Erith Deep Wharf’s story begins long ago. A bustling riverside port it served King Henry VIII. His mighty warship Henri Grace à Dieu was fitted out here in 1515. Erith Deep Wharf was then a key player in the Thames’ maritime history. Imagine gentlemen commuters enjoying hearty breakfasts with wine on river steamers. This was a daily ritual. The railway’s arrival in 1849 changed things. Commuters shifted from river to rail.
Erith Deep Wharf wasn’t always about commerce. A wooden pier opened in 1842. It was 444 feet long. A hotel and pleasure gardens drew tourists. Erith thrived as a seaside resort. But this era ended abruptly. The Crossness Sewage works opened in 1865. Raw sewage flowed into the Thames. The smell drove tourists away. The pier’s use shifted to cargo ships. The old wooden pier was gone by 1957. A new concrete pier replaced it. It was needed for larger ships.
The old Pier Hotel became warehouses. The town changed drastically in the 1960s and 70s. Erith Deep Wharf was abandoned. It lay forgotten for decades. Then Morrison’s supermarket arrived in 1999. They built on the old deep-water wharf. They saved the concrete pier though. Today it’s a public amenity. People fish walk and enjoy fresh air there. The pier stands as a testament to Erith’s vibrant past. It offers a tranquil escape. It overlooks the Thames’ ever-changing waters. It connects Erith’s rich history with its present.