Comments on: The Thames Of Old London

By: Alfie

Alfie — Tue, 30 Nov 2021 20:23:32 +0000

Sweet Thames, flow softly

By: keithb

keithb — Tue, 30 Nov 2021 16:47:26 +0000

Love those large format glass negatives (possibly 10×8″ then reduced and ‘printed’ onto glass slides). The emulsions of those days were orthochromatic, blue sensitive, hence the blank skies. Some photographers would line up their tripod mounted camera and take two exposures, one for the foreground and one for the sky and then combine them at the lantern slide/print making stage.

Coasters: worth remembering that a lot of heavy stuff (stone, rope, alum, sand, pig iron, some finished goods of low value) was brought into cities by ships sailing coastal routes. Pre-war roads were not in good repair or designed for heavy traffic. Narrow boat canals were good where they existed but limited in reach – often feeding coastal docks. A small steam ship could shift a lot of stuff on a time scale of weeks. Coasters remained significant (although declining) until just after the second world war.

A family friend’s Dad was a sailor on coasters from Liverpool to London and had tales to tell…

By: Lynne Perrella

Lynne Perrella — Tue, 30 Nov 2021 13:05:03 +0000

Simply gasp-worthy. Each and every detail captured my imagination — from the grandest spire and dome, to the tiniest residential window-with-parted-white-curtains. For a short time, I was THERE. The sounds, the smells, the hubbub, the deserted riverfront (where IS
everyone?), the solitary man in the rowboat (he seems to be holding a pipe to his mouth — just look), the intricate rigging. So much to observe, to imagine, to savor.

Thank you, GA. Yours is a grand city. Waving from here in the Hudson River Valley.

By: Tessa

Tessa — Tue, 30 Nov 2021 11:47:48 +0000

I was born in a barge on the Thames and the river remains at the core of my London identity.
Even in that period there was more river traffic than there is now, but the fact that we were living there at all is a hint as to its end – as open fires died out and pollution laws changed, the battered old coal barges that used to work the East coast were being sold off cheap – and bought by people like my parents, who couldn’t afford houses. Now, of course, a Thames barge is a luxury very few could afford.

Thank you for posting these fascinating photos.

By: Pauline Taylor

Pauline Taylor — Tue, 30 Nov 2021 11:26:21 +0000

Thank you you GA, photos of the Thames are very evocative for me as Thames water runs through my veins from the Tirau/Tearoe watermen who rowed the archbishop’s barge, through Thomas Simpkin, the Hampton ferryman and on to Richard Tiro, who was clerk of the works for Inigo Jones at the Queen’s House at Greenwich and the Denton shipwrights and mariners , my great great grandfather Samuel Denton, a shipwright master,dying on Tower Hill from typhus caught from the river. Samuel’s cousin was a river pilot at Greenwich when all the vessels entering the Thames had to take on board a pilot to guide them through all the hazards and deliver them and their cargoes safely to the wharves to be unloaded. The pilot already had to have a master mariner’s licence and they took sole charge of the vessel. They were on call 24 hours a day as the river was so busy and their expertise and skill was essential in ensuring that cargoes were not lost.

I cannot help but wonder what all those ancestors, who lived so close to the river all their lives, would make of it now, I guess that Thomas Simpkin would still recognize Hampton but it would all be so strange to the Tearoes and the Dentons and somehow I doubt if they would be impressed with what we have done to their city. The skyline has been ruined and the busy thriving dockyards and wharves have virtually all disappeared. Progress ?? No, I don’t really think so apart, of course, from the fact that the dire poverty has gone and we have to be grateful for that.

By: Helen

Helen — Tue, 30 Nov 2021 10:39:16 +0000

Great photos, thank you. I’ve often wondered if there are any existing photographs of the view from (the older) London Bridge, down the river, BEFORE Tower Bridge was built! I’ve searched, and although I’ve found paintings, no actual photos. It would be fascinating to see such an image, to compare with later photos of Tower Bridge, with the traffic on the river and the buildings on the banks, either side! I’ve seen the images of the bridge being built and they are glorious, but I often wonder if there was at one time, just one more image of the river before work started!

By: Mark

Mark — Tue, 30 Nov 2021 10:27:25 +0000

Love The Thames, always have always will.
Lovely old photos and as always, a pleasure to read.

I start my day every day with this blog and The Diary of Samuel Pepys.
I often have a pint in The Angel and The Mayflower overlooking the river and reflect on times gone bye.

Thank you

Mark

By: Mathilde Grange

Mathilde Grange — Tue, 30 Nov 2021 10:16:08 +0000

Marvelous pictures and lovely text. Thank you.

By: Peter Smith

Peter Smith — Tue, 30 Nov 2021 09:34:14 +0000

Wonderful photos of a time just beyond living memory when sail was a major means of moving goods on the river. Thank you for posting these evocative scenes.

By: Peggy

Peggy — Tue, 30 Nov 2021 08:30:08 +0000

Alongside a group of magnificent photos of my home city, you have today written fewer words than usual, but very powerful words that remind me of my strong emotional attachment to London. I enjoy being reminded of how the city has evolved. As always, a perfect start to my day. Thank you GA.