Crossing the river to Kent
| The Ferries | |
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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.
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