Crossing the river to Kent

The Ferries


Ferries have crossed the Thames from Thurrock to Kent for hundreds of years. There has been a ferry on the present site - close to Tilbury Fort - since before the building of the original fort by Henry VIII in 1540. Other ferries have operated from Purfleet, Grays and West Tilbury. In the 1950s, the ferry took cars, but with the opening of the Dartford Tunnel this function was no longer required. As the port of Tilbury switched emphasis from passengers to cargo, the usage of the ferry declined. Usage was further reduced when Tilbury Riverside station closed.