The River Thames

The River Thames – stretching out for 215 miles for the very heart of our capital city. It’s even a massive 29km wide between Whitstable and Foulness Point. It’s seen a fair few adventures over the past several hundred years. 

TS Elliot called the Thames “sweet”, William Blake gave a mention in his poem “London” and even the French impressionist Claude Monet fell for the charms of those waters; painting the river on three occasions- twice wasn’t enough…

For centuries the Thames has been regarded as one of the biggest symbols in popular British culture.  It even made its way into the opening credits of one of Britain’s best loved soap operas, Eastenders.     

It has had its issues over the years though -one being a strong odour problem which saw a well overdue sewage clean-up in 1858. It was all worth it and now 25 different species of fish are swimming in its midst. 

So, next time you’re walking over the Tower Bridge, look down at those wondrous waters, breathe in that Thames air and admire one of the strongest symbols Britain has to offer. 

Image credit: Flickr; Tony Hisgett