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The Thames

The Thames is not one of the world’s longest rivers – it is a mere 346 kilometres in length (215 miles) – but it is one of the most famous, and it is the longest and most important waterway in England. Roman writers mention it as the Tamesis, and the name is probably a Celtic word which means ‘broad river’.

This natural highway connects the North Sea to the heart of southern England. From its source in the gentle hills of the Cotswolds down to the mighty Thames Barrier of the estuary. It is a magnificent river and many places of interest lie on its banks (Eton, Oxford, Henley, Windsor, Hampton Court, Richmond). In London the river flows past the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey and the Tower of London. Ocean tides move up the river to south-west London. The Thames is 250 yards wide (229 metres) at London Bridge and 700 yards (600 metres) wide at Gravesend. It widens until it joins the North Sea at the estuary.

When the tide falls, the foreshore – or river bed – is revealed, a neglected and unappreciated part of the river, whose mud and shingle conceals fascinating clues to London’s rich past. The river changes character many times as it flows to the nation’s capital: suburban gardens and parks rub shoulders with Georgian mansions.

In central London every foot of river has a tale to tell of former days – palaces, docks, cathedrals and churches and fine bridges all jostle for attention. Past London Bridge the river widens as it sweeps down to Greenwich, a town rich in naval tradition and maritime history; a town that would have been familiar to Jane Austen’s sailor brothers.

Many of the key players in the history of England have lived on or around the Thames. For this reason, the poet, John Burns, describes the river as ‘liquid history’. It has inspired poets and playwrites. Take, for example, the poem of Wordsworth Lines written near Richmond, upon the Thames at Evening composed in 1790 when Jane Austen was 15 years old.

Glide gently, thus forever glide, O Thames! that other bards may see,
As lovely visions by thy side As now, fair river! come to me.
Oh glide, fair stream! for ever so; Thy quiet soul on all bestowing,
‘Till all our minds forever flow, As thy deep waters now are flowing.

It is clearly not Wordsworth’s best effort, but it captures one of the moods of the river. Much better his sonnet, written in September 1802, entitled Composed upon Westminster Bridge

Earth has not anything to show more fair
Dull would he be of soul who could pass by
A sight so touching in its majesty
This City now doth like a garment wear
The beauty of the morning; silent, bare,
Ships, towers, domes, theatres, and temples lie
Open unto the fields, and to the sky;
All bright and glittering in the smokeless air.
Never did sun more beautifully steep
In his first splendour valley, rock, or hill;
Ne’er saw I, never felt, a calm so deep!
The river glideth at his own sweet will
Dear God! the very houses seem asleep
And all that mighty heart is lying still!

The huge number of famous buildings lining its banks in London gave rise to the description of the river as a string linking a series of pearls.