This is a list of about 680 former or extant wharves, docks, piers, terminals, etc. of the Port of London, the majority of which lie on the Tideway of the River Thames, listed from upstream to downstream.
Many of the docks closed after the mass uptake of containerisation changed the face of the industry and bringing about an end to an era, and a demise to the occupation of the docker as it then was.
Those marked with a † have at present the status of a safeguarded wharf. Those in italics are no longer used for port or river transit related activities. Further remarks are made in brackets, including in some cases the present operator or cargo handled.
In 1937 at the height of London's trade it is estimated that there were around 1700 wharves between Brentford and Gravesend.[1] Today there are around 70 active terminals, each generally handling much greater volumes. Much of the cargo and commodities handling by the Port of London takes place in the downstream stretches of the Thames beyond Greater London, on the banks of south Essex (Thurrock) and north Kent. The Port of London Authority controls operations from its base in Gravesend. The main container terminal is currently at Tilbury, though in 2008 construction began on the London Gateway project, which will become the largest single component of the Port of London when completed.