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'The staff at Shadwell also covered St. Katharine's Dock, to the west, and Limehouse Basin - Regent's Canal Dock - to the east, and all the wharves between.' The dock was built between 1828 and 1832 as an extension of the London Dock. By the 1850s it was too small to accommodate the newer and larger ships coming into service. Between 1854-58 a new, larger, entrance and a new basin were built and linked to the western part of the docks by Eastern Dock and the short Tobacco Dock. The docks complex was closed to shipping in 1969 and in 1987 houses and flats were built around the retained historic dock. |
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Barrie Tyson was on Detached Duty at Southend Airport and recalls:
'Southend Airport covered quite a few creeks with wharves where coasters ventured. I only did a couple of months there but I remember they had a Coast Preventive Man. I believe a boarding crew went out from the Airport as required.'
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This map of the Upper Coast was produced by Tom Prior PO & Harry Drury APO in 1950 to assist with their patrols. They also marked on the map the cost of public transport, by bus & rail, between the wharves and docks. A copy of those costs is available by selecting the 'button' on the right. |
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A PDF version of this map is also available to view and print by 'right clicking' on the map itself. |
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Bob Dover was on the Harpy for a while in 1953 and recalls:
'Colliers were almost daily arrivals at the power station at Fulham and Battersea. They were in the region of 1500 tons and were mostly named after London suburbs and were known as 'flat-irons' as their funnels and masts could be lowered to pass under the London bridges. Smaller coasters - usually British or Dutch - would arrive at various wharves between London Bridge and Teddington and these would normally be boarded or visited by the Waterguard using the official car.'
Anthony West was on the Harpy for a while in 1957/58 and recalls:
'I can recall my motorised patrols of the upper coast station in 1957/58 from the Harpy. Brentford Dock was busy at the time, and the Landlord of 'The London Apprentice' at Isleworth always appeared to have ample stocks of Dutch gin, despite regular visits from the Mobile Rummage Crew!
The other joy was lampblack bound for the Firestone Tyre Factory on the Great West Road - did your white shirt a power of good! Lots Road Power Station was another jolly spot for a grubby shirt importing coal from Belgium to provide electricity for the Underground system.'
Mike Smith was stationed on the Harpy in 1964 and recalls:
'The 'Upper Coast' was controlled from the Harpy. All vessels from foreign had to heave to on the buoys in the Upper Pool, viz between Tower and London Bridges for boarding before proceeding up stream. When I joined the Waterguard in September 1964 the station extended from London Bridge to Teddington Lock, the tidal limit, where I believe London Airport took over. Just before I joined, Officers would go fairly regularly to Kingston Power Station where colliers ('flatirons') would bring coal from Poland. In my time, save for the odd yacht way up river, Bridge Wharf, Isleworth was the usual limit where a regular trade of two contrasting cargoes arrived, talc and carbon black for the Brentford Firestone tyre factory along with beech bauls - whole beech trees sawn lengthways for coffins.
An onion wharf near Chelsea had closed down but Chelsea Flour mills, Phillips Paper Wharf and Bridges Wharf were all thriving. Other cargoes were grain, aggregate/gravel etc. In addition we also controlled Battersea Heliport.
Patrolling was done in an old green Mini, then one of the last Morris Minors and, if they were in for servicing, occasionally the Chairman's car.'
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Brentford Dock - 1966 |
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Battersea Heliport - c1960 |
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Teddington Lock - c1880 |
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Dave Mussard served as an APO on the Harpy Waterguard Station in London Port fromJuly1967 until July 1971 and recalls:
'The 'Upper Coast' was covered by London Port from the Harpy. The 'Upper Coast' boarding shift was normally a week of 10.00 to 18.00 hrs on the Harpy shift roster and covered every wharf above London Bridge to Teddington Lock.
'Upper Coast' vessels were generally small vessels, often skippered by the owners, with 3 to 5 crew. They were specially constructed so that the masts could be lowered to navigate under the bridges. They were generally Dutch or Belgian registered, with the odd British vessel, including dredgers and colliers serving the Battersea power station. Some of the privately owned Dutch and Belgian vessels were highly decorated inside and resembled the old fashioned horse-drawn Gipsy Caravans in style. They were all from foreign, with various cargoes including, general cargo, waste paper, grain for Chelsea Flour Mills and coal, etc.
Most 'Upper Coast' vessels were boarded by the Harpy launch 'Lima 1', whilst they were tied up on the buoys between Tower Bridge and London Bridge awaiting the correct tide level to enable them to navigate all the way up to Teddington.
The 'Upper Coast' boarding team consisted of one PO and one APO. They used to patrol the wharves in an old green Mini - Reg No. ??? FUW - which we used to fuel up from the petrol pump on the Custom House Quay, prior to the start of each long patrol run. We normally went from east to west on the North side of the Thames and returned on the south side. Every ship above London Bridge was visited, with many requiring 'issues' from the bond.
Some of the regularly used 'Upper Coast' wharves were: - Bridge Wharf Battersea; Battersea Power Station; Bridge Wharf, Isleworth; Chelsea Flour Mills; Tedding Lock etc.
The Harpy Rummage Crew would also pay fairly regular visits to the ships berthed at the Upper Coast wharves, often with some good results.''
Barrie Tyson did a year boarding as an APO at the Harpy in 1969 and recalls:
'This included the 'Upper Coast' car patrol up as far as Teddington. By then most of the Upper River wharves were closed down or only occasionally visited by foreign going ships.
There were one or two little Dutchmen that went up to a chemical plant near Teddington. We always got the usual friendly welcome and a customary quick look around never revealed anything untoward.'
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