Located on the north bank of the River Thames opposite Gravesend, with which there has been a ferry link for centuries, Tilbury Landing Stage is a fine vantage point for viewing shipping passing to and from upriver berths.

Ever since it opened in 1930 it has been the Port of London’s main passenger terminal. For many years it was the farewell point for thousands of migrants leaving Britain for Australia. Later, as liner travel changed to cruising, it was regularly used by Soviet-owned passenger ships.

To meet the new demands of cruising the passenger facility was upgraded and is now known as the London Cruise Terminal, handling a number of cruise ships each year.

Geoff Lunn takes a photographic journey through the history of Tilbury Landing Stage, describing the passenger ships and various other ships that have berthed there and those that have passed close by.

•  Rare and previously unpublished images
• Reviews in specialist press
• Latest maritime book