River Thames

The River Thames is, at 215 miles (346 km) from source to sea, the longest river that runs wholly in England (the Severn, which rises in Wales, is longer). It rises near Lechlade in Gloucestershire and runs through Oxford, Reading, Windsor and London before entering the North Sea. The river is tidal as far as Teddington Lock, in west London. A number of canals were built in the 18th and 19th centuries connecting the Thames to the inland waterways system; most notable are the Kennett & Avon Canal, connecting the Thames to Bristol and the west coast, and the Grand Junction Canal (since 1929 the Grand Union Canal) which runs from London to Northamptonshire and links London to the canal system of the Midlands and northern England.

London's location was determined by the presence of a safe crossing-point of the river, and the role of the Thames as a gateway for trade enabled the capital to grow and to become Britain's largest port. Extensive docks were excavated along the Thames to the east of London in the eighteenth and nineteeth centuries. The river also served as a highway for trade until the development of railways in the nineteenth century.

The River Thames has also strong associations with the English, later British, Royal Family. Many significant royal homes are or were situated by the river, and monarchs would travel between them by lavishly-decorated barges. These include (west to east) Windsor Castle (still a royal residence), Hampton Court Palace, Richmond Palace, Kew Palace, Whitehall Palace (the Palace of Westminster), the Tower of London, and Greenwich.

Sources

Jonathan Schneer, The Thames: England's River (London 2005) is a readable account that attempts to describe the significance of the Thames in English history.