 | |
.jpg) The south terminal of the Woolwich Ferry | |
| Locale | Woolwich,London |
|---|---|
| Waterway | River Thames |
| Transit type | Passenger and vehicle ferry |
| Owner | London River Services |
| Operator | London River Services |
| Began operation | 23 March 1889 (1889-03-23) |
| No. of lines | 1 |
| No. of vessels | 2 |
| No. of terminals | 2 |
| Daily ridership | 7,100 |
| Website | Official website |
TheWoolwich Ferry is a free vehicle and pedestrian ferry across theRiver Thames inEast London, connectingWoolwich on the south bank withNorth Woolwich on the north.[1] It is licensed and financed byLondon River Services, the maritime arm ofTransport for London (TfL). Around two million passengers use the ferry each year.
A ferry has operated on the Thames at Woolwich since the 14th century, and commercial crossings operated intermittently until the mid-19th. The free service opened in 1889 after tolls were abolished on bridges to the west of London. Traffic increased in the 20th century because of the rise in motor vehicle traffic and it remained popular because of the lack of nearby bridges. Pedestrian use dropped after the construction of a parallel foot tunnel and the extension of theDocklands Light Railway toWoolwich Arsenal station. Alternatives such as theThames Gateway Bridge andGallions Reach Crossing have been proposed as replacements, but there are no plans to discontinue the Woolwich Ferry as long as there is demand.
The service linksWoolwich in theRoyal Borough of Greenwich withNorth Woolwich in theLondon Borough of Newham. It also links two ends of the inner London orbital road routes: theNorth Circular and theSouth Circular.[2]
The ferry operates from 6.00 am until 10.00 pm with a two-boat service (15 minutes nominal interval between sailings).[3] The ferries can carryheavy goods vehicles and other road traffic across the river, up to a maximum height of 4.7 metres (15 ft) and width of 3.5 metres (11 ft), except for anything carrying goods prohibited by theInternational Maritime Dangerous Goods Code or displaying aHazchem warning sign.[4] The service is free for all traffic; in 2012Transport for London (TfL) estimated a subsidy cost of 76.5p per passenger.[5]
The nearest alternative crossing for pedestrians is theWoolwich foot tunnel about 100 metres (110 yds) to the east.[6] ADocklands Light Railway (DLR) station,Woolwich Arsenal on the south side of the Thames, was opened in January 2009 as the newterminus of the London City Airport branch.[7]King George V DLR station, on the opposite side of the river, is close to the north ferry dock.
The nearest vehicle alternatives are theSilvertown Tunnel about two miles (3 km) upstream to the west, or theDartford Crossing around ten miles (16 km) downstream to the east. Both alternative routes incur toll charges.[8][9]
There has been a connection across the Thames between what is nowOld Woolwich and what would later beNorth Woolwich since theNorman Conquest. The area was mentioned inDomesday Book as 63 acres (25 ha) belonging to Hamon, thedapifer (steward), "which belong to (pertinent in) Woolwich"; the "pertinent" here refers to the portion of land north of the Thames yet also part of the county ofKent.[10] State papers in 1308 show that a service was running between North Woolwich and Warren Lane. That year, William de Wicton sold the business to William atte Halle for £10. The ferry was subsequently sold in 1320 for 100 silvermarks.[11]
| Woolwich Ferry Act 1811 | |
|---|---|
| Act of Parliament | |
 | |
| Long title | An Act for establishing a Ferry across the River Thames at Woolwich, in the County of Kent. |
| Citation | 51 Geo. 3. c. cxcix |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 26 June 1811 |
| Other legislation | |
| Amended by |
|
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
| Woolwich Ferry Act 1815 | |
|---|---|
| Act of Parliament | |
| |
| Long title | An Act to amend an Act of His present Majesty, for establishing a Ferry across the River Thames at Woolwich, in the County of Kent. |
| Citation | 55 Geo. 3. c. xviii |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 2 May 1815 |
| Other legislation | |
| Amends | Woolwich Ferry Act 1811 |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
| Woolwich Ferry Act 1816 | |
|---|---|
| Act of Parliament | |
 | |
| Long title | An Act to repeal a certain Part of an Act passed in the last Session of Parliament, intituled "An Act to amend an Act of His present Majesty, for establishing a Ferry across the River Thames at Woolwich, in the County of Kent. |
| Citation | 56 Geo. 3. c. xxvii |
| Dates | |
| Royal assent | 21 May 1816 |
| Other legislation | |
| Amends | Woolwich Ferry Act 1811 |
| Text of statute as originally enacted | |
