Tilbury has been a port since
ancient times and is now the main container port
for London. It was here in 1588 that Queen
Elizabeth I famously pointed out that although she
had the body of a weak and feeble woman she also
possessed the heart and stomach of a king. Her
comments were made in a speech to troops setting
out to defeat the Spanish Armada. Earlier the huge
Tilbury Fort had been built to prevent invasions
from Holland and France.
