Tilbury Riverside Station, Grade II* Listed

‘Back on Track’

Introductiom

Tilbury is a port town in the borough of Thurrock, Essex. The Tilbury River Side Station is part of port of Tilbury, and is the largest port on the Thames. The Station is located at the ferry station connecting Tilbury and Gravesend.

Brief History

The Riverside Station, designed by Sir Edwin Cooper, was built in the 1920s to accommodate the increasing passenger numbers in the post-First World War period and it became the centre of passenger operations in London. The building is most notable for being the docking location of the SS Empire Windrush in June 1948. As air travel became the preference for long-distanced journeys, the Tilbury terminal experienced a sharp decline in users and in 1992 the station was officially closed. It remains largely unaltered, though years of neglect had left the building in a state of disrepair until recent works repair and reinstatement.

Proposals

PRS Architects have been appointed by the Tilbury on the Thames Trust as Architects, Lead Designers, Lead Consultants and Specialist Conservation Architects for the Tilbury Riverside Railway Station Back on Track Project. The Tilbury on Thames Trust have secured £4,478,310 in Stage 2 funding from NLHF, which will help to revitalise the Tilbury Riverside Station. The proposals include a full regeneration of the station building, creating 8 studio lets for local artists, a new café to offer a stop for thousands of travellers, open up the main ticket hall for community events and a permanent exhibition space to explore the history of Tilbury. The proposed design and interventions are kept to the minimal and compatible with the heritage values of the building. In summary, the proposals comprise:

• Reinstatement of the entrance glazed canopy with new heritage double glazed patent glazing units, to form new cafe space, following the detail of original roof and re-using the existing structure.
• New glazed screen and door to the Station’s former entrance to create a new cafe.
• Internal alterations to secondary rooms within the former Station’s support space to achieve a number of lettable units for creative tenants.
• Internal alterations to the former ticket office to create a new permanent exhibition area.
• Modification to existing WCs and creation of new DDA WC and Changing Places facility.
• External masonry repairs and window replacement with double glazed heritage metal framed windows.
• Reinstating two new openings in the Station’s rear elevation reflecting the positions of the historic platform openings.
• New hard and soft-landscaping to external areas surrounding the station and ancillary (TRAAC) building.
• New vehicle crossover to create a new safe pedestrian access.

This station restoration initiative holds the potential to revitalize the town’s future prospects, which have languished since the station’s closure.