Millbank Pier is a

pier A pier is a raised structure that rises above a body of water and usually juts out from its shore, typically supported by piling, piles or column, pillars, and provides above-water access to offshore areas. Frequent pier uses include fishing, b ...

on the west bank of the

River Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the The Isis, River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the Longest rivers of the United Kingdom, s ...

, in London, United Kingdom. It is served by boats operated by Uber Boat by Thames Clippers under licence from

London River Services London River Services Limited is a division of Transport for London (TfL), which manages passenger transport—leisure-oriented tourist services and commuter services—on the River Thames in London. It does not own or operate any boats itself, ...

and is situated between

Lambeth Bridge Lambeth Bridge is a road traffic and footbridge crossing the River Thames in an east–west direction in central London. The river flows north at the crossing point. Downstream, the next bridge is Westminster Bridge; upstream, the next bridge i ...

and

Vauxhall Bridge Vauxhall Bridge is a Grade II* listed steel and granite deck arch bridge in central London. It crosses the River Thames in a southeast–northwest direction between Vauxhall on the south bank and Pimlico on the north bank. Opened in 1906, it r ...

Millbank Millbank is an area of central London in the City of Westminster. Millbank is located by the River Thames, east of Pimlico and south of Westminster. Millbank is known as the location of major government offices, Burberry headquarters, the Mill ...

. It is accessed from a point adjacent to

Millbank Tower Millbank Tower is a skyscraper in the City of Westminster at Millbank, by the River Thames in London, England. The tower was constructed in 1963, and has been home to many high-profile political organisations, including the Labour Party (UK), L ...

and the

Tate Britain Tate Britain, known from 1897 to 1932 as the National Gallery of British Art and from 1932 to 2000 as the Tate Gallery, is an art museum on Millbank in the City of Westminster in London, England. It is part of the Tate network of galleries in En ...

art gallery.

Services

The pier is served by the Tate-to-Tate river bus service and that links the Tate Britain with the

Tate Modern Tate Modern is an art gallery in London, housing the United Kingdom's national collection of international Modern art, modern and contemporary art (created from or after 1900). It forms part of the Tate group together with Tate Britain, Tate Live ...

Gallery via a Thames boat service.

Millennium fund

Millbank Millennium Pier was opened on 22 May 2003 by London Mayor

Ken Livingstone Kenneth Robert Livingstone (born 17 June 1945) is an English former politician who served as the Leader of the Greater London Council (GLC) from 1981 until the council was Local Government Act 1985, abolished in 1986, and as Mayor of Londo ...

. Its creation was funded by the

Millennium Commission The Millennium Commission, a United Kingdom public body, was set up to celebrate the turn of the millennium. It used funding raised through the UK National Lottery to assist communities in marking the close of the second millennium and celebra ...

as part of the Thames 2000 project, and it was the fifth and last of the new central London piers built with funding from the

(the others being Blackfriars Millennium Pier,

Waterloo Millennium Pier The London Eye (Waterloo) Pier is directly in front of the London Eye ferris wheel on the South Bank of the River Thames in Central London, England. It was opened as the Waterloo Millennium Pier in 2000. It is served by various river transport ...

Westminster Millennium Pier Westminster Pier is a pier on the River Thames, in the City of Westminster in London, England. It is operated by Uber Boat by Thames Clippers and served by various river transport and cruise operators. It is located next to Westminster Bridge ...

and Tower Millennium Pier). The project was part of an integrated transport and regeneration strategy for the Thames led by London's Cross-River Partnership.

Design and construction

The Millbank Millennium Pier was designed by Marks Barfield Architects with engineering and project management provided by Beckett Rankine. The lighting design 'Flash Tidal' was created by artist Angela Bulloch. The pier is notable for its angular, constructivist steel structure. The main contractor was Mowlem with the steel fabrication by K&N Welding and electrical work by Philipsons. The pier has been awarded a number of prizes for its distinctive design, including a

RIBA ''Riba'' (, or , ) is an Arabic word used in Islamic law and roughly translated as " usury": unjust, exploitative gains made in trade or business. ''Riba'' is mentioned and condemned in several different verses in the Qur'an3:130

award, a Commendation by the ICE Merit Award judges, and a 2004

D&AD Design and Art Direction (D&AD), formerly known as British Design and Art Direction, is a British educational organisation that was created in 1962 to promote excellence in design and advertising. Its main offices are in Spitalfields in London. ...

Yellow Pencil Award.

References

London River Services Transport infrastructure completed in 2003 2003 in London Buildings and structures in the City of Westminster Buildings and structures celebrating the third millennium Piers in London {{London-transport-stub