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CONSTITUTION AND JURISDICTION
The governing body of the City of London, the Corporation of London, was originally constituted
the Sanitary Authority of the Port of London by Section 20 of the Public Health Act,
1872. The cost of administration was met from the Corporation's private funds for close on fifty
years, when it became rate (and grant) aided. By the Public Health (London) Act, 1936, the
term "Port Sanitary" was changed to "Port Health", and the Port Health district is further defined
by that Act as the "Port of London as established for the purposes of the law relating
to the Customs of the United Kingdom" and by the Public Health Act, 1936 as "the Port as
established for the purposes of the enactments relating to the Customs". The Public Health
(London) Act 1936 was repealed by the London Government Act 1963 but Section 89 (1) of that
Act defined the Port of London as "the Port of that name established for the purposes of the
enactments relating to customs or excise"
In accordance with the provisions of the London Port Health Authority Order 1965 made
under Section 41 (1) of the London Government Act 1963 the Corporation of London shall have
jurisdiction as Port Health Authority—
(a) as respects functions, rights and liabilities of a local authority under the enactments
mentioned in Part I of Schedule I of the Order over all waters within the Port and over such
part of the district of any riparian authority as comprises the whole of any wharf and of the
area within the gates of any dock and the buildings thereon respectively, forming part of
or abutting upon the Port.
(b) as respects any other functions, rights and liabilities assigned to them, within the Port
(The Port of London established for the purposes of the enactments relating to customs or
excise.)
The limits of the Port of London for the purposes of the enactments relating to customs or
excise were originally defined by a Treasury Minute dated 1st August, 1883. They commence at
high water mark in the River Thames at Teddington Lock, in the County of Surrey, and extend
down both sides of the said River Thames to an imaginary straight line drawn from the Pilot mark
at the entrance of Havengore Creek in the County of Essex, to the land's end at Warden Point, in
the Isle of Sheppey, in the County of Kent, such point being the north-western limit of the Port of
Faversham, and extend up and include both sides of the River Medway to an imaginary straight
line drawn from the south-east point of land westward of Goalmouth Creek, thence across the said
River Medway to the western-most point of the piece of land winch forms the eastern side of
Stangate Creek, or, in other words, the north-west point of Fleet Marsh and thence in a southerly
direction to Iwade Church in the said County of Kent, and thence in a north-easterly direction to
Elmley Chapel in the said Isle of Sheppey, a supposed direct line from Elmley Chapel to Iwade
Church, being the western limit of the Port of Faversham, and the said Port of London includes
the Islands of Havengore Creek aforesaid, called Potton and Rushley Islands, and so much of the
said Creek and Watercourses as extends from it to the town of Rochford, and also includes all
other Islands, Rivers, Streams, Creeks, Waters, Watercourses, Channels, Harbours, Docks and
places within the before-mentioned limits contained.
Following upon the extension of the area of jurisdiction of the Port of London Authority by
the Port of London Authority (Extension of Seaward Limit) Act 1964 the area of jurisdiction of
the Corporation of London as Port Health Authority was similarly amended by Section 31 of the
City of London (Various Powers) Act 1965 which added at the end of the definition of "Port of
London" in Section 89 (1) of the London Government Act 1963 the following words:
"together with all such waters between the seaward limit of the Port as so established
ai,d imaginary straight lines drawn from latitude 51° 37' 00" north, longitude 00° 57' 19" east
(Foulness Point in the County of Essex) to latitude 51° 46' 05" north, longitude 01° 20' 32"
east (Gunfleet Old Lighthouse) and thence to latitude 51° 26' 36" north, longitude 01° 25' 30"
east and thence to latitude 51° 24' 55" north, longitude 00° 54' 21" east (Warden Point in the
County of Kent) as are for the time being within the territorial waters of Her Majesty's dominions."
The Portof London Authority with which the Port Health Authority works in close co-operation
was established as the administrative body of the Port of London including the docks and tideway
of the River Thames, by Act of Parliament in 1909.