Awharf (pl. wharves orwharfs),quay (/kiː/kee, also/keɪ,kweɪ/k(w)ay[2]),staith, orstaithe is a structure on the shore of aharbour or on the bank of a river or canal where ships may dock to load and unload cargo or passengers.[3][4] Such a structure includes one or moreberths (mooring locations), and may also includepiers,warehouses, or other facilities necessary for handling the ships. Wharves are often considered to be a series of docks at which boats are stationed. Amarginal wharf is connected to the shore along its full length.[5]
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A wharf commonly comprises a fixed platform, often onpilings. Commercial ports may have warehouses that serve as interim storage: where it is sufficient a single wharf with a single berth constructed along the land adjacent to the water is normally used; where there is a need for more capacity multiple wharves, or perhaps a single large wharf with multiple berths, will instead be constructed, sometimes projecting over the water. A pier, raised over the water rather than within it, is commonly used for cases where the weight or volume of cargos will be low.
Smaller and more modern wharves are sometimes built on flotation devices (pontoons) to keep them at the same level as the ship, even during changing tides.
In everyday parlance the termquay (pronounced 'key') is common in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and many other Commonwealth countries, and the Republic of Ireland, and may also refer to neighbourhoods and roadways running along the wayside (for example, Queen's Quay inToronto andBelfast). The termwharf is more common in the United States. In some contextswharf andquay may be used to mean[clarification needed]pier,berth, orjetty.[6]
In old ports such asLondon (which once had around 1700 wharves[7]) many old wharves have been converted to residential or office use.
Certain early railways in England referred to goods loading points as "wharves". The term was carried over from marine usage. The person who was resident in charge of the wharf was referred to as a "wharfinger".[8]
The wordwharf comes from theOld Englishhwearf,[9] cognate to theOld Dutch wordwerf, which both evolved to mean "yard", an outdoor place where work is done, like a shipyard (Dutch:scheepswerf) or a lumberyard (Dutch:houtwerf). Originally,werf orwerva in Old Dutch (werf,wer inOld Frisian) simply referred to inhabited ground that was not yet built on (similar to "yard" in modern English), or alternatively to aterp.[10] This could explain the name Ministry Wharf located at Saunderton, just outside High Wycombe, which is nowhere near any body of water. In support of this explanation is the fact that many places in England with "wharf" in their names are in areas with a high Dutch influence, for example the Norfolk broads.
In the northeast and east of England the termstaith orstaithe (from the Norse for landing stage) is also used. The two terms have historically had a geographical distinction: those to the north in theKingdom of Northumbria used the Old English spellingstaith, southern sites of theDanelaw took the Danish spellingstaithe. Both originally referred to jetties or wharves. In time, the northern coalfields of Northumbria developedcoal staiths specifically for loading coal onto ships and these would adopt thestaith spelling as a distinction from simple wharves: for example,Dunston Staiths inGateshead andBrancaster Staithe inNorfolk. However, the termstaith may also be used to refer only to loading chutes or ramps used for bulk commodities like coal in loading ships and barges.
Quay, on the other hand, has its origin in theProto-Celtic language. Before it changed to its current form under influence of the modernFrenchquai, itsMiddle English spelling waskey,keye orcaye. This in turn also came from theOld Normancai (Old French / Frenchchai "wine cellar"),[11] meaning originally "earth bank near a river", then "bank built at a port to allow ship docking".[12] The French termquai comes, through Picard or Norman-French, fromGaulishcaio, ultimately tracing back to the Proto-Celtic*kagio- "to encompass, enclose". Modern cognates includeWelshcae "fence, hedge" andCornishke "hedge",[11]
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