2. CONTEXT
• Introduction to River Thames
• History of river Thames
• Understanding of Map
• Sections of River Thames and its
bridges
• Sections of Retaining wall of River
Thames
• Historical Building & Monument near
River Thames
• Contamination in River
• Flood risk management
• Flooding Barriers combats
• Highway of attraction
• The River As Tourist Space And Visitor
Experience
• Thames valley corridor
• Uses of thames river
• Apartment
10. History of The River Thames.
The river has been an important trade and transport route
since prehistoric times.
London's fame and fortune is due its river. All through the
Middle Ages the Thames was one of London's main
highways. Barges and river boats brought fish, wood and
wool to the City, while hundreds of watermen in small
rowing boats ferried people up and down.
By the 1700s, trading ships were arriving carrying all kinds of
goods for sale in the City. Tea, silk and a fortune of spices
came from the East. Sugar was brought from the Caribbean,
timber from Norway and iron ore from Sweden.
The Thames was so busy that traffic on the river could
hardly move. Sometimes, dozens of ships queued for days
along the banks, waiting to get to a dock to unload.
11. Historical Towns
The freshwater River Thames winds its way
across the counties of Wiltshire,
Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Berkshire,
Buckinghamshire and Surrey. From its source in
Cricklade to the outskirts of London, there are
so many towns to visit.
12. About the river...
It’s part of the longest river in England, it has
45 locks, is home to over 25 species of fish,
boasts three areas of outstanding natural
beauty and it’s the only river in Europe to
have a national trail follow its entire length.
This is the rural River Thames
Starting as a small trickle in the Cotswolds the
River Thames travels over 210 miles through
the heart of some of England’s most
picturesque towns, right into the centre of
London and eventually, out into the North Sea.
13. • River Thames is in England, and
the London bridge covers the
River Thames.
• Longitude 0° 37' 31.6351"
• Latitude N 51° 30' 10.197“
• The length of River Thames is
215 miles long.
• The width of River Thames is 18
meters near the rise or start.
• The River Thames increases the
further downstream you go. The
depth of River Thames is always
changing.
• The River Thames was formed
between 140 and 170 million
years ago.
• Then most of England was
covered by sea.
• It was formed through southern
England.
16. Facts About The River Thames...
•The River Thames may take its name from the
Sanskrit Tamas meaning “dark” as its waters
are often dark and cloudy; another idea is that
it is named after the Roman Tam meaning
“wide” and Isis meaning water.
•The River Thames is 346 km long.
•Long ago, before Britain was separated from
continental Europe, the Thames was a
tributary of the Rhine. The English Channel
was formed about 7,000 years ago at the end
of the last Ice Age.
•There are 45 Locks on the non-tidal River Thames
•Buscot Lock, just east of Lechlade, is the smallest lock on
the river.
•Pangbourne, where the river Pang flows into the River
Thames, is famous as the home of Kenneth Grahame, author
of The Wind in the Willows and also as the place where
Jerome K Jerome’s three men in a boat finish their journey
at the Swan Inn.
•The non-tidal River Thames is home to over 25 species of
course fish.
•The Thames Path follows the river for 296km (184 miles)
from its source, making it the longest riverside walk in
Europe.
17. WHERE DOES THE RIVER THAMES START AND FINISH, HOW MANY MILES LONG IS IT AND WHAT IS THE FLOW RATE?
The River Thames is 215 miles long (346 km). That’s quite a long river, as 215 miles is roughly the
distance between London and Middlesborough as the crow flies. The Thames begins in
Gloucestershire at Trewsbury Mead (near Cheltenham) and ends between Whitstable, Kent, and
Foulness Point, Essex.
The non-tidal Thames (the distance from the source of the river near Cheltenham, to
Teddington in west London) measures 147 miles (237 km). A total of 104 bridges cross over
the Thames, 75 bridges over the non-tidal Thames, and 29 bridges cross over the tidal Thames
between Teddington and the sea. The river’s depth varies wildly but at London Bridge it’s
1.8m. It’s recorded as 1.9m at Westminster Bridge. Throughout history, it’s been so cold that
the Thames has frozen solid, allowing fairs to be held on its surface. The last of these fairs
happened in February 1814.
