fbpx
Wikipedia

River Thames

August 23, 2023

"Thames" redirects here. For other uses, see Thames (disambiguation).
"Tamesis" redirects here. For the town in Colombia, see Támesis, Antioquia. For the publisher, see Tamesis Books.

The River Thames (/tɛmz/ (listen) TEMZ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At 215 miles (346 km), it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the River Severn.

River Thames
Map of the Thames within southern England
EtymologyProto-Celtic *tamēssa, possibly meaning "dark"
Location
CountryEngland
CountiesGloucestershire, Wiltshire, Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Surrey, Greater London, Kent, Essex
Towns/citiesCricklade, Lechlade, Oxford, Abingdon, Wallingford, Reading, Henley-on-Thames, Marlow, Maidenhead, Windsor, Staines-upon-Thames, Walton-on-Thames, Sunbury-on-Thames, Kingston upon Thames, Twickenham, London (inc. the City), Dagenham, Erith, Dartford, Grays, Gravesend
Physical characteristics
Source 
 • locationThames Head, Gloucestershire, UK
 • coordinates51°41′40″N 02°01′47″W / 51.69444°N 2.02972°W / 51.69444; -2.02972
 • elevation110 m (360 ft)
2nd source 
 • locationUllenwood, Gloucestershire, UK
 • coordinates51°50′49″N 02°04′41″W / 51.84694°N 2.07806°W / 51.84694; -2.07806
 • elevation214 m (702 ft)
MouthThames Estuary, North Sea
 • location
Southend-on-Sea, Essex, UK
 • coordinates
51°30′00″N 00°36′36″E / 51.50000°N 0.61000°E / 51.50000; 0.61000
 • elevation
0 m (0 ft)
Length346 km (215 mi)
Basin size12,935 km2 (4,994 sq mi)
Discharge 
 • locationLondon
 • average65.8 m3/s (2,320 cu ft/s)
 • maximum370 m3/s (13,000 cu ft/s)
Discharge 
 • locationentering Oxford
 • average17.6 m3/s (620 cu ft/s)
Discharge 
 • locationleaving Oxford
 • average24.8 m3/s (880 cu ft/s)
Discharge 
 • locationReading, Berkshire
 • average39.7 m3/s (1,400 cu ft/s)
Discharge 
 • locationWindsor
 • average59.3 m3/s (2,090 cu ft/s)

The river rises at Thames Head in Gloucestershire and flows into the North Sea near Tilbury, Essex and Gravesend, Kent, via the Thames Estuary. From the west it flows through Oxford (where it is sometimes called the Isis), Reading, Henley-on-Thames and Windsor. The Thames also drains the whole of Greater London.[1]

The lower reaches of the river are called the Tideway, derived from its long tidal reach up to Teddington Lock. Its tidal section includes most of its London stretch and has a rise and fall of 23 ft (7 m). From Oxford to the estuary the Thames drops by 55 metres. Running through some of the drier parts of mainland Britain and heavily abstracted for drinking water, the Thames' discharge is low considering its length and breadth: the Severn has a discharge almost twice as large on average despite having a smaller drainage basin. In Scotland, the Tay achieves more than double the Thames' average discharge from a drainage basin that is 60% smaller.

Along its course are 45 navigation locks with accompanying weirs. Its catchment area covers a large part of south-eastern and a small part of western England; the river is fed by at least 50 named tributaries. The river contains over 80 islands. With its waters varying from freshwater to almost seawater, the Thames supports a variety of wildlife and has a number of adjoining Sites of Special Scientific Interest, with the largest being in the North Kent Marshes and covering 20.4 sq mi (5,289 ha).[2]

Name

Brittonic origin

 
Image of the deity Æsus on the Gallo-Roman "Pillar of the Boatmen"
 
A statue of Old Father Thames by Raffaelle Monti at St John's Lock, Lechlade

According to Mallory and Adams, the Thames, from Middle English Temese, is derived from the Brittonic name for the river, Tamesas (from *tamēssa),[3] recorded in Latin as Tamesis and yielding modern Welsh Tafwys "Thames".

The name element Tam may have meant "dark" and can be compared to other cognates such as Russian темно (Proto-Slavic *tĭmĭnŭ), Lithuanian tamsi "dark", Latvian tumsa "darkness", Sanskrit tamas and Welsh tywyll "darkness" and Middle Irish teimen "dark grey".[3][b] The origin is shared by many other river names in Britain, such as the River Tamar at the border of Devon and Cornwall, several rivers named Tame in the Midlands and North Yorkshire, the Tavy on Dartmoor, the Team of the North East, the Teifi and Teme of Wales, the Teviot in the Scottish Borders and a Thames tributary the Thame.

Kenneth H. Jackson proposed that the name of the Thames is not Indo-European (and of unknown meaning),[5] while Peter Kitson suggested that it is Indo-European but originated before the Britons and has a name indicating "muddiness" from a root *tā-, 'melt'.[6]

Name history

Early variants of the name include:

Indirect evidence for the antiquity of the name "Thames" is provided by a Roman potsherd found at Oxford, bearing the inscription Tamesubugus fecit (Tamesubugus made [this]). It is believed that Tamesubugus' name was derived from that of the river.[7] Tamese was referred to as a place, not a river in the Ravenna Cosmography (c. AD 700).

The river's name has always been pronounced with a simple t /t/; the Middle English spelling was typically Temese and the Brittonic form Tamesis. A similar spelling from 1210, "Tamisiam" (the accusative case of "Tamisia"; see Kingston upon Thames § Early history), is found in the Magna Carta.[8]

 
Sculpture of Tamesis. Downstream keystone of the central arch of Henley Bridge

The Isis

The Thames through Oxford is sometimes[when?] called the Isis. Historically, and especially in Victorian times, gazetteers and cartographers insisted that the entire river was correctly named the Isis from its source down to Dorchester on Thames and that only from this point, where the river meets the Thame and becomes the "Thame-isis" (supposedly subsequently abbreviated to Thames) should it be so called.[citation needed] Ordnance Survey maps still label the Thames as "River Thames or Isis" down to Dorchester. Since the early 20th century this distinction has been lost in common usage outside of Oxford, and some historians[who?] suggest the name Isis is nothing more than a truncation of Tamesis, the Latin name for the Thames. Sculptures titled Tamesis and Isis by Anne Seymour Damer are located on the bridge at Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire (the original terracotta and plaster models were exhibited at the Royal Academy, London, in 1785. They are now[when?] on show at the River and Rowing Museum in Henley).[9]

Name legacy

Richard Coates suggests that while the river was as a whole called the Thames, part of it, where it was too wide to ford, was called *(p)lowonida. This gave the name to a settlement on its banks, which became known as Londinium, from the Indo-European roots *pleu- "flow" and *-nedi "river" meaning something like the flowing river or the wide flowing unfordable river.[10][11]

The river gives its name to three informal areas: the Thames Valley, a region of England around the river between Oxford and West London; the Thames Gateway; and the greatly overlapping Thames Estuary around the tidal Thames to the east of London and including the waterway itself. Thames Valley Police is a formal body that takes its name from the river, covering three counties. In non-administrative use, the river's name is used in those of Thames Valley University, Thames Water, Thames Television, publishing company Thames & Hudson, Thameslink (north–south rail service passing through central London) and South Thames College. An example of its use in the names of historic entities is the Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Company.

History

Marks of human activity, in some cases dating back to Pre-Roman Britain, are visible at various points along the river. These include a variety of structures connected with use of the river, such as navigations, bridges and watermills, as well as prehistoric burial mounds.

The lower Thames in the Roman era was a shallow waterway winding through marshes. But centuries of human intervention have transformed it into a deep tidal canal flowing between 200 miles of solid walls; these defend a floodplain where 1.5 million people work and live.

Main article: Embanking of the tidal Thames

A major maritime route is formed for much of its length for shipping and supplies: through the Port of London for international trade, internally along its length and by its connection to the British canal system. The river's position has put it at the centre of many events in British history, leading to it being described by John Burns as "liquid history".

Two broad canals link the river to other rivers: the Kennet and Avon Canal (Reading to Bath) and the Grand Union Canal (London to the Midlands). The Grand Union effectively bypassed the earlier, narrow and winding Oxford Canal which remains open as a popular scenic recreational route. Three further cross-basin canals are disused but are in various stages of reconstruction: the Thames and Severn Canal (via Stroud), which operated until 1927 (to the west coast of England), the Wey and Arun Canal to Littlehampton, which operated until 1871 (to the south coast), and the Wilts & Berks Canal.

Rowing and sailing clubs are common along the Thames, which is navigable to such vessels. Kayaking and canoeing also take place. Major annual events include the Henley Royal Regatta and the Boat Race, while the Thames has been used during two Summer Olympic Games: 1908 (rowing) and 1948 (rowing and canoeing). Safe headwaters and reaches are a summer venue for organised swimming, which is prohibited on safety grounds in a stretch centred on Central London.

Conversion of marshland

After the river took its present-day course, many of the banks of the Thames Estuary and the Thames Valley in London were partly covered in marshland, as was the adjoining Lower Lea Valley. Streams and rivers like the River Lea, Tyburn Brook and Bollo Brook drained into the river, while some islands, e.g. Thorney Island, formed over the ages. The northern tip of the ancient parish of Lambeth, for example, was marshland known as Lambeth Marshe, but it was drained in the 18th century; the street name Lower Marsh preserves a memory.[12]

Main article: Malaria in the River Thames

Until the middle of the Victorian era malaria was commonplace beside the River Thames, even in London, and was frequently lethal. Some cases continued to occur into the early 20th century. Draining of the marshes had to do with its eradication, but the causes are complex and unclear.

The East End of London, also known simply as the East End, was the area of London east of the medieval walled City of London and north of the River Thames, although it is not defined by universally accepted formal boundaries; the River Lea can be considered another boundary.[13] Most of the local riverside was also marshland. The land was drained and became farmland; it was built on after the Industrial Revolution.

Canvey Island in southern Essex (area 18.45 km2, 7.12 sq mi; population 40,000[14]) was once marshy, but is now a fully reclaimed island in the Thames estuary, separated from the mainland of south Essex by a network of creeks. Lying below sea level, it is prone to flooding at exceptional tides, but has nevertheless been inhabited since Roman times.

Course

 
The marker stone at the official source of the River Thames named Thames Head near Kemble
 
The Thames passes by some of the sights of London, including the Houses of Parliament and the London Eye.
 
River Thames, Southend-on-Sea, United Kingdom, 2019

The usually quoted source of the Thames is at Thames Head (at grid reference ST980994). This is about 3⁄4 mi (1.2 km)[15] north of Kemble parish church in southern Gloucestershire, near the town of Cirencester, in the Cotswolds.[16] However, Seven Springs near Cheltenham, where the Churn (which feeds into the Thames near Cricklade) rises, is also sometimes quoted as the Thames' source,[17][18] as this location is farthest from the mouth and adds some 14 mi (23 km) to the river's length. At Seven Springs above the source is a stone with the Latin hexameter inscription "Hic tuus o Tamesine pater septemgeminus fons", which means "Here, O Father Thames, [is] your sevenfold source".[19]

The springs at Seven Springs flow throughout the year, while those at Thames Head are seasonal (a winterbourne). With a length of 215 mi (346 km),[20] the Thames is the longest river entirely in England. (The longest river in the United Kingdom, the Severn, flows partly in Wales.) However, as the River Churn, sourced at Seven Springs, is 14 mi (23 km) longer than the section of the Thames from its traditional source at Thames Head to the confluence, the overall length of the Thames measured from Seven Springs, at 229 mi (369 km), is greater than the Severn's length of 220 mi (350 km).[21] Thus, the "Churn/Thames" river may be regarded as the longest natural river in the United Kingdom. The stream from Seven Springs is joined at Coberley by a longer tributary which could further increase the length of the Thames, with its source in the grounds of the National Star College at Ullenwood.

