It was said that a Tug Captain could follow the River Thames not only by the Reaches and the Buoys, but also the sights and the smells from the Riverside.

So lets go back over 50 years and imaging a ride aboard a Tug from the entrance of the Royal Victoria Dock to the entrance of the King George V Dock on a summer’s day.

Entering the Royal Victoria Dock by gate No.3, we walk along to the Tidal Basin to pick up our Tug.

See the photo of the tug Challange in the Royal Victoria Dock, but taken in 2005.

The so called `Tidal Basin` was the entrance to the docks (before the Lock gates were in place) that boats would wait for the change of the tide before entering or exiting the Dock area.

After She gives a long blast on her horn we move off slowly and make our way under the Silvertown Way into the lock and the gates close behind us, remembering the old saying, “Green to Green, Red to Red, it is safe to go Ahead”. Once we are released from the Locks, we pass on the Port side, Alexandria Wharf and Starboard side, Thames Wharf.

With two blast we enter the Thames at Bugsby`s Reach.

We now heading `down river`, with the northern riverbank on our port or left side, passing the 1st Victoria Dock Barge Roads at Oldams Buoy, then Odhams Wharf and the Union Mills. The Union Mills produce Animal foodstuff as a part of the British Oil and Cake Mills. Next is the 2nd Victoria Dock Barge Roads, known also as Humphery and Grey’s roads and Dohm Wharf, which have various types of Storage. We pass in quick succession, Clyde Wharf & Pinchins Wharf. Clyde Wharf once was the home of a Sugar Refinery owned by a company called Duncan, Bell & Scott who built the Wharf in 1862. It was destroyed by fire in 1893. Pinchins Wharf (formally Halls Wharf) is used by Pinchins, who are Paint, Colour and Vanish Manufactures.

On the river it’s self we pass the Plaistow Upper Tier Buoy. We now pass one of the major companies on the River at Peruviam Wharf, (formally known as Anglo Continental). This is a part of Lyles, which it’s self is a part of the Tate and Lyle Company. Again on the river we pass another Buoy, this is the Plasitow Lower Tier or Volkins Plasitow Buoy.

A sweet smell tells us we now come to the main part of Lyles at Plasitow Wharf. Abraham Lyle opened his Sugar refinery in 1881 and it begun to produce syrup in 1888. Tates whose factory is further down the river, joined up with Lyle in 1921 to make the world famous company Tates & Lyles.

By this factory on the river are the Plaistow 1st barge roads, known as Silvertown Service Roads.  

The next sets of roads are by the Plasitow Barge Tier Buoy; on the shore is John Knight and Sons Ltd, Royal Primrose Soap Works. The works opened in 1880 and produced the world famous Royal Primrose and Knight Castle soaps.

This is one factory that cannot be mistaken, as it not only produced soap; it also produced Glue, Fertilizers and Vegetable Adhesives, an interesting collection of smells.

At Manhattan Wharf, the Oil works are owned by William Simpson & Co who are Petrolane Merchants.  

It is separated from the Borough of West Ham Wharf  (Bradfield Road) by the Manhattan Causeway, which is also known as the West Ham Stairs and Causeway.

John Knight uses the Bradfield Road Wharf for Stores and Coal Supplies.  

There are two more Oil Works, one at Mohawk Wharf owned by the Anglo-American Oil Company, and the other by Shell Max and British Petroleum (Ltd) at Silvertown Wharf.

There is a break in the Industrial landscape as Lyle Park comes into view. This Park was financed by the Lyle Family and opened in 1924. It is used by the workers in the local companies for a spot of fresh air in their lunch breaks. As we pass the park we getting a greeting toot from the PLA Tug  `Platina` going up river back to the Royal Victoria Dock.  

Our next Wharf is Morel and Hayne`s Wharf. Morel and Haynes Co are Constructional Engineers and have two berths at the Wharf.

This stretch of the river takes some careful steering by the Tug’s Skipper, as there are various Buoys and Barge Roads on both the South bank and the middle of the River. We pass the Silvertown Services Mooring with it's white flashing light and enter Woolwich Reach, passing Venesta Wharf. Venesta are manufactures of Plywood and Packing cases.  

We pass 1st Prince Regents Barge Tier on our Starboard, and on our port is Crescent Wharf, which is now the home of ICE Chemical Works, but it is more famous for a previous company, Brunner Mond which was the site of the Silvertown Explosion in 1917. We are now eight miles down river from Tower Bridge.

Our next point along the riverside is Minoco Wharf, the home of Silvertown Lubricants. We slow up and pull over to allow the PS Medway Queen on one of her rare excursions from the Pool of London down to Clacton to pass, as the wake from those powerful paddle wheels, causes our Tug and the Cory`s Tugs sitting at their Mooring and Coal hulk to rock quite violently.  

Getting back on course we pass the very narrow United Wharf with its Oils stores, and the 2nd & 3rd Prince Regents Barge Tier, bringing us up to the Prince Regents Dock.

This dock, also know as Prince Regents Wharf is the home of Burt, Bolton and Heywood who products of Tar & Disinfectants use the residue from the Gas making process from the Beckton Gas Light & Coke Companies, Beckton Gas Works. Sitting at anchor are a couple of 18M Split Sailed Thames Sailing Barges.

