subject: Londons River & Bridges Part 1 Introduction [print this page] The River Thames has been a major factor in the development of London since the early days when Julius Caesar first landed in England in 55 BC.
However in the course of the 18th century the River Thames was completely transformed. The quiet backwater became the main highway into the heart of what was then the world's greatest city. The changes brought about by the Industrial Revolution in Britain and the expanding Empire and foreign markets meant that nearly 800 vessels were crammed into the Pool of London at any one time.
By the 1790s, the Thames' capacity for handling trade was being exceeded. The war with France and the success of the West India merchants had almost burst the capacity of the existing quays. For example, a single convoy of West Indiamen brought in 40,000 hogsheads of sugar although the quays' annual capacity at that time was 32,000. Cargoes had to be piled eight hogsheads high in the open. The same affected deliveries of coffee and rum.
Several alternative schemes were proposed to overcome the problem, most of which involved creating enclosed wet docks as other ports such as Liverpool had done. A House of Commons committee approved the principle of building docks, even in the face of opposition from the owners of the quays and other bodies with vested interests in maintaining the status quo.
With approval from Parliament , the stage was set for the new constructions. Unlike Liverpool, the docks were to be built with private capital. The West India Dock Act of 1799 authorised the first ever enclosed docks in London in the form of two parallel docks across the Isle of Dogs. This was closely followed by the London Dock Act, which authorised a dock at Wapping. Unfortunately all of London docks have now closed and all have been redeveloped into both commercial and residential developments.
The Thames runs from the western end of London at Hampton Court through London to the eastern end at the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge at Dartmouth. Along its long and winding journey it passes through a large part of London and many of the buildings that one associates with London are built along its banks and under bridges that are known throughout the world. The River has certainly seen most of the great historical events of the past 2000 years of London's history. In the following articles, we will now take you through a journey up the Thames and outline some of the most important places associated with it as it flows through London and its suburbs
Our journey along the river is contained in the following parts:
Part 1 Introduction
Part 2 Hampton Court Bridge to Richmond Bridge
Part 3 Richmond Bridge to Battersea Bridge
Part 4 Albert Bridge to Lambeth Bridge
Part 5 Westminster Bridge to Hungerford Bridge
Part 6 Waterloo Bridge to London Bridge
Part 7 London Bridge to Queen Elizabeth II Bridge
For more details on London's River and all other London attractions goto