The Thames flows through or alongside Ashton Keynes, Cricklade, Lechlade, Oxford, Abingdon-on-Thames, Wallingford, Goring-on-Thames and Streatley, Pangbourne and Whitchurch-on-Thames, Reading, Wargrave, Henley-on-Thames, Marlow, Maidenhead, Windsor and Eton, Staines-upon-Thames and Egham, Chertsey, Shepperton, Weybridge, Sunbury-on-Thames, Walton-on-Thames, Molesey and Thames Ditton. The river was subject to minor redefining and widening of the main channel around Oxford, Abingdon and Marlow before 1850, when further cuts to ease navigation reduced distances further.

Molesey faces Hampton, and in Greater London the Thames passes Hampton Court Palace, Surbiton, Kingston upon Thames, Teddington, Twickenham, Richmond (with a famous view of the Thames from Richmond Hill), Syon House, Kew, Brentford, Chiswick, Barnes, Hammersmith, Fulham, Putney, Wandsworth, Battersea and Chelsea. In central London, the river passes Pimlico and Vauxhall, and then forms one of the principal axes of the city, from the Palace of Westminster to the Tower of London. At this point, it historically formed the southern boundary of the medieval city, with Southwark, on the opposite bank, then being part of Surrey.

Beyond central London, the river passes Bermondsey, Wapping, Shadwell, Limehouse, Rotherhithe, Millwall, Deptford, Greenwich, Cubitt Town, Blackwall, New Charlton and Silvertown, before flowing through the Thames Barrier, which protects central London from flooding by storm surges. Below the barrier, the river passes Woolwich, Thamesmead, Dagenham, Erith, Purfleet, Dartford, West Thurrock, Northfleet, Tilbury and Gravesend before entering the Thames Estuary near Southend-on-Sea.

Sea level

The sea level in the Thames estuary is rising and the rate of rise is increasing.[22][23]

Sediment cores up to 10 m deep collected by the British Geological Survey from the banks of the tidal River Thames contain geochemical information and fossils which provide a 10,000-year record of sea-level change.[24] Combined, this and other studies suggest that the Thames sea-level has risen more than 30 m during the Holocene at a rate of around 5–6 mm per year from 10,000 to 6,000 years ago.[24] The rise of sea level dramatically reduced when the ice melt nearly concluded[clarification needed] over the past 4,000 years. Since the beginning of the 20th century, rates of sea level rise range from 1.22 mm per year to 2.14 mm per year.[24]

Catchment area and discharge

Main article: Tributaries of the River Thames

The Thames River Basin[25] District, including the Medway catchment, covers an area of 6,229 sq mi (16,130 km2).[26] The entire river basin is a mixture of urban and rural, with rural landscape predominating in the western part. The area is among the driest in the United Kingdom. Water resources consist of groundwater from aquifers and water taken from the Thames and its tributaries, much of it stored in large bank-side reservoirs.[26]

The Thames itself provides two-thirds of London's drinking water, while groundwater supplies about 40 per cent of public water supplies in the overall catchment area. Groundwater is an important water source, especially in the drier months, so maintaining its quality and quantity is extremely important. Groundwater is vulnerable to surface pollution, especially in highly urbanised areas.[26]

Non-tidal section

Main article: Locks and weirs on the River Thames
 
The Jubilee River at Slough Weir
 
St John's Lock, near Lechlade
 
The River Thames in Oxford

Brooks, canals and rivers, within an area of 3,842 sq mi (9,951 km2),[27] combine to form 38 main tributaries feeding the Thames between its source and Teddington Lock. This is the usual tidal limit; however, high spring tides can raise the head water level in the reach above Teddington and can occasionally reverse the river flow for a short time. In these circumstances, tidal effects can be observed upstream to the next lock beside Molesey weir,[27] which is visible from the towpath and bridge beside Hampton Court Palace. Before Teddington Lock was built in 1810–12, the river was tidal at peak spring tides as far as Staines upon Thames.

In descending order, non-related tributaries of the non-tidal Thames, with river status, are the Churn, Leach, Cole, Ray, Coln, Windrush, Evenlode, Cherwell, Ock, Thame, Pang, Kennet, Loddon, Colne, Wey and Mole. In addition, there are occasional backwaters and artificial cuts that form islands, distributaries (most numerous in the case of the Colne), and man-made distributaries such as the Longford River. Three canals intersect this stretch: the Oxford Canal, Kennet and Avon Canal and Wey Navigation.

Its longest artificial secondary channel (cut), the Jubilee River, was built between Maidenhead and Windsor for flood relief and completed in 2002.[28][29]

The non-tidal section of the river is managed by the Environment Agency, which is responsible for managing the flow of water to help prevent and mitigate flooding, and providing for navigation: the volume and speed of water downstream is managed by adjusting the sluices at each of the weirs and, at peak high water, levels are generally dissipated over preferred flood plains adjacent to the river. Occasionally, flooding of inhabited areas is unavoidable and the agency issues flood warnings. Due to stiff penalties applicable on the non-tidal river, which is a drinking water source before treatment, sanitary sewer overflow from the many sewage treatment plants covering the upper Thames basin should be rare in the non-tidal Thames. However, storm sewage overflows are still common in almost all the main tributaries of the Thames[30][31] despite claims by Thames Water to the contrary.[32]

Tidal section

Main article: Tideway
 
London Stone at Staines, built in 1285 marked the customs limit of the Thames and the City of London's jurisdiction.
 
Waterstand of Thames at low tide (left) and high tide (right) in comparison at Blackfriars Bridge in London

Below Teddington Lock (about 55 mi or 89 km upstream of the Thames Estuary), the river is subject to tidal activity from the North Sea. Before the lock was installed, the river was tidal as far as Staines, about 16 mi (26 km) upstream.[33] London, capital of Roman Britain, was established on two hills, now known as Cornhill and Ludgate Hill. These provided a firm base for a trading centre at the lowest possible point on the Thames.[34]

A river crossing was built at the site of London Bridge. London Bridge is now used as the basis for published tide tables giving the times of high tide. High tide reaches Putney about 30 minutes later than London Bridge, and Teddington about an hour later. The tidal stretch of the river is known as "the Tideway". Tide tables are published by the Port of London Authority and are available online. Times of high and low tides are also posted on Twitter.

The principal tributaries of the River Thames on the Tideway include the rivers Crane, Brent, Wandle, Ravensbourne (the final part of which is called Deptford Creek), Lea (the final part of which is called Bow Creek), Roding (Barking Creek), Darent and Ingrebourne. In London, the water is slightly brackish with sea salt, being a mix of sea and fresh water.

 
The Thames Barrier provides protection against floods.

This part of the river is managed by the Port of London Authority. The flood threat here comes from high tides and strong winds from the North Sea, and the Thames Barrier was built in the 1980s to protect London from this risk.

The Nore is the sandbank that marks the mouth of the Thames Estuary, where the outflow from the Thames meets the North Sea. It is roughly halfway between Havengore Creek in Essex and Warden Point on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent. Until 1964 it marked the seaward limit of the Port of London Authority. As the sandbank was a major hazard for shipping coming in and out of London, in 1732 it received the world's first lightship. This became a major landmark, and was used as an assembly point for shipping. Today it is marked by Sea Reach No. 1 Buoy.[35]

Islands

Main article: Islands in the River Thames
 
London City Airport is on the site of a dock.

The River Thames contains over 80 islands ranging from the large estuarial marshlands of the Isle of Sheppey and Canvey Island to small tree-covered islets like Rose Isle in Oxfordshire and Headpile Eyot in Berkshire. They are found all the way from Fiddler's Island in Oxfordshire to the Isle of Sheppey in Kent. Some of the largest inland islands, for example Formosa Island near Cookham and Andersey Island at Abingdon, were created naturally when the course of the river divided into separate streams.

In the Oxford area the river splits into several streams across the floodplain (Seacourt Stream, Castle Mill Stream, Bulstake Stream and others), creating several islands (Fiddler's Island, Osney and others). Desborough Island, Ham Island at Old Windsor and Penton Hook Island were artificially created by lock cuts and navigation channels. Chiswick Eyot is a landmark on the Boat Race course, while Glover's Island forms the centre of a view from Richmond Hill.

Islands of historical interest include Magna Carta Island at Runnymede, Fry's Island at Reading, and Pharaoh's Island near Shepperton. In more recent times Platts Eyot at Hampton was the place where Motor Torpedo Boats (MTB)s were built, Tagg's Island near Molesey was associated with the impresario Fred Karno and Eel Pie Island at Twickenham was the birthplace of the South East's R&B music scene.

Westminster Abbey and the Palace of Westminster (commonly known today as the Houses of Parliament) were built on Thorney Island, which used to be an eyot.

Geology

See also: Ancestral Thames
 
European LGM refuges, 20,000 years ago. The Thames was a minor river that joined the Rhine, in the southern North Sea basin at this time.
  Solutrean and Proto Solutrean Cultures
  Epi Gravettian Culture

Researchers have identified the River Thames as a discrete drainage line flowing as early as 58 million years ago, in the Thanetian stage of the late Palaeocene epoch.[36] Until around 500,000 years ago, the Thames flowed on its existing course through what is now Oxfordshire, before turning to the north-east through Hertfordshire and East Anglia and reaching the North Sea near present-day Ipswich.[37]

At this time the river-system headwaters lay in the English West Midlands and may, at times, have received drainage from the Berwyn Mountains in North Wales.

Ice age

About 450,000 years ago, in the most extreme Ice Age of the Pleistocene, the Anglian, the furthest southern extent of the ice sheet reached Hornchurch[38] in east London, the Vale of St Albans, and the Finchley Gap.

It dammed the river in Hertfordshire, resulting in the formation of large ice lakes, which eventually burst their banks and caused the river to divert onto its present course through the area of present-day London.

The ice lobe which stopped at present-day Finchley deposited about 14 metres of boulder clay there.[39] Its torrent of meltwater gushed through the Finchley Gap and south towards the new course of the Thames, and proceeded to carve out the Brent Valley in the process.[40]

The Anglian ice advance resulted in a new course for the Thames through Berkshire and on into London, after which the river rejoined its original course in southern Essex, near the present River Blackwater estuary. Here it entered a substantial freshwater lake in the southern North Sea basin, south of what is called Doggerland. The overspill of this lake caused the formation of the Channel River and later the Dover Strait gap between present-day Britain and France. Subsequent development led to the continuation of the course that the river follows at the present day.[41]

Most of the bedrock of the Vale of Aylesbury comprises clay and chalk that formed at the end of the ice age and at one time was under the Proto-Thames. At this time the vast underground reserves of water formed that make the water table higher than average in the Vale of Aylesbury.[42]

 
A geological map of the London Basin; the London Clay is marked in dark brown.
 
The confluence of the Rivers Thames and Brent. The narrowboat is heading up the River Brent. From this point as far as Hanwell the Brent has been canalised and shares its course with the main line of the Grand Union Canal. From Hanwell the Brent can be traced to various sources in the Barnet area.

At the height of the last ice age, around 20,000 BC, Britain was connected to mainland Europe by a large expanse of land known as Doggerland in the southern North Sea Basin. At this time, the Thames' course did not continue to Doggerland but flowed southwards from the eastern Essex coast where it met the waters of the proto-Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta[41] flowing from what are now the Netherlands and Belgium. These rivers formed a single river – the Channel River (Fleuve Manche) – that passed through the Dover Strait and drained into the Atlantic Ocean in the western English Channel.

Upon the valley sides of the Thames and some of its tributaries can be seen other terraces of brickearth, laid over and sometimes interlayered with the clays. These deposits were brought in by the winds during the periglacial periods, suggesting that wide, flat marshes were then part of the landscape, which the new rivers proceeded to cut into.

