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This pier is a station for the commuter and tourist boat services on the Thames. It receives regular useage everyday from the city clipper commuter services which go to the Tate Modern/Britain. It is also the place where the boat drivers have their lunch-breaks.
Because of the mechanism which allows the floating pier to rise up and down with the tides without changing position, the character of the pier doesn’t change noticeably between high and low tide.
The structure mediates between the land and water with a flexible bridge which changes angle according to the water height. At high tide the pier is practically level with the bank, and the bridge is horizontal or even slightly upward sloping. At low tide the pier is 5 or 6 metres lower than the bank, and the bridge slopes steeply downward.
The pier deals with the tidal change using two vertical piled columns, one at each end. These are the only parts which are fixed to the river bed. The pier itself is held between the two columns, and can slide up and down them on casters, like a vertical curtain rail.