Tilbury In Essex

The town of Tilbury is located in Thurrock, Essex and is the location of a fort dating back to the 16th century, a deep-water port and an old cross-river ferry. Sited on the north bank of the River Thames opposite its south bank's counterpart Gravesend, the town's history is very much connected with its geographical location. The cross-river ferry was sited here mainly due to the river narrowing at this point along with Gravesend and another south shore port, Northfleet becoming extremely important for shipping on the river.

In 1852 the construction of the London Tilbury and Southend Railway (LTSR) began along with the building of some houses for railway workers, but it wasn't until the building of Tilbury Docks that there became a settlement big enough to be worthy of having a name. Thousands of workers were employed to build the docks, eventually creating more permanent housing in the area. Unfortunately this included tenement blocks which were poorly constructed and the town remained in a bad state until 1918 when Tilbury District Council was created bringing much needed government funded to the town.

The geography of the land with its narrow, curved river made it an ideal place to build forts to defend London against unwanted foreign invaders. The first fort at Tilbury was constructed by Henry VIII in 1539 and later Queen Elizabeth I rallied her powerful army here to face the incoming threat of the Spanish Armada and the fort was eventually rebuilt by Charles I. It is currently owned by the English Heritage and is the largest and best example of 17th century military engineering by the English showing how fortifications developed over the following couple of centuries. An exhibition explains the fort's role in the all important defence of London over the past centuries.

The area directly to the north of Tilbury is marshlands followed by higher ground and the villages of East and West Tilbury and Chadwell St Mary. The larger Essex cities of Southend-on-Sea and Basildon lie to the north east of Tilbury, while to the west is the Dartford Tunnel and the M25 just 7 miles away, providing quick road access to the rest of the country. The London airports of Gatwick, Heathrow, Stansted and London City can all be reached within an hour by car from Tilbury and the town station lies on the C2C Shoeburyness to London Fenchurch Street railway line.

The Port of Tilbury is one of UK's three major container ports handling an assortment of bulk cargo, cars, timber and container traffic. It is Britain's main port for the importation of paper which includes newsprint. London's Cruise Terminal at Tilbury is the only purpose-built, deep water cruise facility in Greater London. Just 22 miles downriver from Tower Bridge, Tilbury has become a popular turnaround port for Northern European and Baltic destinations.

Fishing is a common pastime in Tilbury and the seawall near the fort is a popular spot for locals. Cod and whiting run past this point in the autumn, while bass and flatfish are more commonly found in the summer months. Another popular angling spot is the Occidental jetty at nearby Canvey Island.

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