The steepness of some valley sides indicates very much lower mean sea levels caused by the glaciation locking up so much water upon the land masses, thus causing the river water to flow rapidly seaward and so erode its bed quickly downwards.

The original land surface was around 350 to 400 ft (110 to 120 m) above the current sea-level. The surface had sandy deposits from an ancient sea, laid over sedimentary clay (this is the blue London Clay). All the erosion down from this higher land surface, and the sorting action by these changes of water flow and direction, formed what is known as the Thames River Gravel Terraces.

Since Roman times and perhaps earlier, the isostatic rebound from the weight of previous ice sheets, and its interplay with the eustatic change in sea level, have resulted in the old valley of the River Brent, together with that of the Thames, silting up again. Thus, along much of the Brent's present-day course, one can make out the water-meadows of rich alluvium, which is augmented by frequent floods.

Wildlife

 
Swan Upping – skiffs surround the swans

Various species of birds feed off the river or nest on it, some being found both at sea and inland. These include cormorant, black-headed gull and herring gull. The mute swan is a familiar sight on the river but the escaped black swan is more rare. The annual ceremony of Swan Upping is an old tradition of counting stocks.

Non-native geese that can be seen include Canada geese, Egyptian geese and bar-headed geese, and ducks include the familiar native mallard, plus introduced Mandarin duck and wood duck. Other water birds to be found on the Thames include the great crested grebe, coot, moorhen, heron and kingfisher. Many types of British birds also live alongside the river, although they are not specific to the river habitat.

The Thames contains both sea water and fresh water, thus providing support for seawater and freshwater fish. However, many populations of fish are at risk and are being killed in tens of thousands because of pollutants leaking into the river from human activities.[43] Salmon, which inhabit both environments, have been reintroduced and a succession of fish ladders have been built into weirs to enable them to travel upstream.

On 5 August 1993, the largest non-tidal salmon in recorded history was caught close to Boulters Lock in Maidenhead. The specimen weighed 14+1⁄2 lb (6.6 kg) and measured 22 in (56 cm) in length. The eel is particularly associated with the Thames and there were formerly many eel traps. Freshwater fish of the Thames and its tributaries include brown trout, chub, dace, roach, barbel, perch, pike, bleak and flounder. Colonies of short-snouted seahorses as well as tope and starry smooth-hound sharks have also recently been discovered in the river.[44][45] The Thames is also host to some invasive crustaceans, including the signal crayfish and the Chinese mitten crab.

Aquatic mammals are also known to inhabit the Thames. The population of grey and harbour seals numbers up to 700 in the Thames Estuary. These animals have been sighted as far upriver as Richmond.[46] Bottlenose dolphins and harbour porpoises are also sighted in the Thames.[47]

On 20 January 2006, a 16–18 ft (4.9–5.5 m) northern bottle-nosed whale was seen in the Thames as far upstream as Chelsea. This was extremely unusual: this whale is generally found in deep sea waters. Crowds gathered along the riverbanks to witness the spectacle but there was soon concern, as the animal came within yards of the banks, almost beaching, and crashed into an empty boat causing slight bleeding. About 12 hours later, the whale is believed to have been seen again near Greenwich, possibly heading back to sea. A rescue attempt lasted several hours, but the whale died on a barge. See River Thames whale.[48]

Human history

 
The Tower of London begun in the 11th century, with Tower Bridge, built 800 years later.

The River Thames has played several roles in human history: as an economic resource, a maritime route, a boundary, a fresh water source, a source of food and more recently a leisure facility. In 1929, John Burns, one-time MP for Battersea, responded to an American's unfavourable comparison of the Thames with the Mississippi by coining the expression "The Thames is liquid history".

There is evidence of human habitation living off the river along its length dating back to Neolithic times.[49] The British Museum has a decorated bowl (3300–2700 BC), found in the river at Hedsor, Buckinghamshire, and a considerable amount of material was discovered during the excavations of Dorney Lake.[50] A number of Bronze Age sites and artefacts have been discovered along the banks of the river including settlements at Lechlade, Cookham and Sunbury-on-Thames.[51]

So extensive have the changes to this landscape been that what little evidence there is of man's presence before the ice came has inevitably shown signs of transportation here by water and reveals nothing specifically local. Likewise, later evidence of occupation, even since the arrival of the Romans, may lie next to the original banks of the Brent but have been buried under centuries of silt.[51]

Roman Britain

Some of the earliest written references to the Thames (Latin: Tamesis) occur in Julius Caesar's account of his second expedition to Britain in 54 BC,[52] when the Thames presented a major obstacle and he encountered the Iron Age Belgic tribes (Catuvellauni and Atrebates) along the river. At the confluence of the Thames and Cherwell was the site of early settlements and the River Cherwell marked the boundary between the Dobunni tribe to the west and the Catuvellauni to the east (these were pre-Roman Celtic tribes). In the late 1980s a large Romano-British settlement was excavated on the edge of the village of Ashton Keynes in Wiltshire.

Starting in AD 43, under the Emperor Claudius, the Romans occupied England and, recognising the river's strategic and economic importance, built fortifications along the Thames valley including a major camp at Dorchester. Cornhill and Ludgate Hill provided a defensible site near a point on the river both deep enough for the era's ships and narrow enough to be bridged; Londinium (London) grew up around the Walbrook on the north bank around the year 47. Boudica's Iceni razed the settlement in AD 60 or 61, but it was soon rebuilt; and once the bridge was built, it grew to become the provincial capital of the island.

The next Roman bridges upstream were at Staines on the Devil's Highway between Londinium and Calleva (Silchester). Boats could be swept up to it on the rising tide, with no need for wind or muscle power.

Middle Ages

A Romano-British settlement grew up north of the confluence, partly because the site was naturally protected from attack on the east side by the River Cherwell and on the west by the River Thames. This settlement dominated the pottery trade in what is now central southern England, and pottery was distributed by boats on the Thames and its tributaries.

Competition for the use of the river created the centuries-old conflict between those who wanted to dam the river to build millraces and fish traps and those who wanted to travel and carry goods on it. Economic prosperity and the foundation of wealthy monasteries by the Anglo-Saxons attracted unwelcome visitors and by around AD 870 the Vikings were sweeping up the Thames on the tide and creating havoc as in their destruction of Chertsey Abbey.

 
A 1616 engraving by Claes Van Visscher showing the Old London Bridge, with St Mary's Overie (over-the-river), now Southwark Cathedral in the foreground

Once King William had won total control of the strategically important Thames Valley, he went on to invade the rest of England. He had many castles built, including those at Wallingford, Rochester, Windsor and most importantly the Tower of London. Many details of Thames activity are recorded in the Domesday Book. The following centuries saw the conflict between king and barons coming to a head in AD 1215 when King John was forced to sign the Magna Carta on an island in the Thames at Runnymede. Among a host of other things, this granted the barons the right of Navigation under Clause 23.

Another major consequence of John's reign was the completion of the multi-piered London Bridge, which acted as a barricade and barrage on the river, affecting the tidal flow upstream and increasing the likelihood of the river freezing over. In Tudor and Stuart times, various kings and queens built magnificent riverside palaces at Hampton Court, Kew, Richmond on Thames, Whitehall and Greenwich.

As early as the 1300s, the Thames was used to dispose of waste matter produced in the city of London, thus turning the river into an open sewer. In 1357, Edward III described the state of the river in a proclamation: "... dung and other filth had accumulated in divers places upon the banks of the river with ... fumes and other abominable stenches arising therefrom."[53]

The growth of the population of London greatly increased the amount of waste that entered the river, including human excrement, animal waste from slaughter houses, and waste from manufacturing processes. According to historian Peter Ackroyd, "a public lavatory on London Bridge showered its contents directly onto the river below, and latrines were built over all the tributaries that issued into the Thames."[53]

Early modern period

 
River Thames frost fair, circa 1685

During a series of cold winters the Thames froze over above London Bridge: in the first Frost Fair in 1607, a tent city was set up on the river, along with a number of amusements, including ice bowling.

In good conditions, barges travelled daily from Oxford to London carrying timber, wool, foodstuffs and livestock. The stone from the Cotswolds used to rebuild St Paul's Cathedral after the Great Fire in 1666 was brought all the way down from Radcot. The Thames provided the major route between the City of London and Westminster in the 16th and 17th centuries; the clannish guild of watermen ferried Londoners from landing to landing and tolerated no outside interference. In 1715, Thomas Doggett was so grateful to a local waterman for his efforts in ferrying him home, pulling against the tide, that he set up a rowing race for professional watermen known as "Doggett's Coat and Badge".

 
Michael Faraday giving his card to Father Thames, caricature commenting on a letter of Faraday's on the state of the river in The Times in July 1855

By the 18th century, the Thames was one of the world's busiest waterways, as London became the centre of the vast, mercantile British Empire, and progressively over the next century the docks expanded in the Isle of Dogs and beyond. Efforts were made to resolve the navigation conflicts upstream by building locks along the Thames. After temperatures began to rise again, starting in 1814, the river stopped freezing over.[54] The building of a new London Bridge in 1825, with fewer piers (pillars) than the old, allowed the river to flow more freely and prevented it from freezing over in cold winters.[55]

Throughout early modern history the population of London and its industries discarded their rubbish in the river.[56] This included the waste from slaughterhouses, fish markets, and tanneries. The buildup in household cesspools could sometimes overflow, especially when it rained, and was washed into London's streets and sewers which eventually led to the Thames.[57] In the late 18th and 19th centuries people known as mudlarks scavenged in the river mud for a meagre living.

Victorian era

 
Satirical cartoon by William Heath, showing a woman observing monsters in a drop of London water (at the time of the Commission on the London Water Supply report, 1828)

In the 19th century the quality of water in the Thames deteriorated further. The discharge of raw sewage into the Thames was formerly only common in the City of London, making its tideway a harbour for many harmful bacteria. Gasworks were built alongside the river, and their by-products leaked into the water, including spent lime, ammonia, cyanide, and carbolic acid. The river had an unnaturally warm temperature caused by chemical reactions in the water, which also removed the water's oxygen.[58] Four serious cholera outbreaks killed tens of thousands of people between 1832 and 1865. Historians have attributed Prince Albert's death in 1861 to typhoid that had spread in the river's dirty waters beside Windsor Castle.[59] Wells with water tables that mixed with tributaries (or the non-tidal Thames) faced such pollution with the widespread installation of the flush toilet in the 1850s.[59] In the 'Great Stink' of 1858, pollution in the river reached such an extreme that sittings of the House of Commons at Westminster had to be abandoned. Chlorine-soaked drapes were hung in the windows of Parliament in an attempt to stave off the smell of the river, but to no avail.[60]

There followed a concerted effort to contain the city's sewage by constructing massive sewer systems on the north and south river embankments, under the supervision of engineer Joseph Bazalgette. Meanwhile, there were similar huge projects to ensure the water supply: reservoirs and pumping stations were built on the river to the west of London, slowly helping the quality of water to improve.

The Victorian era was one of imaginative engineering. The coming of the railways added railway bridges to the earlier road bridges and also reduced commercial activity on the river. However, sporting and leisure use increased with the establishment of regattas such as Henley and the Boat Race. One of the worst river disasters in England was on 3 September 1878, when the crowded pleasure boat Princess Alice collided with the Bywell Castle, killing over 640 people.

20th century

 
The Thames as it flows through east London, with the Isle of Dogs in the centre

The growth of road transport, and the decline of the Empire in the years following 1914, reduced the economic prominence of the river. During the Second World War, the protection of certain Thames-side facilities, particularly docks and water treatment plants, was crucial to the munitions and water supply of the country. The river's defences included the Maunsell forts in the estuary, and the use of barrage balloons to counter German bombers using the reflectivity and shapes of the river to navigate during the Blitz.

