Part Two of the River Tour from Eurolink's 2010 Reunion

A huge diversity of cargo is handled in the Port of London, and it amounted to a total of 53.8 million tons in 2005; this underlines the London's place as one of the top three ports in the UK. There are more than 70 independently owned port facilities, terminals and wharves along the tidal Thames. Vessels sailing to and from these port facilities and all other craft on the tidal Thames operate under the jurisdiction of the PLA, which is the statutory conservation, harbour, navigation and pilotage authority for the tidal Thames from Teddington, in west London, out to sea, a distance of 95 miles (150 km). The PLA also work to meet the needs of leisure users and all those who have an interest in the tidal Thames. The PLA also work to meet the needs of leisure users and all those who have an interest in the tidal Thames.

The PLA employs many staff including administrative staff, officers, personnel afloat in marine and harbour services, engineering technical support, pilots and vessel traffic services. It is perfectly placed at the heart of the prosperous markets of London and the south-east, where more than 21 million people live within a 2 hour journey of the port. The PLA contributes more than 3.4 billion pounds to the region's economy each year and supports over 35,200 full-time jobs.

The following points of historical interest were made as we progressed down the river:

• Waterloo Bridge was built mainly by women during World War II.
• The steel for the new Blackfriars Bridge was brought in by barges on the river.
• The river wall in front of the Tate Modern has been lowered to as part of a managed realignment of the river bank, which will be allowed to flood and will be safe.
• The Queenhithe Dock is the oldest dock on the Thames, built by the Anglo-Saxons in 900 A.D.
• The reconstruction of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre is the only thatched roof in London since the Great Fire in 1666.
• Near Southwark Bridge is the waste transfer point for removing waste from the City of London  by barge and not by road - this is taken down to Mucking in Essex. The returning barges  bring sand up to Battersea and they have to use the centre arch of the bridges. 
• A seaworthy replica of Sir Francis Drake's ship, the Golden Hind, lies in a wharf near the Globe Theatre.
• The historic Billingsgate fish market is now a conference centre.
• The Tower of London has the oldest flood defence in London- a stone wall which is 700 years old, and nearby is the old police station in the world.
• Hays Wharf, in the pool of London, is known as "London's larder", where most of the food items brought into the UK are unloaded for forward transit.

More later this week, I am currently typing this from the window of an Italian villa looking at the Dolomites and tomorrow I drive back through Italy, Switzerland and France and pass copious hectares of arable crops, hops and vines.

Part One of The River Tour from Eurolink's 2010 Reunion

After our interesting and rewarding tour of the House of Lords, we walked to the Westminster Pier and embarked on our chartered boat, the William B, operated by the Swan Pier Company Ltd. We were joined by Mr. James Trimmer from the Port of London Authority and Ms. Sarah Lavery from the Environment Agency.

James Trimmer is the head of Planning and Partnerships for the Port of London Authority, and is the officer directly responsible for the initiation, co-ordination and implementation of the PLA's land use, planning and transport policies and the fostering of strategic and local partnerships involving the PLA throughout the tidal Thames.

Sarah Lavery is the Environment Agency's Project manager, leading the development of the long term flood risk management strategy for London and the Thames Estuary. She has extensive experience in the design and construction of London's tidal defences and is currently one of the Environment Agency's Thames Barrier controllers, with responsibility for Barrier closure decisions.

The members present were really pleased to be able to hear at first hand the information about the workings of the river that they were able to give us.

The tidal Thames rises and falls by 7 metres, and the speed of the river, when meeting the incoming tide, is about 5 miles per hour (8 kilometres per hour). The PLA owns the Thames foreshore, which was sold by the King in medieval times to pay for the Crusades. This is used by a group of people known as mudlarks, who are allowed to dig to a depth of 6 metres, looking for artefacts.

Part Two to come next Monday in which we find out more about the Port of London Authority and the Thames Barrier.