London Cruise Terminal History

With 350 m of floating quayside, passenger reception and grand hall, this unique facility was opened in 1930 by the Prime Minister, Ramsay MacDonald, to serve the new larger passenger vessels offering world-wide services before the age of the aeroplane.

With the adjacent railway station, this Grade II listed structure of great historic significance was the gateway for emigrants with P&O and the Orient Line to Australia and the Commonwealth.

In 1948, the arrival of the Empire Windrush from the West Indies marked the beginning of our multi-cultural society today. A heritage plaque commemorating the 60th anniversary of this event is displayed in the Cruise Terminal beneath Jeremy Deller's banner, which was entered for the Turner Prize in 2004 .

left: Banner from Jeremy Deller's Five Memorials
(made by Ed Hall)

In the 1970's, with the demise of the British Liner Fleet, the Terminal was no longer in use and the railway station closed. The emergence of cruising created new opportunities and the terminal re-opened in1995 and continues to offer a full service to the new European cruise market, a base for exciting voyages to the Baltic and tourists to London and the East of England