In the post-war era, although the Port of London remains one of the UK's three main ports, most trade has moved downstream from central London. In the late 1950s, the discharge of methane gas in the depths of the river caused the water to bubble, and the toxins wore away at boats' propellers.[61]

The decline of heavy industry and tanneries, reduced use of oil-pollutants and improved sewage treatment have led to much better water quality compared to the late 19th and early- to mid-20th centuries and aquatic life has returned to its formerly 'dead' stretches.

Alongside the entire river runs the Thames Path, a National Route for walkers and cyclists.

In the early 1980s a pioneering flood control device, the Thames Barrier, was opened. It is closed to tides several times a year to prevent water damage to London's low-lying areas upstream (the 1928 Thames flood demonstrated the severity of this type of event).

 
A view of the Thames as it passes through London, composed of 29 photos taken from the ISS in 2021

In the late 1990s, the 7 mi (11 km) long Jubilee River was built as a wide "naturalistic" flood relief channel from Taplow to Eton to help reduce the flood risk in Maidenhead, Windsor and Eton,[62] although it appears to have increased flooding in the villages immediately downstream.

21st century

In 2010, the Thames won the largest environmental award in the world: the $350,000 International Riverprize.[63]

In August 2022, the first few miles of the river dried up due to the previous month's heatwave, and the source of the river temporarily moved five miles to beyond Somerford Keynes.[64]

The active river

 
Houseboats on the River Thames, in the St Margaret's, Twickenham district

One of the major resources provided by the Thames is the water distributed as drinking water by Thames Water, whose area of responsibility covers the length of the River Thames. The Thames Water Ring Main is the main distribution mechanism for water in London, with one major loop linking the Hampton, Walton, Ashford and Kempton Park Water Treatment Works with central London.

In the past, commercial activities on the Thames included fishing (particularly eel trapping), coppicing willows and osiers which provided wood and baskets, and the operation of watermills for flour and paper production and metal beating. These activities have largely disappeared.

The Thames is popular for a wide variety of riverside housing, including high-rise flats in central London and chalets on the banks and islands upstream. Some people live in houseboats, typically around Brentford and Tagg's Island.

Transport and tourism

Tidal river

Main article: London River Services
 
Passenger service on the River Thames

In London there are many sightseeing tours in tourist boats, past riverside attractions such as the Houses of Parliament and the Tower of London. There are also regular riverboat services co-ordinated by London River Services. London City Airport is situated on the Thames, in East London. Previously it was a dock.

Upper river

The leisure navigation and sporting activities on the river have given rise to a number of businesses including boatbuilding, marinas, ships chandlers and salvage services.

In summer, passenger services operate along the entire non-tidal river from Oxford to Teddington. The two largest operators are Salters Steamers and French Brothers. Salters operate services between Folly Bridge, Oxford and Staines. The whole journey takes four days and requires several changes of boat.[65] French Brothers operate passenger services between Maidenhead and Hampton Court.[66] Along the course of the river a number of smaller private companies also offer river trips at Oxford, Wallingford, Reading and Hampton Court.[67] Many companies also provide boat hire on the river.

Cable car

 
The London Cable Car, over the River Thames

The London Cable Car over the Thames from the Greenwich Peninsula to the Royal Docks has been in operation since the 2012 Summer Olympics.

Police and lifeboats

The river is policed by five police forces. The Thames Division is the River Police arm of London's Metropolitan Police, while Surrey Police, Thames Valley Police, Essex Police and Kent Police have responsibilities on their parts of the river outside the metropolitan area. There is also a London Fire Brigade fire boat on the river. The river claims a number of lives each year.[68]

As a result of the Marchioness disaster in 1989 when 51 people died, the Government asked the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, the Port of London Authority and the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) to work together to set up a dedicated Search and Rescue service for the tidal River Thames. As a result, there are four lifeboat stations on the River Thames: at Teddington, Chiswick, Tower (based at Victoria Embankment/Waterloo Bridge) and Gravesend.[69]

Navigation

 
Pool of London looking west, from the high-level walkway on Tower Bridge. Click on the picture for a longer description.
 
