Most of the important figures in England's history lived and died by the River Thames. London's historic river served as a highway, an enduring landmark, and a long thread connecting contemporary England with its ancient past.
The Thames is old-far older than Stonehenge, Glastonbury, or the most ancient Irish passage graves. Thirty million years ago, before Britain was an island, the Thames was a tributary to the Rhine. Ten thousand years ago, during the end of the last Ice Age, it was fed by a torrent of glacial meltwater and grew to ten times its present size. An immense, fast-moving juggernaut, the Thames shifted position and forced its way through the Chiltern Hills.
Eventually the torrent slowed, and the Thames settled into its familiar, meandering bed. Geologists believe that it has followed its present route for over three thousand years.
Scientists believe that the Thames Valley has been inhabited for a staggering 400,000 years. There were certainly settlements along the Thames around the time Stonehenge was built. During the Bronze Age, people began using the river as a way to access the continent for trade, and the Thames Valley became an important trade center.
The Romans founded the town of Londinium along the Thames in the year 43 AD, and it grew to become the city of London-the heart of England's history. Today, if you travel the Thames in the London area, you can still see traces of earlier times. Here are some of the fascinating sights you'll see along the River Thames.
London Bridge. Today, London Bridge doesn't look particularly historic. But there has been a bridge on this site for about two thousand years-the Romans built the first one out of wood around AD 60. In the following centuries, London Bridge was destroyed by neglect, fire, tornadoes, and kings-and rebuilt each time. In the Middle Ages, shops, homes, and even a church were built on the bridge. It was the only bridge spanning the Thames until 1750.
Traitor's Gate. This gate provides river access to the Tower of London, and was built by Edward I-known as "Longshanks"-in 1279. Its original purpose was to allow the king to get to St. Thomas' Tower, where he and his family lived, by water. But over the years royals began to use the Tower of London less as royal accommodations and more as a place to house prisoners.
Beginning in the early 1700's, prisoners were transported by barge along the Thames to the Tower, entering through Edward I's old gate. High-profile prisoners who entered the Tower through Traitor's Gate included Anne Boleyn, Catherine Howard, Sir Thomas More, and Elizabeth I.
The Mayflower. In 1620, Captain Christopher Jones moored his ship, the Mayflower, off the docks by a pub called the Shippe before setting sail for America. A year later, he and his crew returned to the area, and he was buried nearby. The Shippe was rebuilt and renamed the Mayflower in the years afterward, in recognition of its connection with the historic ship.
Westminster Abbey. Built by Edward the Confessor and consecrated in 1065, this church is one of the most significant in England. It soon became the coronation site for nearly every monarch in English history, beginning with William the Conqueror. Most Kings and Queens of England were buried here as well. Other luminaries buried in Westminster Abbey include Geoffrey Chaucer, Charles Dickens, Dr. Samuel Johnson, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Sir Isaac Newton.
Magna Carta Island. A hundred years or more after the reign of William the Conqueror, feudal lords felt that the king had too much power-and taxed them too heavily. In 1215, a group of nobles forced King John to sign the Magna Carta protecting their rights under the law. The spot they chose for the signing was an island in the Thames by Runnymede.
Signing agreements and treaties on small islands is an ancient practice in Britain. An island location made it impossible for one side or the other to stage an ambush during the signing, as everyone present could see any approaching armies from a long ways off.
The Thames is more than a river. It's an ancient landmark and a constant in the changing tides of Britain's history. It's the center around which the city of London was built, and it's been a major highway for English trade for thousands of years. When you take a trip on the Thames, you're truly following an ancient road.
Janette Vince is director of the Ecommerce experience days company http://www.ThanksDarling.com For a wide range of days and nights out in London and other UK cities visit http://www.thanksdarling.com/categories/nights-out.htm
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