North Greenwich Pier is a pier

Pier

A pier is a raised structure, including bridge and building supports and walkways, over water, typically supported by widely spread piles or pillars...

 operated by London River Services

London River Services

London River Services is a division of Transport for London , which manages passenger transport on the River Thames in London, UK. They do not own or operate any boats but license the services of other operators...

 on the River Thames

River Thames

The River Thames flows through southern England. It is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom. While it is best known because its lower reaches flow through central London, the river flows alongside several other towns and cities, including Oxford,...

, London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

, UK

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

. It is situated on the Greenwich peninsula

Greenwich Peninsula

Greenwich Peninsula is an area of South London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich.The peninsula is bounded on three sides by a loop of the Thames, between the Isle of Dogs and Silvertown. To the south is the rest of Greenwich, to the south-east is Charlton.The peninsula lies...

 in south-east London, to the east of the Millennium Dome

Millennium Dome

The Millennium Dome, colloquially referred to simply as The Dome or even The O2 Arena, is the original name of a large dome-shaped building, originally used to house the Millennium Experience, a major exhibition celebrating the beginning of the third millennium...

 (now the O₂

The O2 (London)

The O2, visually typeset in branding as The O2, is a large entertainment district on the Greenwich peninsula in South East London, England, including an indoor arena, a music club, a Cineworld cinema, an exhibition space, piazzas, bars and restaurants...

). The pier was formerly named QEII Pier after Queen Elizabeth II, reigning monarch of the United Kingdom.

History

It was originally built in the 1880s as a coaling jetty for the former Greenwich gasworks before this closed in the late 1980s. Most of the original jetty was demolished in 1997 to make way for the new passenger pier; however eight of the original cast iron caisson columns were retained to secure the new floating pier. Antony Gormley

Antony Gormley

Antony Mark David Gormley OBE RA is a British sculptor. His best known works include the Angel of the North, a public sculpture in the North of England, commissioned in 1995 and erected in February 1998, Another Place on Crosby Beach near Liverpool, and Event Horizon, a multi-part site...

's 'Quantum Cloud' statue stands on the downstream group of four caissons.

Design

The new pier was designed by architect Richard Rogers Partnership with Beckett Rankine as the engineer and Costain

Costain Group

Costain Group plc is a British construction and civil engineering company headquartered in Maidenhead. It was part of the original Channel Tunnel consortium and is involved in Private Finance Initiative projects.-History:...

 as main contractor. The most striking feature of the pier is its 87metre long, 160tonne, bowstring canting brow which, unusually, is supported on three bearings.

Services

The pier is served by river boat services operated by Thames Clipper

Thames Clipper

Thames Clipper is a water-bus service operating in London on the River Thames. The company offers commuter services between eastern and central London, as well as tourist services under licence from London River Services. At present they transport around 7,500 passengers daily.-Company:Sean Collins...

, including:

• a regular commuter catamaran service, from Woolwich Arsenal Pier
  Woolwich Arsenal Pier
  Woolwich Arsenal Pier, also known as the Royal Arsenal Pier, Woolwich, is a pier on the River Thames, at Woolwich in the London Borough of Greenwich, UK...
  
   into central London, via Greenwich
  Greenwich Pier
  Greenwich Pier is a pier on the River Thames in the London borough of Greenwich, UK. It is operated by London River Services and called at by various river cruise operators, mostly operating public cruise services to and from Central London...
  
  , Canary Wharf
  Canary Wharf Pier
  The Canary Wharf Pier is a London River Services pier on the River Thames in London, UK. It is located to the west of the Canary Wharf district, close to Narrow Street, Limehouse....
  
   and Tower Bridge
  Tower Millennium Pier
  Tower Millennium Pier is a pier on the River Thames, in London, UK. It is operated by London River Services and served by various river transport and cruise operators...
  
   to the London Eye.
• the fast O₂ Express service
• A replacement boat service to a pier near East India DLR station
  East India DLR station
  East India is a station on Docklands Light Railway in east London. It takes its name from the nearby former East India Docks of the Port of London, where ships trading with the Indian subcontinent used to dock....
  
   when the London Underground
  London Underground
  The London Underground is a rapid transit system serving a large part of Greater London and some parts of Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex in England...
  
   Jubilee Line
  Jubilee Line
  The Jubilee line is a line on the London Underground , in the United Kingdom. It was built in two major sections—initially to Charing Cross, in central London, and later extended, in 1999, to Stratford, in east London. The later stations are larger and have special safety features, both aspects...
  
   is closed for engineering works.

Transport connections

North Greenwich Pier offers interchange with nearby transport links:

• North Greenwich tube station
  North Greenwich tube station
  North Greenwich is a station on London Underground's Jubilee Line, opened on 14 May 1999.Despite its name, North Greenwich is not in the area historically known as North Greenwich, on the Isle of Dogs, north of the river; an entirely different station used to be there, between 1872 and 1926...
  
   (Jubilee line
  Jubilee Line
  The Jubilee line is a line on the London Underground , in the United Kingdom. It was built in two major sections—initially to Charing Cross, in central London, and later extended, in 1999, to Stratford, in east London. The later stations are larger and have special safety features, both aspects...
  
  )
• Bus services
  London Buses
  London Buses is the subsidiary of Transport for London that manages bus services within Greater London, UK. Buses are required to carry similar red colour schemes and conform to the same fare scheme...
  
  :
• bus 129
• bus 161
• bus 188
  London Buses route 188
  London Buses route 188 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to Abellio London.-History:...
  
  
• bus 422
  London Buses route 422
  London Buses route 422 is a Transport for London contracted bus route in London, United Kingdom. The service is currently contracted to Go-Ahead London.-History:...
  
  
• bus 472
• bus 486

Transport for London are currently considering the construction of a cable car over the River Thames

Royal Docks and Greenwich Peninsula Cable Car

Emirates Air Line is a Transport for London gondola link across the River Thames in London that is planned to be built by the 2012 London Olympics, sponsored by the air carrier Emirates. The scheme, announced in July 2010, envisages a cable car line running from the Greenwich Peninsula over the...

 for the 2012 Summer Olympics

2012 Summer Olympics

The 2012 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the "London 2012 Olympic Games", are scheduled to take place in London, England, United Kingdom from 27 July to 12 August 2012...

 which would run from a station close to North Greenwich Pier to the Royal Victoria Dock

Royal Victoria Dock

The Royal Victoria Dock is the largest of three docks in the Royal Docks of east London, now part of the redeveloped Docklands.-History:...

.