A container ship unloading at Northfleet Hope terminal, Tilbury
August 23, 2023
river, thames, thames, redirects, here, other, uses, thames, disambiguation, tamesis, redirects, here, town, colombia, támesis, antioquia, publisher, tamesis, books, listen, temz, known, alternatively, parts, river, isis, river, that, flows, through, southern,. Thames redirects here For other uses see Thames disambiguation Tamesis redirects here For the town in Colombia see Tamesis Antioquia For the publisher see Tamesis Books The River Thames t ɛ m z listen TEMZ known alternatively in parts as the River Isis is a river that flows through southern England including London At 215 miles 346 km it is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom after the River Severn River ThamesCity of London with Tower BridgeMap of the Thames within southern EnglandEtymologyProto Celtic tamessa possibly meaning dark LocationCountryEnglandCountiesGloucestershire Wiltshire Oxfordshire Berkshire Buckinghamshire Surrey Greater London Kent EssexTowns citiesCricklade Lechlade Oxford Abingdon Wallingford Reading Henley on Thames Marlow Maidenhead Windsor Staines upon Thames Walton on Thames Sunbury on Thames Kingston upon Thames Twickenham London inc the City Dagenham Erith Dartford Grays GravesendPhysical characteristicsSource locationThames Head Gloucestershire UK coordinates51 41 40 N 02 01 47 W 51 69444 N 2 02972 W 51 69444 2 02972 elevation110 m 360 ft 2nd source locationUllenwood Gloucestershire UK coordinates51 50 49 N 02 04 41 W 51 84694 N 2 07806 W 51 84694 2 07806 elevation214 m 702 ft MouthThames Estuary North Sea locationSouthend on Sea Essex UK coordinates51 30 00 N 00 36 36 E 51 50000 N 0 61000 E 51 50000 0 61000 elevation0 m 0 ft Length346 km 215 mi Basin size12 935 km2 4 994 sq mi Discharge locationLondon average65 8 m3 s 2 320 cu ft s maximum370 m3 s 13 000 cu ft s Discharge locationentering Oxford average17 6 m3 s 620 cu ft s Discharge locationleaving Oxford average24 8 m3 s 880 cu ft s Discharge locationReading Berkshire average39 7 m3 s 1 400 cu ft s Discharge locationWindsor average59 3 m3 s 2 090 cu ft s vteThames summary route mapLegend235 84 Thames Head Kemble Gloucestershire235 06 Thames Head Bridge A433 Fosse Way 233 97 A429 Bridge and Cirencester branch lineMidland and South Western Junction Railway Bridge216 81 A419 Bridge CrickladeCastle Eaton BridgeHannington Bridge200 96 Limit of navigationInglesham Lock Thames amp Severn Canal Phase 2200 83 River Coln rises at Brockhampton 199 72 Halfpenny Bridge Lechlade A361 199 65 St John s Lock Last lock on the river 71 m ASLRadcot BridgeTadpole Bridge173 18 River Windrush NorthmoorNewbridgeSwinford Toll Bridge159 34 River Evenlode Cassington155 46 Thames Oxford By pass Bridge A34 110 10 Osney Rail Bridge Cherwell Valley line 148 88 River Cherwell Oxford partly canalised146 83 Isis Bridge Oxford Ring Road A423 110 10 Kennington Railway Bridge Goods Line Nuneham Viaduct GWR to Birmingham 136 47 Abingdon Bridge A415 Abingdon amp CulhamRiver OckWilts amp Berks CanalSutton Bridge131 02 Appleford Railway Bridge GWR to Birmingham Clifton Hampden BridgeRiver Thame Dorchester on ThamesShillingford Bridge115 41 Wallingford Bridge Wallingford amp Crowmarsh Gifford110 10 Moulsford Railway Bridge GWR to Bristol Goring and Streatley Bridge105 94 Goring Bridge GWR to Bristol Whitchurch Bridge89 74 Caversham Bridge Reading A4155 87 41 River Kennet canalised Reading79 24 River Loddon WargraveSonning BridgeShiplake Railway Bridge73 72 Henley Bridge A4130 Henley on Thames amp Remenham60 75 Marlow Bridge Marlow60 04 Marlow By pass Bridge Marlow A404 Bourne End Railway BridgeCookham Bridge 50 Jubilee River Maidenhead49 10 Maidenhead Railway Bridge GWR to Bristol etc 46 67 M4 Bridge Dorney amp Bray40 03 Queen Elizabeth Bridge A332 Eton amp WindsorWindsor branch line bridge38 91 Windsor Bridge Eton amp WindsorProposed canal link to Slough 35 Jubilee River EtonWindsor amp Eton Riverside station bridge28 46 Colne Brook Wraysbury28 45 Runnymede Bridges A30 amp M25 Staines upon Thames amp Egham27 82 Staines Bridge A308 Staines upon Thames amp Egham Hythe27 70 River Colne Staines upon ThamesStaines Railway Bridge21 34 M3 bridge Chertsey amp Laleham20 80 Chertsey Bridge B375 Chertsey amp Shepperton17 32 The Bournes 1 2 Addlestone17 08 Wey and its navigation Addlestone amp Weybridge14 43 Walton Bridge A244 Shepperton amp Walton on Thames7 53 Hampton Court Bridge A309 Hampton Court amp East Molesey7 45 River Mole East Molesey amp Thames Ditton3 34 Kingston Bridge Hampton Wick amp Kingston upon ThamesKingston Railway Bridge0 64 Teddington Lock Weir amp Bridges Tidal limit0 0 Teddington Boundary Stone PLA DoE Richmond BridgeRichmond Railway Bridge 4 52 Twickenham Bridge A316 Twickenham amp Richmond 4 80 Richmond Lock and Footbridge 6 11 River Crane Twickenham amp Isleworth 7 71 River Brent Grand Union Canal 8 80 Kew Bridge South Circular Road A205 Brentford amp Kew Kew Railway Bridge District line and former British Rail 10 86 Chiswick Bridge A316 Chiswick amp MortlakeBarnes Railway BridgeHammersmith Bridge Hammersmith 17 84 Putney Bridge A219 Fulham amp PutneyFulham Railway Bridge District line 18 95 River Wandle Wandsworth 19 44 Wandsworth Bridge A217 Fulham amp Wandsworth 20 84 Battersea Railway Bridge 21 88 Battersea Bridge A3220 Chelsea amp Battersea 23 66 Victoria Railway Bridge 25 24 Vauxhall Bridge A202 Pimlico amp Vauxhall 26 01 Lambeth Bridge A3202 Millbank amp Lambeth 26 55 Westminster Bridge A302 Central London 27 35 Charing Cross Bridge amp Station S Coast 28 01 Waterloo Bridge A301 Central London 28 55 Blackfriars Bridge A201 Central London 28 63 Blackfriars Rly Bridge Station Thameslink Millennium Bridge 29 10 Southwark Bridge A300 Central LondonCannon Street Railway Bridge and Cannon St Station 29 80 London Bridge A3 8 7 m headway Central London 30 69 Tower Bridge A100 42 5 m headway City of London amp BermondseyThames Tunnel on the East London line 32 83 Rotherhithe Tunnel A101 Limehouse amp Rotherhithe 33 65 Regent s Canal 40 08 Blackwall Tunnel A102 Blackwall amp Greenwich Peninsula 41 06 River Lea and its navigation Bow Creek Blackwall amp Canning Town 43 51 Thames Barrier 45 24 Woolwich Ferry links A406 with A205 North Woolwich amp Woolwich 48 55 Barking Creek River Roding 59 25 River Darent Dartford Creek 61 96 Dartford Crossing A282 N West Thurrock amp Dartford 62 04 Queen Elizabeth II Bridge A282 S 54 1 m headway West Thurrock amp Dartford 64 76 Channel Tunnel Rail Link 69 66 Tilbury Docks 87 72 Holehaven Creek 99 42 Southend Pier Southend on Sea 103 9 River Medway amp Sheerness Docks 110 6 Foulness Point Essex Warden Point Kent PLA limit End of Thames Estuary North SeavteThameside settlementsTowns villagesby parish beside the riverblank spaces indicate as place above Kemble GloucestershireKemble meads Ewen Somerford KeynesPoole Keynes meads and lakes of bothAshton Keynes Ashton KeynesLeigh meads Ashton Keynes meads Cricklade Latton meads Castle Eaton meads Castle Eaton Marston Meysey meads KempsfordHannington meads Kempsford meads Limit of navigationInglesham meads LechladeBuscot meads Lechlade meads Eaton Hastings KelmscottFaringdon meads Radcot meads Clanfield meads Littleworth mead Clanfield meads Buckland meads Bampton meads Hinton Waldrist meads Chimney meads Longworth meads Shifford meads Kingston Bagpuize meads Standlake meads Fyfield meads Northmoor meads Appleton with Eaton meads Bablock Hythe and meads Cumnor Stanton Harcourt meads Farmoor Cumnor Eynsham meads Swinford and meads CumnorWytham Cassington meads Yarnton meads WolvercoteBinsey Oxfordshire Wolvercote Common WolvercoteOsney New Osney west central Oxford Grandpont Oxford south central New Hinksey South Hinksey east Oxford inc Rose Hill Kennington Oxfordshire Littlemore meads OxfordSandford on ThamesRadley meads Nuneham Courtenay meads Abingdon Culham meads Sutton CourtenayAppleford on Thames Clifton Hampden meads Long Wittenham Burcot Clifton HampdenLittle Wittenham Dorchester on Thames meads Shillingford Hill Brightwell cum Sotwell meads Shillingford WarboroughBenson meads Preston Crowmarsh Benson meads Moulsford South StokeWallingford Crowmarsh GiffordNewnham MurrenMongewellCholsey North StokeMoulsford South StokeStreatley Goring on ThamesLower Basildon Basildon GoringPangbourne Whitchurch on ThamesPurley on Thames Mapledurham meads TilehurstReading CavershamSonning Sonning Eye Eye and DunsdenCharvil meads Shiplake meads Wargrave Lower Shiplake ShiplakeRemenham Henley on ThamesAston Remenham Mill End HambledenHurley on Thames MedmenhamBisham MarlowCookham Little MarlowHedsor Wharf Hedsor meads Bourne EndMaidenhead TaplowBray TaplowDorney meads Water Oakley Willows Riverside Park BrayDedworth Boveney BurnhamClewer EtonWindsor EtonThe Home Park Windsor DatchetOld Windsor WraysburyRunnymede Egham meads Egham Hythe Staines upon ThamesThorpePenton Hook Chertsey LalehamChertsey Dumsey Meadow SheppertonHamm Court Estate Addlestone Old Shepperton Shepperton various islands Weybridge Old Shepperton SheppertonWalton on Thames Lower Halliford SheppertonSunbury on ThamesWest and central Molesey HamptonEast Molesey Hampton Court HamptonThames DittonSeething Wells partially SurbitonKingston upon Thames Hampton WickHam Kingston upon Thames meads TeddingtonTeddington Lock Weir amp Bridges normal tidal limitPetersham TwickenhamRichmondOld Isleworth IsleworthKew BrentfordStrand on the Green ChiswickMortlake Dukes Meadows ChiswickBarnes ChiswickCastelnau Barnes HammersmithLondon Wetland Centre Barnes FulhamPutneyWandsworthBattersea Sands End FulhamChelseaNine Elms Battersea Pimlico WestminsterVauxhallMillbank Westminster North LambethWaterloo Victoria Embankment Strand WestminsterSt Clement DanesSouthwark City of London The BoroughBermondsey St Katherine s Wharf St George in the EastWappingRotherhithe ShadwellLimehouseMillwall PoplarDeptford Millwall Cubitt Town PoplarGreenwich Cubitt Town PoplarGreenwich Peninsula Greenwich Blackwall PoplarLeamouth PoplarNew Charlton Charlton West HamWoolwich Thames Barrier East Ham North WoolwichThamesmead Woolwich BarkingThamesmead Erith DagenhamErith Rainham Marshes RainhamWennington Marshes WenningtonErith Crayford Marshes Aveley Marshes AveleyDartford Marshes Dartford West Thurrock Purfleet West Thurrock Marshes Stone Marshes StoneGreenhitheSwanscombeSwanscombe Marshes Broadness Lighthouse Swanscombe Grays or more rarely Grays Thurrock Northfleet Tilbury West TilburyGravesendEastcourt Marshes ChalkShorne Marshes Shorne West TilburyHigham Marshes Lower Higham East TilburyCliffe Marshes Redham Mead Cliffe Corringham Marshes Thames Haven CorringhamHalstow Marshes High Halstow Canvey Island Corringham Stanford le Hope Leigh on SeaSt Marys Marshes St Mary HooAllhallows on Sea Leigh on SeaGrain Southend on SeaEnd of Thames Estuary North Sea the few settlements further along the debatable estuary to the two points mentioned in the routemap are on inlets or far inland vteThames bridgesLegendKey FootbridgeRoad bridgeDualled roadTripled or more road bridgeRailLock island bridge and linked footbridge to left bankNote 1 2a etc for minimum count of bridges over a full course others sub lettered b etc to from islands linked to both banks Thames Head1 A433 Fosse Way Tetbury Road Thames Bridge2 bridleway bridge3 A429 Bridge4 Parker s Bridge for Thames Path TP 5 unnamed the south lane Ewen to from Poole Keynes amp for TP6 Former Washburn s Mill footbridge for TP7 footbridge above Old Mill Farm8 footbridge9 footbridge above Neigh Bridge Lake for TP10 Neigh Bridge11 Oaksey Road Bridge for TP11 Cul de sac bridge Cotswold Water Park hamlet12 Lower Mill Estate bridge 113 Lower Mill Estate bridge 214 Lower Mill Estate bridge 315 footbridge for TP non woodland 16 footbridge for return of linear woodland paved variant of TP17 footbridge for path to Somerford Keynessouthbound 90 degree ex leat channel18a footbridge Ashton Keynes19a amp 19b Side road and B4696 bridges19c church lane footbridge19d church lane bridge19e to h drive garden bridges 4 19i Swill Brook Gosditch name of lane to B4696 bridge19j to s drive garden bridges 10 20a amp 20b Three Bridges Bridge amp drive garden bridge20c The Derry name of lane to B4696 Bridgepart of ex leat channel rejoins21a amp b High amp Oaklake Bridges High Road Ashton Keynesrest of ex leat channel rejoins22 Waterhay Bridge Leigh23 Footbridge24 Footbridge25 Footbridge26 M amp SWJR footbridge Cricklade27 North Wilts Canal footbridge27 Old West Mill site footbridge for TP28 Town Bridge Cricklade29 Abingdon Court Lane cul de sac 30 A419 Bridge31 Eysey Footbridge for TP32 Footbridge for TP33 Castle Eaton Bridge34 Hannington BridgeLechlade Wiltshire boundary backwater starts35a amp 35b Backwater amp Round House footbridgebackwater ends36 Halfpenny Bridge Lechlade37 St John s Bridge Lechlade38 Bloomers Hole Footbridge for TP39a b amp c Buscot Lock amp island bridges40 Eaton Footbridge for TP corrollary local loop 41a b c amp d Radcot Bridges amp Cradle footbridge for TP oblique from island to right bank only 42 Old Man s Bridge43 Rushey Lock amp island bridge44 Tadpole Bridge45 Tenfoot footbridge46 Duxford Ford and Shifford Lock Cut footbridge47 Newbridge48 Hart s Weir Footbridge49 Pinkhill Lock amp island bridge50 Swinford Toll BridgeWytham Seacourt Botley amp Bulstake Hinksey Redbridge Streams Osney D amp S Hogacre Eastwyke Hinksey Ditches bridges 51b to ay 50 bridges Wolvercote Mill Stream bridges 52b amp c x 2Sheepwash Channel bridges 52d to g x 451a A34 Thames Bridge52 Godstow Bridgenavigation vs Fiddlers Island Streams52a b c d Medley Footbridge Tank footbridge Binsey amp three TP bridges across thin middle Fiddlers islandCastle Mill Stream amp Wareham Stream bridges 52e to 52u 53a Osney Bridge54a amp b Osney Rail Bridge amp southerly rail bridge over Hinksey Stream of the Thames55 Gasworks Footbridge56 Grandpont Bridge57 Donnington Bridge58 c to h Weirs Mill Stream s 6 bridges 58a amp b Isis Bridge amp Folly Bridge59 Kennington Railway Bridge60 Sandford Lock amp island bridge61 Nuneham Viaduct62 Abingdon Lock amp island bridge63 Abingdon Bridge64 Culham Lock amp island bridge65 Sutton Bridge66 Appleford Railway Bridge67 Clifton Hampden Bridge68 Day s Lock amp island bridge69 Little Wittenham Bridge to island and Footbridge70 Shillingford Bridge71 Wallingford Bridge72 Winterbrook Bridge73 Moulsford Railway Bridge74 Goring and Streatley Bridge75 Gatehampton Railway Bridge76 Whitchurch Bridge76b Festival footbridge77 Caversham Bridge78 Christchurch footbridge79 Reading Bridge80a b amp c amp d Caversham Lock amp island bridges81a amp b amp c Sonning amp Sonning Backwater Bridges82 Shiplake Railway Bridge83 Henley Bridge84 Temple Footbridge85 Marlow Bridge86 Marlow bypass A404 Bridge87a amp b Bourne End Railway Bridge amp pedestrian bridge88 Cookham Bridge89 Maidenhead Bridge90 Maidenhead Railway Bridge91 M4 Thames Bridge92 Summerleaze Footbridge93 Queen Elizabeth Bridge94 Windsor Railway Bridge95 Windsor Bridge96 Black Potts Railway Bridge97 Victoria Bridge Datchet98 Albert Bridge Datchet99 Runnymede Bridge100 Staines