London's River Thames

The Thames is England’s longest river. It starts at Thames Head in Kemble, a village in Gloucestershire, and passes through London to the Thames Estuary between Essex and Kent.

The river is tidal all the way to Teddington in south west London, meaning the North Sea flows right into the centre of the city. This creates a diverse ecosystem home to fish, birds and even mammals like seals. But it also brings with it dangerous currents and the ever-present threat of flooding.

Humans have settled along the Thames since prehistoric times. We’ve built many landmarks on and around the water, including palaces, docks, power plants and a total of 35 bridges, the first of which was constructed by the Romans. And we’ve harnessed the river to trade with, and travel to, the rest of the world.

This makes the Thames an enormous archaeological site, scoured by mudlarks hunting for objects lost to London’s long history.