Cross-river traffic increased following the establishment of theRoyal Arsenal in 1671.[12] To enable movement of troops and supplies, the army established its own ferry in 1810.[13] The following year theWoolwich Ferry Act 1811 (51 Geo. 3. c. cxcix) established a commercial ferry company,[14] but it was dissolved in 1844.[13] In 1846, theEastern Counties and Thames Junction Railway extended its lines to include a Thames wharf branch; eventually three steam ferries operated, but they proved inadequate to meet the growing demand. In October 1880, a public meeting was held in Woolwich to discuss setting up a locally run steam-ferry service, but the cost was seen as prohibitive.[13]
Following the establishment of theMetropolitan Board of Works, which had taken over toll bridges in west London and opened them to free public use, it was suggested that the board should fund a free crossing of the Thames in east London.[13] Proposals were made to provide services at Woolwich and further upstream atGreenwich, but the latter plan was abandoned.[15] In 1884 the board agreed to provide two steam-powered ferries, each costing £10,650, and asked chief engineerSir Joseph Bazalgette to lead design and construction.[16] In September 1887 MessrsMowlem and company were awarded contracts valued at £54,900 to build approaches, bridges and pontoons.[14][17]
The service was officially opened on 23 March 1889,[18] with thepaddle steamerGordon. Two days before the first service, the Metropolitan Board of Works was replaced by theLondon County Council (LCC), and the opening ceremony was conducted byLord Rosebery instead of the expected Bazalgette. The sister vesselDuncan was introduced on 20 April.[6]
By the end of the 1920s, the rise in motor traffic had put pressure on the ferry's capacity. A proposed bridge betweenShooter's Hill andEast Ham was rejected as too obvious a target for wartime bombings, and a third vessel was introduced instead.[19] Because of the lack of a fixed crossing, the Thames became a psychological barrier for those living in theEast End of London, who could only use a limited number of routes to cross the river, including the Woolwich Ferry.[20] The lack of a suitable alternative route was instrumental in creating plans for what eventually became theDartford Crossing further downstream.[19][21]
By the 1950s it was quicker for ferry traffic to divert via theBlackwall Tunnel even with all three vessels operating at full capacity.[22] In April 1963, the paddle steamers were replaced and the ferry service upgraded to a more modernroll-on/roll-off model,[18] reducing waiting times on the approach roads.[23] The LCC continued to operate the ferry until it was replaced by theGreater London Council (GLC) on 31 March 1965. In 1964,Marples Ridgway started building the currentreinforced concrete terminals, which can operate over a 30 feet (9.1 m)tidal range.[6] The current terminals were opened in 1966.[24]
After the abolition of the GLC in 1986, the responsibility for operating the service was transferred to theSecretary of State for Transport, who contracted the then London Borough of Greenwich to run the service.[25] Asset ownership and operating rights were subsequently transferred toTransport for London (TfL) on the establishment of theGreater London Authority,[26] but the London Borough of Greenwich continued to operate the ferry on behalf of TfL.[27]
In March 2008, the London Borough of Greenwich gave TfL notice that it would cease operating the service from 30 September 2008. On 12 September TfL announced that the outsourcing groupSerco would take over the operation of the service from 1 October 2008; the contract ran initially until 31 March 2010.[28] Control of the crossing passed from Serco toBriggs Marine, which was expanding into public passenger services, in December 2012. The company was awarded a £50 million seven-year contract, which began in April 2013.[29]
In 2014, TfL began an upgrade of the ferry service, starting by refurbishing the piers and in 2016 ordering two new boats to replace the existing vessels that were nearing the end of their working life.[30][31] In early 2017, it was announced that the new ferries were being built by Polish firmRemontowa to a design byNorwegian companyLMG Marin.[32] The diesel-electric hybrid vessels have 210 metres (690 ft) of space for road vehicles over several lanes and dedicated cyclist accommodation. The vessels are licensed to carry 150 passengers segregated from road traffic.[32] Continuing the tradition of naming the ferries after local people, it was announced in June 2017 that the two new vessels would be named afterDame Vera Lynn, a singer and entertainer from nearbyEast Ham, and Ben Woollacott, the 19-year-old deckhand on the Woolwich Ferry who drowned after being dragged overboard in a mooring accident in 2011.[33]
In October 2018, the Woolwich Ferry was suspended for four months in order to undertake major repair work for the piers, and the existing vessels were taken out of service.[34] The foot tunnel remained open.[35] The ferry service resumed on 1 February 2019.[36]
Following expiry of Briggs Marine's contract in December 2020, the service is now run byLondon River Services.[37] Under TfL-owned London River Services’ stewardship, services on the route were reduced to end at 7pm weekdays rather than 10pm. In addition, only one of the two new ferries was in service between 2020 and 2024, with TfL citing staffing challenges as the reason for the roughly 70% reduction in capacity.[38] In 2024, services were restored to end at 10pm.[39]
