Survey to boost bid for "Britain's Ellis Island"

Tilbury Riverside Railway Station, which once took passengers directly from the passenger port to London 20 miles away, may become a heritage centre under proposals that have been put before the Heritage Lottery Fund by consultancy KDC London for the Port of Tilbury/Forth Ports. Billed as "Britain's Ellis Island", Big Ocean Project involves not just the Grade II listed station terminal building (above), which has remained empty since its closure in the 1970s, but also the jetty and floating landing stage (below). The passenger port complex was designed by Sir Edwin Cooper, architect of the PLA's headquarters in Trinity Square, and the main baggage hall, still in use, was opened by Prime Minister Ramsay Macdonald in 1930. The London Cruise Terminal remains the capital's only deep water birth with passenger facilities, and apart from the railway terminal it is largely unchanged since the great days of ocean liners and the arrival of the Empire Windrush*. KDC London, the regeneration consultants who were involved with SS Robin, envisage a Museum of Migration and the Sea in the the former station.

Details of KDC London's Big Ocean Project, with any intriguing historical pictures, are on their website.

Big Ocean Project SURVEY
KDC London is also conducting an online survey. "A strong response from both stakeholders and the community is key to the success of the Heritage Lottery Fund bid," says David Kampfner, Director of KDC London. See: Big Ocean Project – Tilbury Riverside: Audience Survey
Deadline for the survey is July 15.

*"MV Empire Windrush" is one of 20 short stories in Father Thames.