THIS week in Down Memory Lane I suspect we all wish we could go on holiday again soon!

So we visit the Riverside Terminal, not the railway station this time, but the Customs Hall.

Opened in 1930 by the Prime Minister Ramsay MacDonald, the new facility gave 24-hour, seven days a week access at all tide states to liners and the Tilbury to Gravesend ferry.

Before this time ships had to enter the main docks through the tidal gates, when available for opening and maintaining the water level in the main docks.

The new buildings housed both the railway station, pub, ticket office, toilets in the east site and adjoined to the west was the customs hall.

Doors from the railway station and coach and car park allowed passengers and luggage only to be inspected by the Customs officers, checking baggage and passports.

Access to and from the ships was out along the covered walkways leading to the floating landing stage and on to the liners.

Our featured photograph from the Grays and Tilbury Gazette of 1950 shows a moment in time as hundred of thousands of items of individual luggage are sorted by the porters before being checked and then barrowed to waiting transport, or on the ships.

The fantastic “cathedral-like” proportions of the buildings (as noted by the Prime Minister at the opening) have been only slightly modified to bring them up-to-date, but still function for the passenger liner trade and, more often, hire for film location sets, heritage plays, 12 days of Christmas Spectacular and conferences.

It is now marked by Forth Ports as “The Quay to the Capital” London Cruise Terminal – if you ever get a chance to see inside, do take the opportunity.