The River Thames - photos and stories

[TopCat]

dont know the artist.

 

[TopCat]

Thames Water were £200,000 odd for a massive spill of chlorine in the Wandle 2007. The spill more or less killed off the local fish population.

The carp survived well and are very evident now. Rainbow trout are doing well. Lots of roach and dace.

 

[RoyReed]

I thought crocs were loaners, certainly cold and heartless.

 

[Ponyutd]

View attachment 117806
dont know the artist.

Could be Whistler, The Thames set. Have a check later

 

[hash tag]

There is a Statue of Whistler on the north side of battersea bridge. I think he was married in battersea church? Certainly a church nearby.

 

[TopCat]

Off to The Thames at Richmond tomorrow. Bob down to Putney.

 

[TopCat]

Got to Putney safe and sound. It' s the best fun in a decent inflatable Sea Kyak. You can pack it down and go to the pub when you want. We got to Putney with no bother. What fabulous weather. Food for the soul.

 

[Ponyutd]

Excellent stuff T.C.

 

[Ponyutd]

Had a lovely little traders token from the Thames, around 1650 "At the Dolphin"
Looks more like a crocodile!
On the obverse it says inner Temple.

Also kept this because of the finger marks on this spout.

Then realised it was superflous.

 

[Ponyutd]

 

[T & P]

I was kyaking on the Thames recently. Putney to Isleworth then back at night. Truely beautiful but dangerous at night.
Kept going past Putney, got chased by the Port of London Authority and had to make a sharp exit just past Albert Bridge. I will ve sticking to the Thames above Putney from now on. The fines for being pissed, no licence, no lights etc were in the rens of thousands!

Do you need a licence for something as small as a kayak? Presumably not a licence showing proficiency but to do with paying taxes/ duties for using such a busy stretch of the river?

Even though I am unlikely to ever do it, I find the concept of not being allowed to navigate the river in London without a licence rather depressing.

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

Do you need a licence for something as small as a kayak? Presumably not a licence showing proficiency but to do with paying taxes/ duties for using such a busy stretch of the river?

Even though I am unlikely to ever do it, I find the concept of not being allowed to navigate the river in London without a licence rather depressing.

When I was a kid you were supposed to have one for a canoe on the upper reaches of the Thames, was never enforced, but would imagine in these times and for an adult you would need one and it would be enforced...

 

[TopCat]

Above Teddington ock you need a canal licence. Between Teddington and Putney you don' t need anything.
Below Putney you need all manner of shit

• You have to be sober
• no inflateable boats
• boat must have lights
• must notify PLA
• Boat must have licence number displayed
• The PLA are humourless bastards

 

[friendofdorothy]

I was kyaking on the Thames recently. Putney to Isleworth then back at night. Truely beautiful but dangerous at night.
Kept going past Putney, got chased by the Port of London Authority and had to make a sharp exit just past Albert Bridge. I will ve sticking to the Thames above Putney from now on. The fines for being pissed, no licence, no lights etc were in the rens of thousands!

Very dangerous. Fines could be the least of your problems, does no one recall the Marchioness?

 

[Ponyutd]

I was on the second boat behind the Marchioness. The Hurlingham, the sister ship to the Mayflower Garden, was directly behind it. We were on the Mayflower and enjoying my birthday.
The D.J. stopped the records and asked the crowd to see if we could spot anyone.
I'll never forget the banks and banks of blue flashing lights all down the side of the river.
I cried like a baby when I got home and saw the death toll.

 

[TopCat]

Very dangerous. Fines could be the least of your problems, does no one recall the Marchioness?

I swam in The Thames at Chelsea before age 10. I will never forget The Marchonesse. Every time you see the chains on the embankment you remember.
Still, its my river too.

 

[pinkmonkey]

Very dangerous. Fines could be the least of your problems, does no one recall the Marchioness?

My friend hit an unpowered boat that wasn't lit at 6.30am on (I think) Monday morning. Not sure what kind of boat he was steering at the time, probably a dutch barge and he had someone on watch on the bows, they didn't see her. Tis true that the PLA don't fuck about.

 

[Bungle73]

Did a walk from Westminster to Putney along the Thames Path today. Surprisingly, even though I've walk the central bit east from Westminster a lot, and I've also done the section from Putney to Hampton Court Palace a few times, I've never actually covered that part of the Thames. Lovely day for it too.

