#ThamesThursday

The Thames is a tidal river, rising and falling as much as 26ft between high and low tides. Although it was once the source of London's "Great Stink," in 1858, today the Thames is one of the cleanest rivers in Europe. The River Thames is 215 miles long and has been an important trade route throughout its history.

By the mid 17th century the river was so crowded with ships waiting to unload, in many cases up to several weeks, that it was said to be almost possible to walk from shore to shore across the boats. 

To ease this burden, in 1661 the first dock was constructed below Tower Bridge, over the next 200 years, to meet the ever expanding demand, docks grew in number and size, culminating with the Albert dock in 1880. 

London's trade with the continent and the rest of the World steadily increased, along the banks of the Thames shipbuilding flourished and London prospered.

The name ‘Thames’, from Middle English Temese, is derived from the Celtic name for the river, Tamesas, recorded in Latin as Tamesis and underlying modern Welsh Tafwys "Thames" - the name probably meant "dark".