The Thames Barrier

This month in 1984, the Thames Barrier was officially opened by HM Queen Elizabeth II.

The barrier is one of the world’s largest movable flood barriers and it protects 125 square kilometres of our wonderful city of London from flooding. Not only should we be thankful for these beautiful silver fins, given that they have saved Londoners over 80 times from tidal surges, but they are also one of the UK’s greatest construction achievements; the 10 steel gates each stand as high as two double decker buses and weigh over 3,000 tonnes.

Did you know that the barrier was raised just four times in the 1980s, but 35 times in the 1990s and 75 times, more recently, in the noughties!

Image credit: Rocker44