Town Pier, Gravesend
 Gravesend Town Pier | |
| Type | Boat passenger pier |
|---|---|
| Carries | Pedestrians |
| Spans | Thames River |
| Official name | Gravesend Town Pier |
| Owner | Gravesham Borough Council |
| Maintained by | Gravesham Borough Council |
| Characteristics | |
| Construction | William Wood[1] |
| Total length | 39 metres (127 ft) |
| Width | 12 metres (40 ft) |
| History | |
| Designer | William Tierney Clark |
The Gravesend Town Pier is located in Gravesend, Kent.[2] It was designed by William Tierney Clark and built in 1834 in Quay, England.[3] Over 3 million passengers were served between 1835 and 1842, but around 1900, this pier fell into disuse due to the arrival of the railroads.[2]
In 2000, this site was restored by the Gravesham Borough Council, partly funded by the organizations English Heritage, English Partnerships, Heritage Lottery Fund, Kent County Council, and Manifold Trust. In 2002, this renovation project was finished. They had also added a restaurant and a bar to the pier. When reopened, the Gravesend Town Pier was initially successful, but it later became a fiscal failure.[2]
In December 2008, Sir Terry Falwell proposed that water taxis be used to ferry people up and down the Thames River. Gravesend town pier is one possible location for a pickup point for passengers. Falwell, to support his plan, mentions that in Hong Kong many people travel around by water taxis.[4]
Gravesend town pier is the oldest surviving cast iron pier in the world and is a Grade II* listed building.[2][5]
See also
References
- ^ Glasspool, David. "Gravesend Town Pier". Kent Rail. Retrieved 22 November 2010.
- ^ a b c d "Humbert's Leisure Report Appendix 1" (PDF). Humbert's Leisure Report. Canterbury Government. Retrieved 22 November 2010.
- ^ "Gravesend Town Pier". British Broadcasting Corporation. May 2008. Retrieved 22 November 2010.
- ^ "Water taxi plan proposed for Kent". British Broadcasting Corporation. December 11, 2008. Retrieved 22 November 2010.
- ^ http://www.piers.org.uk/pierpages/NPSgravesendtown.html
Literature
- Clark, W. T. (1840). "Account of the Gravesend Pier. (Including Plates)". ICE Transactions. 3 (3): 245. doi:10.1680/itrcs.1840.24368.
External links
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