When we talk about London most people know about the River Thames. The Thames is London’s big river. But did you know that there are actually 21 rivers in London apart from the Thames? Many of them have been forced underground by the development of the city but they all have their own history and their own stories to tell:
Although it is only tiny next to The Amazon, The Nile or The Congo, The Thames has been known, for hundreds of years, as one of the greatest rivers of the world - just like them. It has been England’s main waterway since the time of the Romans, who named it Thamesis, and who built the first city of Londinium on its banks. By the time the new St Paul’s Cathedral was built after the Great Fire of London, the Thames had become one of the world’s busiest rivers and there were so many ships along the river that there were traffic jams - or river jams. By now London had become the biggest city in Europe with ships leaving and arriving from everywhere around the globe, bringing new goods and people here. The very first coffee, cocoa, tomatoes, bananas and exotic spices arrived up the Thames to be taken all around the country for people to try out these strange new foods. Immigrants, refugees and, very sadly, slaves too, arrived here as London became the centre of the huge British Empire. You will read some of their stories in the pages that follow. Some of the most important events in British history happened on the banks of The Thames such as the plot to blow up the Houses of Parliament, The Great Plague and Fire of London. Important prisoners were taken by boat down the river to be put into the scary Tower of London where they might never have left. Royal palaces were built on the river banks, and in one of them Queen Elizabeth the First entertained a strange pirate guest, which you can also read about in the later pages. There were pageants, or water parties, too on the Thames where the King would sail down the river, lying back on luxurious red velvet couches, and many boats with his important guests followed behind, listening to the music played by floating orchestras, and they would all be entertained by fireworks and would eat banquets of the finest food. But, of course, some of the important events were not always such fun. Children called mudlarks had to earn their living by searching in the mud for anything valuable that might have been dropped from a ship, and the river sometimes turned violent and a surge of water from the North Sea would sweep upstream and flood many people out of their homes. But you’ll also read that this doesn’t happen any more because of The Thames Flood Barrier. Another tale will take us back to the time when the Thames often froze over in the winter. This led to the “Frost Fairs” when a tent city would be set up on the river with amusements, food and winter games. There are also stories about fish in the Thames. But fishing on the river came to an end in the middle of Queen Victoria’s reign. So much dirt and sewage went into the Thames that it became dangerous even to breathe in the fumes from the river. This became known as the ‘Great Stink’. People became ill, the fish died, the river was declared ‘dead’ and the politicians in Parliament couldn’t work because, being right next to the river, they were choking. That led to huge sewers being built which helped, but it is only in the last fifty years that the river has been really cleaned up. Now life has returned to the dead water and the good news is that the fish are back! An amazing 125 different kinds of fish can be found in London’s biggest river.
These other smaller London rivers have many stories to tell also. Along the smaller rivers people were able to bring in grain to make flour and hay to feed the animals, especially all the horses needed for transport. They were able to build water mills, and they were able to provide fresh drinking water for people in this great city when the river Thames itself had become too dirty to drink. Some, like the Wandle and the Lea and the Ravensbourne still splash along and flow above ground, but the ones known as The Lost Rivers, even though now underground, are still flowing beneath the streets and thoroughfares of London. And they all have a very important place in having made London the biggest capital city of Europe.
In fact, one of the most important rivers in the world is here in London and most people have never even heard of it. That’s probably because if you take the ‘Waterloo and City Line’ underground train or walk into the great Bank Of England you wouldn’t know that underneath you there is a river flowing down to the Thames. So let’s start with it:
One of the most important rivers in the world - (and you’ve probably never heard of it!) Although a very small river, and one that disappeared underground many years ago, without The Walbrook there wouldn’t be a London as we know it today. It was this river that enabled the Romans to find a place to build the first port of the city, which was called Londinium in those days. They could defend it easily, they could safely harbour their ships, bringing all the goods from the Roman empire, and most importantly The Walbrook gave the people plenty of fresh water to drink. These new Roman invaders could build the first strong city between the two hills, Ludgate Hill (where St. Paul’s Cathedral now stands) and Cornhill on either side of this little, but important, river. For the first time in England there were brick and stone buildings with under floor heating, public baths, shops and theatres, all with beautiful mosaics in the floor. And they built their very important temple to the goddess Mithras. From the Walbrook river the Romans spread out all over Britain and stayed here for 500 years, and all because they found the perfect spot to build London. The place where the River Walbrook and the River Thames come together.
Unlike the Walbrook, the River Lea is much longer. Grain was brought down the river from the country outside London so that the people on the north side of the Thames could grind it into flour for their bread. Hay was also brought along the river to feed the horses and donkeys who had to pull the carts and carriages that took people and goods around the city in the days before cars and lorries. During The Great Plague of London in 1665-1666 the river became famous when bargemen from the town of Ware brought fresh water and food in their sailing barges for the people trapped in the city. The hero bargemen were awarded the title “Freedom of the River Thames” by the grateful citizens of London. This meant that, unlike others who sailed into London, they never had to pay the taxes for using the city’s waters. A hundred and fifty years later River Lea became famous again when gunpowder from the Royal Gunpowder Mill at Waltham Abbey was transported down to the Thames to the ships which took it to play its role in winning the Battle of Waterloo which stopped Napoleon from trying to conquer the whole of Europe.
London Folk Tales for Children https://thehistorypress.co.uk/publication/london-folk-tales-for-children
London’s River Takes for Children https://thehistorypress.co.uk/publication/londons-river-tales-for-children/
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