Millbank Millennium Pier facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Millbank Millennium Pier

Millbank Pier
Type	River bus services
Locale	River Thames, London, UK
Owner	London River Services
Operator	London River Services
Coordinates	51°29′31″N 0°07′30″W / 51.491864°N 0.124992°W / 51.491864; -0.124992
Millbank Millennium Pier Location in City of Westminster

Millbank Millennium Pier is a special dock, called a pier, located on the west side of the River Thames in London, United Kingdom. It's a place where boats pick up and drop off passengers. These boats are part of London River Services, which helps people travel by river. You can find the pier between two bridges, Lambeth Bridge and Vauxhall Bridge, right next to the Millbank Tower and the famous Tate Britain art gallery.

What Boats Use the Pier?

This pier is mainly used by a special boat service called the "Tate-to-Tate" river bus. This boat connects two famous art galleries: the Tate Britain (which is right next to the pier) and the Tate Modern Gallery. It's a fun way to travel between them by boat on the River Thames!

A Gift from the Millennium Fund

Millbank Millennium Pier first opened on May 22, 2003. The Mayor of London at the time, Ken Livingstone, officially opened it. The money to build this pier came from the Millennium Commission. This group helped fund projects to celebrate the year 2000.

The pier was part of a bigger plan called the "Thames 2000 project." It was the fifth and last of several new piers built in central London with this special funding. The other piers included Blackfriars Millennium Pier, Waterloo Millennium Pier, Westminster Millennium Pier, and Tower Millennium Pier.

Cool Design and Awards

The Millbank Millennium Pier was designed by a company called Marks Barfield Architects. Its unique look includes sharp angles and a strong steel structure. The lighting on the pier, called 'Flash Tidal', was created by an artist named Angela Bulloch.

This pier has won several awards for its cool design. These include an award from the RIBA and a special mention from the ICE Merit Award judges. It also won a D&AD Yellow Pencil Award in 2004, which is a big deal in the design world!