The wharf was named after
John Julius Angerstein (1732–1823), a local land owner who made his fortune in the East Indian trade as well as having West Indian business links, including a third share in a slave plantation in Grenada. His art collection was bought in 1824 to form the nucleus of the
National Gallery, London. He built a long railway line from the line that runs from to . When originally built, the railway junction faced Blackheath but the junction now faces Charlton station. The branch was leased to the
South Eastern Railway from 30 October 1852 to 1898 when they bought it outright. The company established its signal works at the location although according to an 1895 map the route towards Blackheath had been disconnected. This area is referred to as the Angerstein Triangle but the date of the signal works closing is unknown (believed to be in the early 1980s). When opened the wharf had a river frontage of and could accommodate ships of up to 1,500 tons.
Associated industries Between 1820 and 1930 dredging contractors Flowers and Everett operated on the site and operated a narrow gauge system with three locomotives. The steel firm Redpath Dorman Long operated a steel fabrication plant on the site between 1903 and 1978. Another steel company - the Greenwich Metal Works - operated on the site between 1913 and 1976. Both companies operated privately owned shunting locomotives. The 1969 Railway Control Diagram showed a line along the wharf served by wagon turntables as well as the following companies having sidings on the site: • A-A Oil (Anglo-American?) • Shell-Mex and B.P. • C A Harveys • Christies • Renwick Wilton's • London Transport Executive • South Eastern Gas Board Siding There were two engine sheds shown on the diagram (for BP and A-A) suggesting these companies had their own shunting locomotives on the site. From the overbridge belonging to the Greenwich railway line, the line was equipped with an overhead electrical supply rather than the standard third rail supply. This was for safety reasons and locomotives of
British Rail Class 71 were equipped to use this.
Passenger traffic Passenger trains were limited to enthusiast specials and photographic evidence of one run on 29 March 1958 can be found in Fig 65 of 'Charing Cross to Dartford' by Vic Mitchell and Keith Smith. On 10 January 1987 'The Blue Circular' railtour traversed the line formed of a Class 202 DEMU. The 'Orange Pippin' railtour of 30 August 2003 was worked by two class 66 locomotives.
Later history During the 1970s the Angerstein Wharf site was used as a railhead to receive large stone boulders from Caldon Low (Staffordshire) in connection with the building of the
Thames Barrier. Between 1963 and 1987 the Thames Metal Company operated a scrap yard on the site and this site was then taken over by Day Aggregates in 1993 and is the location of the current facility. == Current use ==