The River Thames - London's Mighty And Historic River


by Jon Michael - Date: 2006-12-24 - Word Count: 907 Share This!

Would it surprise you to know, in prehistoric times, England's premier river, the Thames, fed directly into Germany's River Rhine? And here are a few other amazing facts you might not know.

To travel down the River Thames is a journey through the history of England. Right from prehistoric times, before the ice age, to the present day, "Old Father Thames" has always had a major role.

In prehistoric times, the Thames practically cut England in two, flowing almost from what is now the coast of Wales, in the west, right past what is now the east coast of England to join the river Rhine, flowing from what is now Holland into the marshy area which is now the North Sea. As water travel was the easiest mode of travel, it's not hard to imagine Germanic tribesman from the east, traveling down the River Rhine and up the Thames to settle in England - Land of The Anglo Saxons.

Thousands of years later the Romans arrived in England, and discovered the tidal river of the present day River Thames provided an easy way of moving up and down the river, powered only by the incoming and outgoing tides. At the point where the Thames was joined by two tributaries, they set up their port of Londinium -- centuries later this stretch of river would become known as the Pool Of London and the greatest seaport of the Victorian age. Just upstream from that, the Romans built the first bridge over the Thames: now the site of London Bridge.

Later, when the Normans invaded, the first of many castles they built was the Tower of London on the north bank of the Thames, just downstream from London Bridge.

In mediaeval times the River Thames, with it's easy access to the continent of Europe and the wider world beyond, made it the greatest trading city in the world. This was helped by the waves of skilled immigrants fleeing persecution on the continent and bringing with them sought after skills, such as silk weaving and carpet making.

One of the rivers flowing into the Thames at Deptford from the south, proved a handy thoroughfare for oak trees cut down on the estate of King Henry VIII at Leeds Castle, in Kent, and floated north to the Thames, where they were turned into fighting ships for Henry's burgeoning navy.

In 1588, his daughter, Queen Elizabeth the First, stood on the quay at Tilbury, close to the Thames estuary, and made her famous speech to the sailors about to set sail and challenge the might of the Spanish Armada.

"I know I have the body of a weak and feeble woman, but I have the heart and stomach of a king and of a king of England too; and think foul scorn that Parma or Spain , or any prince of Europe, should dare to invade the borders of my realm.".

By the 17th Century, England was the world's foremost maritime power and it is fitting that the River Thames actually marks the center of the world, by virtue of the 0 longitude Greenwich Meridian line actually marked by a line running north to south set into the ground at Greenwich Royal Naval College. Stand to the west of this line, and you are in the western hemisphere. But step over this line and you are then in the eastern hemisphere.

London's river has always been a useful conveyance and never more so than in the eighteenth century, when King George the First used it to travel from his palace at Whitehall -- itself built on the banks of the Thames -- upstream to Hampton Court Palace. It was during one of these riparian jaunts that George Frederick Handel managed to repair his damaged relationship with King George, having previously left George's employ, then George was merely the Elector of Hanover, to seek fame and glory in London, never suspecting George would later inherit the Crown of England.

Handel did this by writing his masterpiece, The Water Music Suite, for the orchestra that accompanied the king on his journey. So delighted was King George, he had the music played several times on the journey, and thus completely forgave Handel his past disloyalty.

In the second world war, the river Thames, formed a guidepath for the heavy bombers of the Nazi Lufwaffa, who carried out frequent bombing raids on London for several years. Their favorite time was to come when there was a moon and low tide. So, despite the whole of London not showing a single light, which would betray its location, the bombers could use the silver ribbon of the moonlit river to guide them to the vital factories and docks of London's east end, knowing them to be a certain distance from the mouth of the river.

Once the first incendiary bombs were dropped, these started massive fires, which lit up the whole area, acting as a beacon for subsequent waves of bombers. In the meantime, the firefighters, struggled to put out the increasing number of fires, greatly hampered by the low water in the river.

Today, the River Thames is still one of the proudest symbols of this world class city, although its status as a port has declined. Many of the old warehouses and docks with exotic names, such as Canary Wharf, have been redeveloped into smart new office complexes and luxury riverside apartments. But through all the changes there is one constant. In the words of the famous song -- "Old Father Thames keeps rolling along.".


Related Tags: england, romans, river thames, river rhine, old father thames, normans, king henry viii, queen eliza

Jon Michael is a lifelong resident of London, England and his hobby is discovering the hidden stories about this fascinating world class city. Add to all that the daily honing of his knowledge of London as a taxi cab driver and you need look no further for information on the real London. Check out Jon's website right now at: http://www.LondonVacationSecrets.com

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