Wharf

For other uses, seeWharf (disambiguation).

"Quay" and "Wharves" redirect here. For other uses, seeQuay (disambiguation).For the song, seeAethiopes(album).

Awharf(pl. wharvesorwharfs),quay(/kiː/kee,also/keɪ,kweɪ/k(w)ay),staith,orstaitheis a structure on the shore of aharbouror on the bank of a river or canal where ships may dock to load and unload cargo or passengers.Such a structure includes one or moreberths(mooringlocations), and may also includepiers,warehouses,or other facilities necessary for handling the ships. Wharves are often considered to be a series of docks at which boats are stationed. Amarginal wharfis connected to the shore along its full length.

TheBarbours Cut Terminalof thePort of Houston,US. This cargo shipping terminal has a single large wharf with multiple berths.

Wharf under construction on theUpper MississippiinFountain City, Wisconsin

Overview

Traffic sign: Quayside or river bank ahead. Unprotected quayside or riverbank.

A wharf commonly comprises a fixed platform, often onpilings.Commercial ports may have warehouses that serve as interim storage: where it is sufficient a single wharf with a single berth constructed along the land adjacent to the water is normally used; where there is a need for more capacity multiple wharves, or perhaps a single large wharf with multiple berths, will instead be constructed, sometimes projecting over the water. A pier, raised over the water rather than within it, is commonly used for cases where the weight or volume of cargos will be low.

Smaller and more modern wharves are sometimes built on flotation devices (pontoons) to keep them at the same level as the ship, even during changing tides.

In everyday parlance the termquayis common in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and many other Commonwealth countries, and the Republic of Ireland, whereas the termwharfis more common in the United States. In some contextswharfandquaymay be used to meanpier,berth,orjetty.

In old ports such asLondon(which once had around 1700 wharves) many old wharves have been converted to residential or office use.

Certain early railways in England referred to goods loading points as "wharves". The term was carried over from marine usage. The person who was resident in charge of the wharf was referred to as a "wharfinger".

Etymology

Quay inDublin,Ireland. TheIrish languagetermcéis a borrowing from Anglo-Normankay, cail.

Wharf

The wordwharfcomes from theOld Englishhwearf,cognate to theOld Dutchwordwerf,which both evolved to mean "yard", an outdoor place where work is done, like a shipyard (Dutch:scheepswerf) or a lumberyard (Dutch:houtwerf). Originally,werforwervain Old Dutch (werf,werinOld Frisian) simply referred to inhabited ground that was not yet built on (similar to "yard"in modern English), or alternatively to aterp.This could explain the name Ministry Wharf located at Saunderton, just outside High Wycombe, which is nowhere near any body of water. In support of this explanation is the fact that many places in England with "wharf" in their names are in areas with a high Dutch influence, for example the Norfolk broads.

Staith

In the northeast and east of England the termstaithorstaithe(from the Norse for landing stage) is also used. The two terms have historically had a geographical distinction: those to the north in theKingdom of Northumbriaused the Old English spellingstaith,southern sites of theDanelawtook the Danish spellingstaithe.Both originally referred to jetties or wharves. In time, the northern coalfields of Northumbria developedcoal staithsspecifically for loading coal onto ships and these would adopt thestaithspelling as a distinction from simple wharves: for example,Dunston StaithsinGatesheadandBrancaster StaitheinNorfolk.However, the termstaithmay also be used to refer only to loading chutes or ramps used for bulk commodities like coal in loading ships and barges.

Quay

Quay,on the other hand, has its origin in theProto-Celtic language.Before it changed to its current form under influence of the modernFrenchquai,itsMiddle Englishspelling waskey,keyeorcaye.This in turn also came from theOld Normancai(Old French/ Frenchchai"wine cellar" ),meaning originally "earth bank near a river", then "bank built at a port to allow ship docking".The French termquaicomes, through Picard or Norman-French, fromGaulishcaio,ultimately tracing back to the Proto-Celtic*kagio-"to encompass, enclose". Modern cognates includeWelshcae"fence, hedge" andCornishke"hedge",

Gallery

• 
  Stereoscopic viewofLong WharfinBoston,United States,c. 19th century,jutting intoBoston Harbor
• 
  Modern view of Boston's Long Wharf (2006)
• 
  The Tønsberg City wharf inTønsberg,Norwayis a popular tourist attraction, and its restaurants and pubs attract many visitors during the summer seasons.
• 
  The shore of the Tokoinranta wharf inHakaniemi,Helsinki,Finland(2007)
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  King Henry's Wharves,typical London wharves converted to apartments
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  Wharf by Marriott/Pacquereau Bay onSt. Thomas
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  Tourist boat loading passengers at a small quay,Sa Calobra,Majorca,Spain
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  Coal drops atPort Clarence,Teesside, in 1915 (engraving by T.H. Hair)

See also

• Bollard
• Canal basin
• Dock (maritime)
• Port
• Safeguarded wharf

External links

• The dictionary definition ofwharfat Wiktionary
• The dictionary definition ofquayat Wiktionary