Bridge101 Staines Railway Bridge102 M3 Thames bridge103 Chertsey Bridge104 Walton Bridge105 Hampton Court Bridge106 Kingston Bridge107 Kingston Railway Bridge108 Teddington Lock Bridge s 109 Richmond Bridge110 Richmond Railway Bridge111 Twickenham Bridge112 Richmond Lock Footbridge over superstructure 113 Kew Bridge114 Kew Railway Bridge115 Chiswick Bridge116 Barnes Railway Bridge117 Hammersmith Bridge118 Putney Bridge 3 lanes vs 1 119 Fulham Railway Bridge120 Wandsworth Bridge121 Battersea Railway Bridge122 Battersea Bridge123 Albert Bridge London124 Chelsea Bridge125 Victoria Grosvenor Railway Bridge126 Vauxhall Bridge127 Lambeth Bridge128 Westminster Bridge half Bus Lane 129a amp b Charing Cross Hungerford Bridge amp Golden Jubilee130 Waterloo Bridge half Bus Lane 131 Blackfriars Bridge132 Blackfriars Rly Bridge Station Thameslink 133 Millennium Bridge134 Southwark Bridge135 Cannon Street Railway Bridge assoc d station136 London Bridge137 Tower Bridge not dualled 138 Queen Elizabeth II Bridge one way four lanes amp attracts a toll End of Thames Estuary The river rises at Thames Head in Gloucestershire and flows into the North Sea near Tilbury Essex and Gravesend Kent via the Thames Estuary From the west it flows through Oxford where it is sometimes called the Isis Reading Henley on Thames and Windsor The Thames also drains the whole of Greater London 1 The lower reaches of the river are called the Tideway derived from its long tidal reach up to Teddington Lock Its tidal section includes most of its London stretch and has a rise and fall of 23 ft 7 m From Oxford to the estuary the Thames drops by 55 metres Running through some of the drier parts of mainland Britain and heavily abstracted for drinking water the Thames discharge is low considering its length and breadth the Severn has a discharge almost twice as large on average despite having a smaller drainage basin In Scotland the Tay achieves more than double the Thames average discharge from a drainage basin that is 60 smaller Along its course are 45 navigation locks with accompanying weirs Its catchment area covers a large part of south eastern and a small part of western England the river is fed by at least 50 named tributaries The river contains over 80 islands With its waters varying from freshwater to almost seawater the Thames supports a variety of wildlife and has a number of adjoining Sites of Special Scientific Interest with the largest being in the North Kent Marshes and covering 20 4 sq mi 5 289 ha 2 Contents 1 Name 1 1 Brittonic origin 1 2 Name history 1 3 The Isis 1 4 Name legacy 2 History 2 1 Conversion of marshland 3 Course 3 1 Sea level 3 2 Catchment area and discharge 3 2 1 Non tidal section 3 2 2 Tidal section 3 3 Islands 4 Geology 4 1 Ice age 5 Wildlife 6 Human history 6 1 Roman Britain 6 2 Middle Ages 6 3 Early modern period 6 4 Victorian era 6 5 20th century 6 6 21st century 7 The active river 7 1 Transport and tourism 7 1 1 Tidal river 7 1 2 Upper river 7 1 3 Cable car 7 2 Police and lifeboats 7 3 Navigation 7 3 1 Management 7 4 As a boundary 7 5 Crossings 7 6 Hydro power 8 Pollution 8 1 Treated and untreated sewage 8 2 Mercury levels 8 3 Plastic pollution 9 Sport 9 1 Rowing 9 2 Sailing 9 3 Skiffing 9 4 Punting 9 5 Kayaking and canoeing 9 6 Swimming 9 7 Meanders 10 The Thames in the arts 10 1 Visual arts 10 2 Literature 10 3 Music 11 Major flood events 11 1 London flood of 1928 11 2 Thames Valley flood of 1947 11 3 Canvey Island flood of 1953 12 See also 13 References 13 1 Notes 13 2 Citations 13 3 Sources 14 Further reading 15 External linksName EditBrittonic origin Edit Image of the deity AEsus on the Gallo Roman Pillar of the Boatmen A statue of Old Father Thames by Raffaelle Monti at St John s Lock LechladeAccording to Mallory and Adams the Thames from Middle English Temese is derived from the Brittonic name for the river Tamesas from tamessa 3 recorded in Latin as Tamesis and yielding modern Welsh Tafwys Thames The name element Tam may have meant dark and can be compared to other cognates such as Russian temno Proto Slavic tĭmĭnŭ Lithuanian tamsi dark Latvian tumsa darkness Sanskrit tamas and Welsh tywyll darkness and Middle Irish teimen dark grey 3 b The origin is shared by many other river names in Britain such as the River Tamar at the border of Devon and Cornwall several rivers named Tame in the Midlands and North Yorkshire the Tavy on Dartmoor the Team of the North East the Teifi and Teme of Wales the Teviot in the Scottish Borders and a Thames tributary the Thame Kenneth H Jackson proposed that the name of the Thames is not Indo European and of unknown meaning 5 while Peter Kitson suggested that it is Indo European but originated before the Britons and has a name indicating muddiness from a root ta melt 6 Name history Edit Early variants of the name include Tamesa Brittonic 4 Tamesis Latin 4 Tamis Temes Old English 4 Tamise Thamis 1220 Middle English Anglo Norman French c Indirect evidence for the antiquity of the name Thames is provided by a Roman potsherd found at Oxford bearing the inscription Tamesubugus fecit Tamesubugus made this It is believed that Tamesubugus name was derived from that of the river 7 Tamese was referred to as a place not a river in the Ravenna Cosmography c AD 700 The river s name has always been pronounced with a simple t t the Middle English spelling was typically Temese and the Brittonic form Tamesis A similar spelling from 1210 Tamisiam the accusative case of Tamisia see Kingston upon Thames Early history is found in the Magna Carta 8 Sculpture of Tamesis Downstream keystone of the central arch of Henley BridgeThe Isis Edit The Thames through Oxford is sometimes when called the Isis Historically and especially in Victorian times gazetteers and cartographers insisted that the entire river was correctly named the Isis from its source down to Dorchester on Thames and that only from this point where the river meets the Thame and becomes the Thame isis supposedly subsequently abbreviated to Thames should it be so called citation needed Ordnance Survey maps still label the Thames as River Thames or Isis down to Dorchester Since the early 20th century this distinction has been lost in common usage outside of Oxford and some historians who suggest the name Isis is nothing more than a truncation of Tamesis the Latin name for the Thames Sculptures titled Tamesis and Isis by Anne Seymour Damer are located on the bridge at Henley on Thames Oxfordshire the original terracotta and plaster models were exhibited at the Royal Academy London in 1785 They are now when on show at the River and Rowing Museum in Henley 9 Name legacy Edit Richard Coates suggests that while the river was as a whole called the Thames part of it where it was too wide to ford was called p lowonida This gave the name to a settlement on its banks which became known as Londinium from the Indo European roots pleu flow and nedi river meaning something like the flowing river or the wide flowing unfordable river 10 11 The river gives its name to three informal areas the Thames Valley a region of England around the river between Oxford and West London the Thames Gateway and the greatly overlapping Thames Estuary around the tidal Thames to the east of London and including the waterway itself Thames Valley Police is a formal body that takes its name from the river covering three counties In non administrative use the river s name is used in those of Thames Valley University Thames Water Thames Television publishing company Thames amp Hudson Thameslink north south rail service passing through central London and South Thames College An example of its use in the names of historic entities is the Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Company History EditMarks of human activity in some cases dating back to Pre Roman Britain are visible at various points along the river These include a variety of structures connected with use of the river such as navigations bridges and watermills as well as prehistoric burial mounds The lower Thames in the Roman era was a shallow waterway winding through marshes But centuries of human intervention have transformed it into a deep tidal canal flowing between 200 miles of solid walls these defend a floodplain where 1 5 million people work and live Main article Embanking of the tidal Thames A major maritime route is formed for much of its length for shipping and supplies through the Port of London for international trade internally along its length and by its connection to the British canal system The river s position has put it at the centre of many events in British history leading to it being described by John Burns as liquid history Two broad canals link the river to other rivers the Kennet and Avon Canal Reading to Bath and the Grand Union Canal London to the Midlands The Grand Union effectively bypassed the earlier narrow and winding Oxford Canal which remains open as a popular scenic recreational route Three further cross basin canals are disused but are in various stages of reconstruction the Thames and Severn Canal via Stroud which operated until 1927 to the west coast of England the Wey and Arun Canal to Littlehampton which operated until 1871 to the south coast and the Wilts amp Berks Canal Rowing and sailing clubs are common along the Thames which is navigable to such vessels Kayaking and canoeing also take place Major annual events include the Henley Royal Regatta and the Boat Race while the Thames has been used during two Summer Olympic Games 1908 rowing and 1948 rowing and canoeing Safe headwaters and reaches are a summer venue for organised swimming which is prohibited on safety grounds in a stretch centred on Central London Conversion of marshland Edit After the river took its present day course many of the banks of the Thames Estuary and the Thames Valley in London were partly covered in marshland as was the adjoining Lower Lea Valley Streams and rivers like the River Lea Tyburn Brook and Bollo Brook drained into the river while some islands e g Thorney Island formed over the ages The northern tip of the ancient parish of Lambeth for example was marshland known as Lambeth Marshe but it was drained in the 18th century the street name Lower Marsh preserves a memory 12 Main article Malaria in the River Thames Until the middle of the Victorian era malaria was commonplace beside the River Thames even in London and was frequently lethal Some cases continued to occur into the early 20th century Draining of the marshes had to do with its eradication but the causes are complex and unclear The East End of London also known simply as the East End was the area of London east of the medieval walled City of London and north of the River Thames although it is not defined by universally accepted formal boundaries the River Lea can be considered another boundary 13 Most of the local riverside was also marshland The land was drained and became farmland it was built on after the Industrial Revolution Canvey Island in southern Essex area 18 45 km2 7 12 sq mi population 40 000 14 was once marshy but is now a fully reclaimed island in the Thames estuary separated from the mainland of south Essex by a network of creeks Lying below sea level it is prone to flooding at exceptional tides but has nevertheless been inhabited since Roman times Course Edit The marker stone at the official source of the River Thames named Thames Head near Kemble The Thames passes by some of the sights of London including the Houses of Parliament and the London Eye River Thames Southend on Sea United Kingdom 2019The usually quoted source of the Thames is at Thames Head at grid reference ST980994 This is about 3 4 mi 1 2 km 15 north of Kemble parish church in southern Gloucestershire near the town of Cirencester in the Cotswolds 16 However Seven Springs near Cheltenham where the Churn which feeds into the Thames near Cricklade rises is also sometimes quoted as the Thames source 17 18 as this location is farthest from the mouth and adds some 14 mi 23 km to the river s length At Seven Springs above the source is a stone with the Latin hexameter inscription Hic tuus o Tamesine pater septemgeminus fons which means Here O Father Thames is your sevenfold source 19 The springs at Seven Springs flow throughout the year while those at Thames Head are seasonal a winterbourne With a length of 215 mi 346 km 20 the Thames is the longest river entirely in England The longest river in the United Kingdom the Severn flows partly in Wales However as the River Churn sourced at Seven Springs is 14 mi 23 km longer than the section of the Thames from its traditional source at Thames Head to the confluence the overall length of the Thames measured from Seven Springs at 229 mi 369 km is greater than the Severn s length of 220 mi 350 km 21 Thus the Churn Thames river may be regarded as the longest natural river in the United Kingdom The stream from Seven Springs is joined at Coberley by a longer tributary which could further increase the length of the Thames with its source in the grounds of the National Star College at Ullenwood The Thames flows through or alongside Ashton Keynes Cricklade Lechlade Oxford Abingdon on Thames Wallingford Goring on Thames and Streatley Pangbourne and Whitchurch on Thames Reading Wargrave Henley on Thames Marlow Maidenhead Windsor and Eton Staines upon Thames and Egham Chertsey Shepperton Weybridge Sunbury on Thames Walton on Thames Molesey and Thames Ditton The river was subject to minor redefining and widening of the main channel around Oxford Abingdon and Marlow before 1850 when further cuts to ease navigation reduced distances further Molesey faces Hampton and in Greater London the Thames passes Hampton Court Palace Surbiton Kingston upon Thames Teddington Twickenham Richmond with a famous view of the Thames from Richmond Hill Syon House Kew Brentford Chiswick Barnes Hammersmith Fulham Putney Wandsworth Battersea and Chelsea In central London the river passes Pimlico and Vauxhall and then forms one of the principal axes of the city from the Palace of Westminster to the Tower of London At this point it historically formed the southern boundary of the medieval city with Southwark on the opposite bank then being part of Surrey Beyond central London the river passes Bermondsey Wapping Shadwell Limehouse Rotherhithe Millwall Deptford Greenwich Cubitt Town Blackwall New Charlton and Silvertown before flowing through the Thames Barrier which protects central London from flooding by storm surges Below the barrier the river passes Woolwich Thamesmead Dagenham Erith Purfleet Dartford West Thurrock Northfleet Tilbury and Gravesend before entering the Thames Estuary near Southend on Sea Sea level Edit The sea level in the Thames estuary is rising and the rate of rise is increasing 22 23 Sediment cores up to 10 m deep collected by the British Geological Survey from the banks of the tidal River Thames contain geochemical information and fossils which provide a 10 000 year record of sea level change 24 Combined this and other studies suggest that the Thames sea level has risen more