Westminster Millennium Pier
Westminster Pier is a pier on the River Thames, in the City of Westminster in London, England. It is operated by Uber Boat by Thames Clippers and served by various river transport and cruise operators. It is located next to Westminster Bridge on the north bank of the Thames, and is close to one of London's most prominent landmarks, Big Ben.
Type
River tourist/leisure services
River Thames, London, UK
Former Westminster Floating Pier[edit]
The former Westminster Floating Pier existed on the site through the 1950's, running along the Thames between Kew and the London docks. The floating pier acted as a landing point for many Royal water journeys, including the conclusion of Queen Elizabeth II's Commonwealth tour in May 1954.[1]
On the 7th February 1955, night watchmen reported a leak had been found in the pier, causing the middle sections to sink. Workman from the Port Of London Authority spent three hours trying to drain the central pontoon of water, with the pier being half submerged by 10am before fully sinking "as Big Ben stuck twelve".[2] No one was hurt during the sinking, with the staff having time to evacuate and retrieve important documents.
The sinking of the pier was widely reported on by newspapers and media of the time, with it being parodied in an episode of The Goon Show a week after the incident.[3]
The pier is served by various services including:
Westminster tube station
North bank
South Bank