In 1623, the future King Charles I and the Duke of Buckingham crossed from Tilbury to Gravesend while travelling secretly to Spain. According to historical accounts, their unusually generous payment to the ferryman aroused suspicion, contributing to their subsequent detention at Canterbury!
The great Victorian novelist Charles Dickens also used the ferry while travelling between Rochester and London. His novels immortalised the landscapes, marshes and communities of the lower Thames.
And in 1588, Queen Elizabeth I famously rallied her troops at nearby Tilbury against the threat of the Spanish Armada.
The crossing was already strategically important to England's defence.
From medieval merchants and royal travellers to Victorian railway passengers, dockworkers and modern commuters, this little ferry has witnessed remarkable chapters of British history.
Yet in March 2024, the service stopped. It should never have been allowed to close.
Consider the absurdity.
Humanity first travelled into space seventy years ago. Today we have extraordinary advances in electric propulsion, navigation, automation and transport technology.
Yet in modern Britain, we apparently cannot operate a short ferry service connecting two enormous county economies!
That represents a failure of imagination, ambition and energy.
Surely restoring this crossing cannot be beyond the collective capability of Thurrock's businesses, community organisations and council?
A revived ferry could reconnect workers with jobs, stimulate tourism, support local businesses and strengthen commercial relationships across the Thames.
That is why I have asked Thurrock Council's Place Committee to immediately convene a task force to examine how we can get this historic service back up and running.
I want businesses, potential operators, community organisations and our neighbours in Kent working together to examine practical, affordable and innovative solutions.
We need entrepreneurial thinking, commercial partnerships and determination. Together we can restore our Ferry service.
Thurrock's history should inspire our future, not simply decorate our museums.
For seven centuries, this crossing helped connect two great counties. We owe it to future generations to restore that connection.
Let's bring back the Tilbury–Gravesend ferry and demonstrate that Thurrock has the ambition and energy to get things done.