than 30 m during the Holocene at a rate of around 5 6 mm per year from 10 000 to 6 000 years ago 24 The rise of sea level dramatically reduced when the ice melt nearly concluded clarification needed over the past 4 000 years Since the beginning of the 20th century rates of sea level rise range from 1 22 mm per year to 2 14 mm per year 24 Catchment area and discharge Edit Main article Tributaries of the River Thames The Thames River Basin 25 District including the Medway catchment covers an area of 6 229 sq mi 16 130 km2 26 The entire river basin is a mixture of urban and rural with rural landscape predominating in the western part The area is among the driest in the United Kingdom Water resources consist of groundwater from aquifers and water taken from the Thames and its tributaries much of it stored in large bank side reservoirs 26 The Thames itself provides two thirds of London s drinking water while groundwater supplies about 40 per cent of public water supplies in the overall catchment area Groundwater is an important water source especially in the drier months so maintaining its quality and quantity is extremely important Groundwater is vulnerable to surface pollution especially in highly urbanised areas 26 Non tidal section Edit Main article Locks and weirs on the River Thames The Jubilee River at Slough Weir St John s Lock near Lechlade The River Thames in OxfordBrooks canals and rivers within an area of 3 842 sq mi 9 951 km2 27 combine to form 38 main tributaries feeding the Thames between its source and Teddington Lock This is the usual tidal limit however high spring tides can raise the head water level in the reach above Teddington and can occasionally reverse the river flow for a short time In these circumstances tidal effects can be observed upstream to the next lock beside Molesey weir 27 which is visible from the towpath and bridge beside Hampton Court Palace Before Teddington Lock was built in 1810 12 the river was tidal at peak spring tides as far as Staines upon Thames In descending order non related tributaries of the non tidal Thames with river status are the Churn Leach Cole Ray Coln Windrush Evenlode Cherwell Ock Thame Pang Kennet Loddon Colne Wey and Mole In addition there are occasional backwaters and artificial cuts that form islands distributaries most numerous in the case of the Colne and man made distributaries such as the Longford River Three canals intersect this stretch the Oxford Canal Kennet and Avon Canal and Wey Navigation Its longest artificial secondary channel cut the Jubilee River was built between Maidenhead and Windsor for flood relief and completed in 2002 28 29 The non tidal section of the river is managed by the Environment Agency which is responsible for managing the flow of water to help prevent and mitigate flooding and providing for navigation the volume and speed of water downstream is managed by adjusting the sluices at each of the weirs and at peak high water levels are generally dissipated over preferred flood plains adjacent to the river Occasionally flooding of inhabited areas is unavoidable and the agency issues flood warnings Due to stiff penalties applicable on the non tidal river which is a drinking water source before treatment sanitary sewer overflow from the many sewage treatment plants covering the upper Thames basin should be rare in the non tidal Thames However storm sewage overflows are still common in almost all the main tributaries of the Thames 30 31 despite claims by Thames Water to the contrary 32 Tidal section Edit Main article Tideway London Stone at Staines built in 1285 marked the customs limit of the Thames and the City of London s jurisdiction Waterstand of Thames at low tide left and high tide right in comparison at Blackfriars Bridge in LondonBelow Teddington Lock about 55 mi or 89 km upstream of the Thames Estuary the river is subject to tidal activity from the North Sea Before the lock was installed the river was tidal as far as Staines about 16 mi 26 km upstream 33 London capital of Roman Britain was established on two hills now known as Cornhill and Ludgate Hill These provided a firm base for a trading centre at the lowest possible point on the Thames 34 A river crossing was built at the site of London Bridge London Bridge is now used as the basis for published tide tables giving the times of high tide High tide reaches Putney about 30 minutes later than London Bridge and Teddington about an hour later The tidal stretch of the river is known as the Tideway Tide tables are published by the Port of London Authority and are available online Times of high and low tides are also posted on Twitter The principal tributaries of the River Thames on the Tideway include the rivers Crane Brent Wandle Ravensbourne the final part of which is called Deptford Creek Lea the final part of which is called Bow Creek Roding Barking Creek Darent and Ingrebourne In London the water is slightly brackish with sea salt being a mix of sea and fresh water The Thames Barrier provides protection against floods This part of the river is managed by the Port of London Authority The flood threat here comes from high tides and strong winds from the North Sea and the Thames Barrier was built in the 1980s to protect London from this risk The Nore is the sandbank that marks the mouth of the Thames Estuary where the outflow from the Thames meets the North Sea It is roughly halfway between Havengore Creek in Essex and Warden Point on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent Until 1964 it marked the seaward limit of the Port of London Authority As the sandbank was a major hazard for shipping coming in and out of London in 1732 it received the world s first lightship This became a major landmark and was used as an assembly point for shipping Today it is marked by Sea Reach No 1 Buoy 35 Islands Edit Main article Islands in the River Thames London City Airport is on the site of a dock The River Thames contains over 80 islands ranging from the large estuarial marshlands of the Isle of Sheppey and Canvey Island to small tree covered islets like Rose Isle in Oxfordshire and Headpile Eyot in Berkshire They are found all the way from Fiddler s Island in Oxfordshire to the Isle of Sheppey in Kent Some of the largest inland islands for example Formosa Island near Cookham and Andersey Island at Abingdon were created naturally when the course of the river divided into separate streams In the Oxford area the river splits into several streams across the floodplain Seacourt Stream Castle Mill Stream Bulstake Stream and others creating several islands Fiddler s Island Osney and others Desborough Island Ham Island at Old Windsor and Penton Hook Island were artificially created by lock cuts and navigation channels Chiswick Eyot is a landmark on the Boat Race course while Glover s Island forms the centre of a view from Richmond Hill Islands of historical interest include Magna Carta Island at Runnymede Fry s Island at Reading and Pharaoh s Island near Shepperton In more recent times Platts Eyot at Hampton was the place where Motor Torpedo Boats MTB s were built Tagg s Island near Molesey was associated with the impresario Fred Karno and Eel Pie Island at Twickenham was the birthplace of the South East s R amp B music scene Westminster Abbey and the Palace of Westminster commonly known today as the Houses of Parliament were built on Thorney Island which used to be an eyot Geology EditSee also Ancestral Thames European LGM refuges 20 000 years ago The Thames was a minor river that joined the Rhine in the southern North Sea basin at this time Solutrean and Proto Solutrean Cultures Epi Gravettian CultureResearchers have identified the River Thames as a discrete drainage line flowing as early as 58 million years ago in the Thanetian stage of the late Palaeocene epoch 36 Until around 500 000 years ago the Thames flowed on its existing course through what is now Oxfordshire before turning to the north east through Hertfordshire and East Anglia and reaching the North Sea near present day Ipswich 37 At this time the river system headwaters lay in the English West Midlands and may at times have received drainage from the Berwyn Mountains in North Wales Ice age Edit About 450 000 years ago in the most extreme Ice Age of the Pleistocene the Anglian the furthest southern extent of the ice sheet reached Hornchurch 38 in east London the Vale of St Albans and the Finchley Gap It dammed the river in Hertfordshire resulting in the formation of large ice lakes which eventually burst their banks and caused the river to divert onto its present course through the area of present day London The ice lobe which stopped at present day Finchley deposited about 14 metres of boulder clay there 39 Its torrent of meltwater gushed through the Finchley Gap and south towards the new course of the Thames and proceeded to carve out the Brent Valley in the process 40 The Anglian ice advance resulted in a new course for the Thames through Berkshire and on into London after which the river rejoined its original course in southern Essex near the present River Blackwater estuary Here it entered a substantial freshwater lake in the southern North Sea basin south of what is called Doggerland The overspill of this lake caused the formation of the Channel River and later the Dover Strait gap between present day Britain and France Subsequent development led to the continuation of the course that the river follows at the present day 41 Most of the bedrock of the Vale of Aylesbury comprises clay and chalk that formed at the end of the ice age and at one time was under the Proto Thames At this time the vast underground reserves of water formed that make the water table higher than average in the Vale of Aylesbury 42 A geological map of the London Basin the London Clay is marked in dark brown The confluence of the Rivers Thames and Brent The narrowboat is heading up the River Brent From this point as far as Hanwell the Brent has been canalised and shares its course with the main line of the Grand Union Canal From Hanwell the Brent can be traced to various sources in the Barnet area At the height of the last ice age around 20 000 BC Britain was connected to mainland Europe by a large expanse of land known as Doggerland in the southern North Sea Basin At this time the Thames course did not continue to Doggerland but flowed southwards from the eastern Essex coast where it met the waters of the proto Rhine Meuse Scheldt delta 41 flowing from what are now the Netherlands and Belgium These rivers formed a single river the Channel River Fleuve Manche that passed through the Dover Strait and drained into the Atlantic Ocean in the western English Channel Upon the valley sides of the Thames and some of its tributaries can be seen other terraces of brickearth laid over and sometimes interlayered with the clays These deposits were brought in by the winds during the periglacial periods suggesting that wide flat marshes were then part of the landscape which the new rivers proceeded to cut into The steepness of some valley sides indicates very much lower mean sea levels caused by the glaciation locking up so much water upon the land masses thus causing the river water to flow rapidly seaward and so erode its bed quickly downwards The original land surface was around 350 to 400 ft 110 to 120 m above the current sea level The surface had sandy deposits from an ancient sea laid over sedimentary clay this is the blue London Clay All the erosion down from this higher land surface and the sorting action by these changes of water flow and direction formed what is known as the Thames River Gravel Terraces Since Roman times and perhaps earlier the isostatic rebound from the weight of previous ice sheets and its interplay with the eustatic change in sea level have resulted in the old valley of the River Brent together with that of the Thames silting up again Thus along much of the Brent s present day course one can make out the water meadows of rich alluvium which is augmented by frequent floods Wildlife Edit Swan Upping skiffs surround the swansVarious species of birds feed off the river or nest on it some being found both at sea and inland These include cormorant black headed gull and herring gull The mute swan is a familiar sight on the river but the escaped black swan is more rare The annual ceremony of Swan Upping is an old tradition of counting stocks Non native geese that can be seen include Canada geese Egyptian geese and bar headed geese and ducks include the familiar native mallard plus introduced Mandarin duck and wood duck Other water birds to be found on the Thames include the great crested grebe coot moorhen heron and kingfisher Many types of British birds also live alongside the river although they are not specific to the river habitat The Thames contains both sea water and fresh water thus providing support for seawater and freshwater fish However many populations of fish are at risk and are being killed in tens of thousands because of pollutants leaking into the river from human activities 43 Salmon which inhabit both environments have been reintroduced and a succession of fish ladders have been built into weirs to enable them to travel upstream On 5 August 1993 the largest non tidal salmon in recorded history was caught close to Boulters Lock in Maidenhead The specimen weighed 14 1 2 lb 6 6 kg and measured 22 in 56 cm in length The eel is particularly associated with the Thames and there were formerly many eel traps Freshwater fish of the Thames and its tributaries include brown trout chub dace roach barbel perch pike bleak and flounder Colonies of short snouted seahorses as well as tope and starry smooth hound sharks have also recently been discovered in the river 44 45 The Thames is also host to some invasive crustaceans including the signal crayfish and the Chinese mitten crab Aquatic mammals are also known to inhabit the Thames The population of grey and harbour seals numbers up to 700 in the Thames Estuary These animals have been sighted as far upriver as Richmond 46 Bottlenose dolphins and harbour porpoises are also sighted in the Thames 47 On 20 January 2006 a 16 18 ft 4 9 5 5 m northern bottle nosed whale was seen in the Thames as far upstream as Chelsea This was extremely unusual this whale is generally found in deep sea waters Crowds gathered along the riverbanks to witness the spectacle but there was soon concern as the animal came within yards of the banks almost beaching and crashed into an empty boat causing slight bleeding About 12 hours later the whale is believed to have been seen again near Greenwich possibly heading back to sea A rescue attempt lasted several hours but the whale died on a barge See River Thames whale 48 Human history Edit The Tower of London begun in the 11th century with Tower Bridge built 800 years later The River Thames has played several roles in human history as an economic resource a maritime route a boundary a fresh water source a source of food and more recently a leisure facility In 1929 John Burns one time MP for