We pass two buoys; Burts and Spencer Chapman, marking the Wharf used by Spencer, Chapman & Messel Ltd, Chemical Manufactures.

On our Starboard side, some more Sailing Barges tied up at the Thames Barge Company Roads.  

We now pass one of the sadder sites on the river, that of Thomas W Ward, who as well as being Iron & Steel Merchants are also ship breakers.

Their depot at Greys in Essex has been the last resting place of some of the most beautiful of the Thames Paddle Steamers, including many of the famous Belle Company Steamers, Clacton Belle, Woolwich Belle, London Belle and Walton Belle.

We now come across a large amount of Barges moored at the 1st, 2nd, 3rd & 4th Silvertown Barge Moorings (Badcock`s Silvertown Roads), and then Magent Wharf and the Co-operative Wholesale Societies Soap Works, also their Flour Mills.

A buoy marks the 5th Silvertown Barge roads also know as McDougals Silvertown Roads.

Tay Wharf is our next port of call, originally home of James Keiller & Company whose Jam & Marmalade factory opened there in 1880. (The entrance to Tays Wharf can still be seen today, opposite to St Marks Church, now the home of the Brick Lane Old Tyme Music Hall) 

The river now gets very congested as between here and Henley’s Cable there are eight Barge roads, from the 6th Silvertown to the 2nd North Woolwich Coaster Roads, as well as other items.

We have reach the point in the River that gave Silvertown its name.

S.W.Silver in 1852 at the point where Ham Creek joined the River Thames opened a Rubber Producing Factory, this soon became known as Silvers Town.

Ham creek, also referred to at times as the River Ham, is believed to have flowed up as far as what is now West Ham Football ground, and followed a course across the marshes, via what is now Boundary Road. It is possible that it was named the Ham because of the two villages of East & West Hame, which were either side of the river.  

The company was known as the India Rubber & Gutter Percha (later also Telegraph) Works.

It produced a range of items from Rubber Belts to Golf Balls.

We sweep past what must be the most famous of all the rivers industries, Tates, a part of the Tate & Lyle Company.

Opened by Henry Tate, (later Sir Henry Tate Bt) in 1877, it was known as Henry Tate & Sons.

Tates became famous for the production of Cube Sugar, which became the `must have` thing for Ladies in the Victorian Age at their afternoon tea gatherings.

As we pass Tate’s on our port side, on our starboard side, we see a group of PLA tugs at their Tug Tier.  

Tates cover three Wharfs, Thames Refinery (Upper), Thames Refinery (Jetty) and Thames Refinery (Lower). We see one of the Sugar boats unloading.

Passing a tug coaling up at the Tug Coaling Syndicate Coaling Station, we see on our Starboard, the Sun Tugs of the Alexander’s Towing Company at their Moorings. Although current empty, the next moorings belong to the PLA and is used by the Fire Service. On the shoreline we pass Loaders & Nucoline who were established in 1881. The company process Vegetable Oil & Fats to make Biscuits & Confectionary.  

In quick succession we pass Cairn Mills & Griffins Wharf, and in turn are passed ourselves by a `Green Parrott`. The River Police (Thames Division) have recently purchased three new launches, and their Bright Green Hulls, has quickly giving them the nickname of Green Parrotts.

Standard Telephones and Cables Limited who are Telecommunications engineers and Henleys Cables are the next to companies on the port side.

W.T.Henley opened his company in 1853, which produced `Submarine Cable’.

On our starboard side is a Woolwich Ferry laying at the London County Council’s Free Ferry Moorings.

This is followed by 1st, 2nd & 3rd Woolwich Barge Roads.

We slow up as two Woolwich Free Ferries `John Benn` and `Will Crooks` cross our paths between their Northern and Southern landing stages.

London County Council (LCC) Ferries have crossed at this point since 1889.

After the Woolwich Free Ferries, we pass another pier on our port side, which also at one time had a Ferry Service. This is now the London and North Eastern Railway pier, originally the Eastern Counties Pier, which run a ferry service to Woolwich from 1847 to 1908. Opposite it is North Woolwich Railway Station and Marshalling Yards. The original station opened in 1847, and the arrival of the railway opened up the area for development.  

Another break from the Industrial Landscape is the Royal Victoria Gardens (also known as the North Woolwich Gardens) , which first opened in 1851, and is now run by the LCC.

We pull to the centre of the river to avoid the 1st & 2nd North Woolwich Gardens Barge Roads (Barge House Buoy) and pass Bargehouse Draw Dock and Causeway, which had been the Landing stage for Watermen for many years that run a ferry service from the Southern side at Woolwich. The service ended when the Woolwich Free Ferry opened. Between the Dock and the Causeway is Sankey’s Wharf used by a Builders Merchants of the same name.  

We pause for a moment as a mark of respect to the Passengers & Crew of the Princess Alice Paddle Steamer, which sank in this area in1878.

We are now at a point 10 miles down River from Tower Bridge and the Pool of London, and enter Gallions Reach.  

The last building on the river before we finish our journey is Harland and Wolff Ltd, Ship Repairers.

We round the jetty at the entrance to King George V Dock and enter the Lock Basin. The largest ship ever to enter here was the RMS (Royal Mail Ship) Mauretania in 1939.  

Thanking our captain for the trip, we alight from the Tug before she enters the Dock and walk along in the afternoon sunshine to the exit of KGV to wait for a 101 bus.