Over time, ports tend to come and go. 100 years ago, coasting barges were the equivalent of trucks for many vital trade routes, and short-sea and deep sea ship were less demanding of port facilities.
There's a new series up on Shipping TV, and you can also find it on this site's video page under the title: Maritime History: Halstow Creek
If you have one of Britain's forgotten ports near to you, I'd love to make a short feature about it if you have stills or video . . .