Millbank Millennium Pier, pier at Millbank on the River Thames
Millbank Millennium Pier is a dock on the north bank of the River Thames in Westminster where passenger boats stop regularly. The pier has a simple design with step-free access and a shelter, serving several boat lines that travel east and west along the river throughout the day.
The pier opened in 2003 as part of a project to improve river transport and mark the new millennium. The Millbank area was once home to a large 19th-century prison where convicts were taken by boat to ships heading to penal colonies in Australia.
The name Millbank comes from the area's past as home to Millbank Prison, a major penitentiary in the 1800s. Today, residents and visitors use the pier as a daily connection between the city and river, keeping that historical memory alive in how they move through the space.
The pier is easy to reach by train, bus, or on foot, with Pimlico Underground Station about 10 minutes away and several bus routes nearby. Boats operate from early morning to late evening, and tickets can be purchased at machines, with a contactless card, or through a smartphone app.
Convicts once departed from this very spot by boat toward ships heading to penal colonies in Australia, a route that changed thousands of lives. This overlooked chapter of London history makes the pier a silent witness to the city's past and the global reach of British colonial transport.
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