Everything about Woolwich Ferry totally explained
The
Woolwich Free Ferry is a boat service across the
River Thames,
London,
UK, which is operated by the
London Borough of Greenwich, and licensed and financed by
London River Services, the maritime arm of
Transport for London. The boat carries foot passengers and vehicles.
The service links
Woolwich in the London Borough of Greenwich with
North Woolwich in the
London Borough of Newham. It also links two ends of the inner London orbital road routes: the
North Circular and the
South Circular.
History
A ferry service had operated across the river at Woolwich since at least the
14th century. The free ferry service was instigated by Sir
Joseph Bazalgette using powers granted in the
Metropolitan Board of Works (Various Powers) Act
1885, and was officially opened on
23 March 1889.
Fleet
The current three vessels (built in
Dundee in
1963 by the
Caledon Shipbuilding & Engineering Company to replace the previous four paddle steamers used since
1923) were each named after prominent local politicians:
John Burns,
Ernest Bevin and
James Newman (Newman was mayor of Woolwich, 1923-25). This continued a practice started in 1923 with
The Squire (named after William Squires, another former mayor of Woolwich), and in 1930 with the
Will Crooks (
Labour MP for Woolwich, 1903-1921) and the
John Benn (Sir John was a member of
London County Council,
Liberal MP for
Wapping, and grandfather of
Tony Benn).
The ferries feature
Voith-Schneider propulsion systems for manoeuvrability. They carry lorries and other road traffic across the river, plus large numbers of foot passengers (licensed capacity: 500 passengers and 200 tonnes of vehicles).
Service patterns
On weekdays, the ferry operates from 6.10am until 8pm with a two-boat service (10 minutes nominal interval between sailings); on Saturdays, from 6.10am to 8pm with a one-boat service (15 minutes nominal interval, and the last south-to-north sailing is 15 minutes earlier at 7.45pm); on Sundays, from 11.30am to 7.30pm with a one-boat service (last south-to-north sailing at 7.15pm).
Nearest alternate crossings
If the ferry service isn't operating (it may occasionally be suspended due to fog during its normal hours), pedestrians can use the nearby
Woolwich foot tunnel from
Woolwich to
North Woolwich.
The nearest vehicle alternatives are the
Blackwall Tunnel about two miles (3 km) upstream to the west, or the
Dartford Crossing some ten miles (16 km) downstream to the east.
Future of the service
In 2004 proposals for a new bridge, the
Thames Gateway Bridge, close to the location of the Woolwich Ferry, received funding. This is likely to lead to the existing ferries being replaced by a new, more efficient, ferry system which is more suitable for a lower traffic volume once the new bridge is opened.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Woolwich Ferry'.
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