Battersea responded to an American s unfavourable comparison of the Thames with the Mississippi by coining the expression The Thames is liquid history There is evidence of human habitation living off the river along its length dating back to Neolithic times 49 The British Museum has a decorated bowl 3300 2700 BC found in the river at Hedsor Buckinghamshire and a considerable amount of material was discovered during the excavations of Dorney Lake 50 A number of Bronze Age sites and artefacts have been discovered along the banks of the river including settlements at Lechlade Cookham and Sunbury on Thames 51 So extensive have the changes to this landscape been that what little evidence there is of man s presence before the ice came has inevitably shown signs of transportation here by water and reveals nothing specifically local Likewise later evidence of occupation even since the arrival of the Romans may lie next to the original banks of the Brent but have been buried under centuries of silt 51 Roman Britain Edit Some of the earliest written references to the Thames Latin Tamesis occur in Julius Caesar s account of his second expedition to Britain in 54 BC 52 when the Thames presented a major obstacle and he encountered the Iron Age Belgic tribes Catuvellauni and Atrebates along the river At the confluence of the Thames and Cherwell was the site of early settlements and the River Cherwell marked the boundary between the Dobunni tribe to the west and the Catuvellauni to the east these were pre Roman Celtic tribes In the late 1980s a large Romano British settlement was excavated on the edge of the village of Ashton Keynes in Wiltshire Starting in AD 43 under the Emperor Claudius the Romans occupied England and recognising the river s strategic and economic importance built fortifications along the Thames valley including a major camp at Dorchester Cornhill and Ludgate Hill provided a defensible site near a point on the river both deep enough for the era s ships and narrow enough to be bridged Londinium London grew up around the Walbrook on the north bank around the year 47 Boudica s Iceni razed the settlement in AD 60 or 61 but it was soon rebuilt and once the bridge was built it grew to become the provincial capital of the island The next Roman bridges upstream were at Staines on the Devil s Highway between Londinium and Calleva Silchester Boats could be swept up to it on the rising tide with no need for wind or muscle power Middle Ages Edit A Romano British settlement grew up north of the confluence partly because the site was naturally protected from attack on the east side by the River Cherwell and on the west by the River Thames This settlement dominated the pottery trade in what is now central southern England and pottery was distributed by boats on the Thames and its tributaries Competition for the use of the river created the centuries old conflict between those who wanted to dam the river to build millraces and fish traps and those who wanted to travel and carry goods on it Economic prosperity and the foundation of wealthy monasteries by the Anglo Saxons attracted unwelcome visitors and by around AD 870 the Vikings were sweeping up the Thames on the tide and creating havoc as in their destruction of Chertsey Abbey A 1616 engraving by Claes Van Visscher showing the Old London Bridge with St Mary s Overie over the river now Southwark Cathedral in the foregroundOnce King William had won total control of the strategically important Thames Valley he went on to invade the rest of England He had many castles built including those at Wallingford Rochester Windsor and most importantly the Tower of London Many details of Thames activity are recorded in the Domesday Book The following centuries saw the conflict between king and barons coming to a head in AD 1215 when King John was forced to sign the Magna Carta on an island in the Thames at Runnymede Among a host of other things this granted the barons the right of Navigation under Clause 23 Another major consequence of John s reign was the completion of the multi piered London Bridge which acted as a barricade and barrage on the river affecting the tidal flow upstream and increasing the likelihood of the river freezing over In Tudor and Stuart times various kings and queens built magnificent riverside palaces at Hampton Court Kew Richmond on Thames Whitehall and Greenwich As early as the 1300s the Thames was used to dispose of waste matter produced in the city of London thus turning the river into an open sewer In 1357 Edward III described the state of the river in a proclamation dung and other filth had accumulated in divers places upon the banks of the river with fumes and other abominable stenches arising therefrom 53 The growth of the population of London greatly increased the amount of waste that entered the river including human excrement animal waste from slaughter houses and waste from manufacturing processes According to historian Peter Ackroyd a public lavatory on London Bridge showered its contents directly onto the river below and latrines were built over all the tributaries that issued into the Thames 53 Early modern period Edit River Thames frost fair circa 1685During a series of cold winters the Thames froze over above London Bridge in the first Frost Fair in 1607 a tent city was set up on the river along with a number of amusements including ice bowling In good conditions barges travelled daily from Oxford to London carrying timber wool foodstuffs and livestock The stone from the Cotswolds used to rebuild St Paul s Cathedral after the Great Fire in 1666 was brought all the way down from Radcot The Thames provided the major route between the City of London and Westminster in the 16th and 17th centuries the clannish guild of watermen ferried Londoners from landing to landing and tolerated no outside interference In 1715 Thomas Doggett was so grateful to a local waterman for his efforts in ferrying him home pulling against the tide that he set up a rowing race for professional watermen known as Doggett s Coat and Badge Michael Faraday giving his card to Father Thames caricature commenting on a letter of Faraday s on the state of the river in The Times in July 1855By the 18th century the Thames was one of the world s busiest waterways as London became the centre of the vast mercantile British Empire and progressively over the next century the docks expanded in the Isle of Dogs and beyond Efforts were made to resolve the navigation conflicts upstream by building locks along the Thames After temperatures began to rise again starting in 1814 the river stopped freezing over 54 The building of a new London Bridge in 1825 with fewer piers pillars than the old allowed the river to flow more freely and prevented it from freezing over in cold winters 55 Throughout early modern history the population of London and its industries discarded their rubbish in the river 56 This included the waste from slaughterhouses fish markets and tanneries The buildup in household cesspools could sometimes overflow especially when it rained and was washed into London s streets and sewers which eventually led to the Thames 57 In the late 18th and 19th centuries people known as mudlarks scavenged in the river mud for a meagre living Victorian era Edit Satirical cartoon by William Heath showing a woman observing monsters in a drop of London water at the time of the Commission on the London Water Supply report 1828 In the 19th century the quality of water in the Thames deteriorated further The discharge of raw sewage into the Thames was formerly only common in the City of London making its tideway a harbour for many harmful bacteria Gasworks were built alongside the river and their by products leaked into the water including spent lime ammonia cyanide and carbolic acid The river had an unnaturally warm temperature caused by chemical reactions in the water which also removed the water s oxygen 58 Four serious cholera outbreaks killed tens of thousands of people between 1832 and 1865 Historians have attributed Prince Albert s death in 1861 to typhoid that had spread in the river s dirty waters beside Windsor Castle 59 Wells with water tables that mixed with tributaries or the non tidal Thames faced such pollution with the widespread installation of the flush toilet in the 1850s 59 In the Great Stink of 1858 pollution in the river reached such an extreme that sittings of the House of Commons at Westminster had to be abandoned Chlorine soaked drapes were hung in the windows of Parliament in an attempt to stave off the smell of the river but to no avail 60 There followed a concerted effort to contain the city s sewage by constructing massive sewer systems on the north and south river embankments under the supervision of engineer Joseph Bazalgette Meanwhile there were similar huge projects to ensure the water supply reservoirs and pumping stations were built on the river to the west of London slowly helping the quality of water to improve The Victorian era was one of imaginative engineering The coming of the railways added railway bridges to the earlier road bridges and also reduced commercial activity on the river However sporting and leisure use increased with the establishment of regattas such as Henley and the Boat Race One of the worst river disasters in England was on 3 September 1878 when the crowded pleasure boat Princess Alice collided with the Bywell Castle killing over 640 people 20th century Edit The Thames as it flows through east London with the Isle of Dogs in the centreThe growth of road transport and the decline of the Empire in the years following 1914 reduced the economic prominence of the river During the Second World War the protection of certain Thames side facilities particularly docks and water treatment plants was crucial to the munitions and water supply of the country The river s defences included the Maunsell forts in the estuary and the use of barrage balloons to counter German bombers using the reflectivity and shapes of the river to navigate during the Blitz In the post war era although the Port of London remains one of the UK s three main ports most trade has moved downstream from central London In the late 1950s the discharge of methane gas in the depths of the river caused the water to bubble and the toxins wore away at boats propellers 61 The decline of heavy industry and tanneries reduced use of oil pollutants and improved sewage treatment have led to much better water quality compared to the late 19th and early to mid 20th centuries and aquatic life has returned to its formerly dead stretches Alongside the entire river runs the Thames Path a National Route for walkers and cyclists In the early 1980s a pioneering flood control device the Thames Barrier was opened It is closed to tides several times a year to prevent water damage to London s low lying areas upstream the 1928 Thames flood demonstrated the severity of this type of event A view of the Thames as it passes through London composed of 29 photos taken from the ISS in 2021In the late 1990s the 7 mi 11 km long Jubilee River was built as a wide naturalistic flood relief channel from Taplow to Eton to help reduce the flood risk in Maidenhead Windsor and Eton 62 although it appears to have increased flooding in the villages immediately downstream 21st century Edit In 2010 the Thames won the largest environmental award in the world the 350 000 International Riverprize 63 In August 2022 the first few miles of the river dried up due to the previous month s heatwave and the source of the river temporarily moved five miles to beyond Somerford Keynes 64 The active river Edit Houseboats on the River Thames in the St Margaret s Twickenham districtOne of the major resources provided by the Thames is the water distributed as drinking water by Thames Water whose area of responsibility covers the length of the River Thames The Thames Water Ring Main is the main distribution mechanism for water in London with one major loop linking the Hampton Walton Ashford and Kempton Park Water Treatment Works with central London In the past commercial activities on the Thames included fishing particularly eel trapping coppicing willows and osiers which provided wood and baskets and the operation of watermills for flour and paper production and metal beating These activities have largely disappeared The Thames is popular for a wide variety of riverside housing including high rise flats in central London and chalets on the banks and islands upstream Some people live in houseboats typically around Brentford and Tagg s Island Transport and tourism Edit Tidal river Edit Main article London River Services Passenger service on the River ThamesIn London there are many sightseeing tours in tourist boats past riverside attractions such as the Houses of Parliament and the Tower of London There are also regular riverboat services co ordinated by London River Services London City Airport is situated on the Thames in East London Previously it was a dock Upper river Edit The leisure navigation and sporting activities on the river have given rise to a number of businesses including boatbuilding marinas ships chandlers and salvage services In summer passenger services operate along the entire non tidal river from Oxford to Teddington The two largest operators are Salters Steamers and French Brothers Salters operate services between Folly Bridge Oxford and Staines The whole journey takes four days and requires several changes of boat 65 French Brothers operate passenger services between Maidenhead and Hampton Court 66 Along the course of the river a number of smaller private companies also offer river trips at Oxford Wallingford Reading and Hampton Court 67 Many companies also provide boat hire on the river Cable car Edit The London Cable Car over the River ThamesThe London Cable Car over the Thames from the Greenwich Peninsula to the Royal Docks has been in operation since the 2012 Summer Olympics Police and lifeboats Edit The river is policed by five police forces The Thames Division is the River Police arm of London s Metropolitan Police while Surrey Police Thames Valley Police Essex Police and Kent Police have responsibilities on their parts of the river outside the metropolitan area There is also a London Fire Brigade fire boat on the river The river claims a number of lives each year 68 As a result of the Marchioness disaster in 1989 when 51 people died the Government asked the Maritime and Coastguard Agency the Port of London Authority and the Royal National Lifeboat Institution RNLI to work together to set up a dedicated Search and Rescue service for the tidal River Thames As a result there are four lifeboat stations on the River Thames at Teddington Chiswick Tower based at Victoria Embankment Waterloo Bridge and Gravesend 69 Navigation Edit Pool of London looking west from the high level walkway on Tower Bridge Click on the picture for a longer description A container ship unloading at Northfleet Hope terminal Tilbury img, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.