The Historic Thames: 20 Astonishing Vintage Photos Depicting the River Thames in the 1910s and 1920s

The River Thames is 215 miles long and has been an important trade route throughout its history.

Some people believe that the Romans may have been influenced by the Thames when they were choosing where to build London. According to the Museum in Docklands, the river was probably only tidal to where the City of London now sits when the Romans were choosing a site.

There are 44 locks on the non-tidal Thames, which begins nears Cirencester and ends at Teddington Lock.

The first bridge in the capital was located where the current London Bridge stands. It has been rebuilt many times since the Romans first constructed a river crossing there around 2,000 years ago.

Before engineer Sir Joseph Bazalgette built London’s sewer system, much of the capital’s waste was dumped in the river. In 1858, the stench from the river was so overpowering that Parliament had to be suspended and the government decided to find a way to rid the Thames of sewage.

Oxford & Cambridge Boat Race at Putney Bridge, c. 1910

Tower of London from the river, c. 1910

Billingsgate Market, c. 1910

Customs House, c. 1910

Lots Rd and Battersea Bridge, c. 1910

Shipping near Tower Bridge, c. 1910

Tower of London from the Thames, c.1910

Houses of Parliament from South Bank, c. 1910

London Docks, c. 1920

Off Woolwich, c.1920

Greenwich pier, c. 1920

Ice floes on the Thames, c. 1920

St Paul’s Cathedral from Bankside, c. 1920

St Paul’s Cathedral from Waterloo Bridge, c. 1920

St Paul’s Cathedral from the river, c. 1920

Victoria Embankment, c. 1920

Wandsworth Creek, c, 1920

St Paul’s Cathedral from Bankside, c. 1910