I was hoping cover the part by Chelsea Bridge and the rail bridge, which I see every time I catch a train from home into Victoria, but somehow I managed to skip that part following the diversion before Battersea Power Station, and didn't get back to the riverside until I got into Battersea Park.

 

[Ponyutd]

How long did that take you Bungle73 ?

 

[Bungle73]

How long did that take you Bungle73 ?

Just under 3 hours, with a few stops on benches for something to eat, or general breaks.

 

[Bungle73]

Did another walk along the Thames Path today. This time from Putney to Barnes Bridge along the north bank, across the bridge, and back along the south bank to Putney. It's a walk I always like to do in the late autumn/winter time - I've done it quite a few times. It's makes a nice walk for a crisp sunny day, like it was today. I also like to have a pitstop for lunch at one of the Riverside pubs at Hammersmith, and I usually sit outside. This time it was at The Dove. I managed to grab a table on the upper balcony at the back, so I had a great view (see video below) to accompany my fish and chips. It was by far the best location I've found for an outside lunch in the area - I will try to get it again next time! Previously I've sat in the lower area, which has quite a restricted view, and also outside the Rutland Arms, further along the river, from where you have a good view of Hammersmit Bridge, but can't see the river at all because of a low wall.



Edit: The walk is from a book, which gives info about places you pass, but it's a tad out of date.

 

[Ponyutd]

That's the way to do it!
Nice little vid, low tide as well 0.2, for a few day's. What a cracker of a day for you.

 

[Bungle73]

That's the way to do it!
Nice little vid, low tide as well 0.2, for a few day's. What a cracker of a day for you.

Thanks. I always pick a day like this to do it. I originally took only a still, but then I thought a panning video would better show what I could see from where I was sitting.

There had obviously been some flooding at high tide, as when I got back to Putney, the pavement by the riverside was covered in wet sandy/muddy stuff.

 

[Casual Observer]

Did another walk along the Thames Path today. This time from Putney to Barnes Bridge along the north bank, across the bridge, and back along the south bank to Putney. It's a walk I always like to do in the late autumn/winter time - I've done it quite a few times. It's makes a nice walk for a crisp sunny day, like it was today. I also like to have a pitstop for lunch at one of the Riverside pubs at Hammersmith, and I usually sit outside. This time it was at The Dove. I managed to grab a table on the upper balcony at the back, so I had a great view (see video below) to accompany my fish and chips. It was by far the best location I've found for an outside lunch in the area - I will try to get it again next time! Previously I've sat in the lower area, which has quite a restricted view, and also outside the Rutland Arms, further along the river, from where you have a good view of Hammersmit Bridge, but can't see the river at all because of a low wall.



Edit: The walk is from a book, which gives info about places you pass, but it's a tad out of date.

I've done similar walks in the past (Clapham to Richmond and then back to Putney was my best effort). I mostly stay on the south side which has a more rural feel than the north side. Not many pubs right on the Thames on that stretch on the south side though. The Dove looks like a goodun so I might nip over there next time.

 

[Bungle73]

I've done similar walks in the past (Clapham to Richmond and then back to Putney was my best effort). I mostly stay on the south side which has a more rural feel than the north side. Not many pubs right on the Thames on that stretch on the south side though. The Dove looks like a goodun so I might nip over there next time.

Yeah, it's walk of two halves: a built-up first half, with some interesting buildings (and of course the pubs), and a second half that is completely different, as you say rural-like and more like a country track.

The Dove has quite a bit of history to it; it's 17th century. Charles II and Neil Gwynn are supposed to have cavorted there, and James Thomson wrote the words to Rule Britannia in a room upstairs. Next door was the home of the Doves Press and bookbindery, who one its founders was William Morris

 

[Bungle73]

I just saw, if you go onto Google Maps there is 360 degree image taken from where I was sitting.

 

[Ponyutd]

Hero teen saved young woman who waded waist deep into Thames

Fair play to the lad!

 

[Puddy_Tat]

1951

on tweeter today from rob baker

 

[Ponyutd]

Old Grimshaw knew his way around a canvas.

 

[agricola]

a shame that the Doulton works on the South Bank didn't survive the war and post-war demolitions (except for one building):

and bombed out:

(more info in a great article from the Herne Hill society here)