On 3 August 2011, 19-year-old ferry worker Ben Woollacott died after falling off the boat into the River Thames.[40] TheMAIB report published in August 2012 blamed "unseamanlike working practices" during the unmooring operation for the death.[41] When two new ships were bought to update the service in 2018, one was named after him.[42]
The first ferries were the side-loading paddle steamersGordon,Duncan andHutton, named afterGeneral Gordon of Khartoum, ColonelFrancis DuncanMP and ProfessorCharles Hutton. Each was powered by a condensing engine manufactured byJohn Penn and Sons of Greenwich, producing 100nominal horsepower.[43]
The initial fleet was eventually replaced, starting in 1923 withThe Squire (named after William Squires, a former mayor of Woolwich), and in 1930 with theWill Crooks (Crooks wasLabour MP for Woolwich, 1903–21) and theJohn Benn (Benn was a member of the London County Council,Liberal MP forSt George—which includedWapping—and grandfather ofTony Benn).[43]
Three vessels were built inDundee in 1963 by theCaledon Shipbuilding & Engineering Company to replace the paddle steamers, and were each named after prominent local politicians:James Newman (mayor of Woolwich, 1923–25),John Burns, andErnest Bevin. These ferries featuredVoith Schneider propulsion systems for manoeuvrability. Acycloidal propeller was fitted centrally at either end, each driven by a 500bhp 6-cylinderMirrlees Blackstone diesel engine.[23][43] Transport for London introduced anArt On The River scheme in 2014, showing decorative artwork on the ferry vessels.[44] These vessels ceased operation on 5 October 2018, after which service was suspended for four months and the ferries sold for demolition.[35]
Two new vessels, theBen Woollacott and theDame Vera Lynn, were delivered from theRemontowa shipyard inGdańsk, Poland, to replace the previous fleet in October 2018.[35][45][46] The new vessels entered service on 1 February 2019.[36] They have suffered from numerous technical issues resulting in closures and service reductions, with Mayor of LondonSadiq Khan apologising in November 2019 and stating the new ferries "aren't good enough".[47][48]
The ferry typically carries about two million passengers a year;[5] occupants of vehicles (including drivers) are counted as passengers.[49] In 2012 the ferry carried around 20,000 vehicles and 50,000 passengers weekly.[29]
At all times of day, but particularly at peak hours, it is common for vehicles to have to queue beyond the next ferry departure. Various improvements have been made to the vehicle queueing arrangements over the years, especially to avoid impacting local traffic.[50]
For foot passengers, bus services connect to both terminals. There is a small bus station on the north side,[51] but some cross-river foot passengers take the foot tunnel instead. About 300 foot passengers used the ferry daily between 1983 and 1985.[52] Further competition arrived in 2009 with the extension to Woolwich of the Docklands Light Railway, which crosses under the river to the east of the crossing and the tunnel, and has led to a reduction in the number of foot passengers using the ferry.[7]
After toll charges were imposed at the Blackwall and Silvertown Tunnels in April 2025, TfL reported a daily increase in ferry traffic of around 1,800 vehicles as drivers sought to avoid the charges.[53]
The ferry service provides one of the few road crossings of the Thames east of the City of London.[54] As long as there is a demand for a vehicle ferry it is unlikely to be discontinued, and doing so would require changing the Metropolitan Board of Works (Various Powers) Act 1885.[50]
Planning applications were submitted for a new bridge, theThames Gateway Bridge, close to the Woolwich Ferry, in 2004 although the project was cancelled in 2008.[55] In 2012, theMayor of London,Boris Johnson, announced theGallions Reach Crossing, a replacement ferry service running further east fromBeckton toThamesmead which was expected to open in 2017.[56] This did not occur and has been replaced with proposals for either a new bridge or tunnel in the area.[54][55] TfL planning director Richard de Cani has said that the ferry will continue to operate as long as there are no alternatives, and there are no current plans to discontinue the service.[57]
Tolls cannot be levied on the ferry without changing the 1885 Act of Parliament. However, it is possible that the service may eventually be tolled in conjunction with other projects.[58]
The Woolwich ferry has made several appearances on TV and film. TheJohn Benn is seen being destroyed by the titular monster in the filmBehemoth, the Sea Monster. A detailed scale model is used to interact with a model of the monster's head, which capsizes the ship in the Thames.[59]
Citations
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