At its widest, right at the mouth of the river, the Thames measures 18 miles across and it’s just 18
meters at its narrowest in Lechlade. The speed of the river’s flow picks up the further towards the
sea you go, and varies each day, though boaters can keep tabs on it here. At Buscot 799 million
liters/day (176 million gallons/day) pass, at Reading 3,594 million liters day pass (790 million
gallons/day) and at Kingston 5,696 million liters /day (1,253 million gallons/d) pass by.
18.
19. Section of Thames River
Source
https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Fthames.me.uk%2Fs00035.htm&psig=AOvVaw339wreGnXzvTYkN4z3kD0Q&ust=1599240815405000&source=ima
ges&cd=vfe&ved=0CAIQjRxqFwoTCNjVscLCzesCFQAAAAAdAAAAABAd
36. HISTORICAL BUILDING & MONUMENT
NEAR RIVER THAMES
1. Hampton Court Palace
2. Tate Britain & Tate Modern
3. The Palace of Westminster.
4. The London Eye
5. HMS Belfast + Tower Bridge
6. Tower of London
7. Greenwich Park
Source
https://www.orientalsheetpiling.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/river-cross-section-and-flood-retaining-wall.jpg
37. Source
https://www.planetware.com/london/east-molesey-hampton-court-palace-eng-sr-hcp.htm#ENG3
Hampton Court Palace
Historic Hampton Court
Palace-one of England's top
tourist attractions-lies
southwest of London on the
north bank of the River
Thames. Built in 1514 as a
private residence for Cardinal
Wolsey, the palace was later
presented to Henry VIII to
secure the King's favor.
The palace was opened to
the public during Queen
Victoria's reign, and
although no longer a royal
residence, parts of it are
occupied by individuals
granted "grace and favor"
apartments by the monarch..
41. Source
https://www.planetware.com/tourist-attractions-/london-eng-l-lon.htm
Tate Britain & Tate Modern
Tate is an institution that
houses, in a network of four
art museums, the United
Kingdom's national collection
of British art, and international
modern and contemporary art.
It is not a government
institution, but its main
sponsor is the UK Department
for Digital, Culture, Media and
Sport.
56. LONDON SKYLINE LANDSCAPE POLICIES
1. London’s identity is a primary consideration. It must be allowed to evolve but
changes require a perspective which includes the past and relates to a future vision.
In the 1930s, Rasmussen wrote a famous book on London the unique city and
Abercrombie. used diagrams to show the different characteristics of English cities,
continental cities, garden cities and Corbusier’s City of the Future, with apartment
blocks in a park-like setting. London should take a view on its future form.
2. Suitable areas for high rise development, and those parts of London in need of
protection from domination from high buildings, should be identified and mapped as
part of a London Roofscape Plan. The West End is generally low rise and human in
scale, with squares and areas of parkland secluded from the surrounding metropolis.
This contrasts with the dramatic high rise areas of the City and Docklands. Maximum
heights should be controlled to conserve this distinction.
3. The Royal Parks, and other parks, should be protected from enclosure by high rise
buildings.
4. High buildings and skyline policies should be integrated with wider landscape
policies for pedestrian circulation, scenic composition, the social use of outdoor
space and the use of vegetation on roofs, on walls and at street level.
5. The GLA should commission a digital model of the existing city and of projects
which have been granted planning permission. New proposals at the pre-planning
stage should be placed in the model and used to generate accurate eye-level
perspectives from all surrounding viewpoints. The cost of the models should fall
upon the developers of proposed high rise buildings.
57. 6. London also needs local skyline studies for supplementary planning
guidance and for the preparation of site-specific planning and development
briefs. Special attention should be given to the social, economic and visual
impact of high buildings on adjoining streets and the impact on the River
Thames. All Boroughs should include metropolis wide effects in their skyline
studies, including impacts on key views in other Boroughs.
7. Protection of views of St Paul’s Cathedral from the south-west (St Paul’s
Heights) should be maintained,
8. Protection for views of and from London’s World Heritage Sites, as
required by UNESCO. These sites are:
• The Tower of London,
• The Palace of Westminster, and Westminster Abbey
• The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew and
• Maritime Greenwich.
8. Existing buffer zones for World Heritage Sites should be extended. The
buffer for the Tower of London should be extended to the east and to the
south of the river. It the City it should be reinforced. The proposed buffer
zones for the Westminster World Heritage site should similarly be enforced
extended northwards and southwards along the south bank of the river (in
Southwark and Lambeth). In the case of Westminster ICOMOS-UK have
recently prepared preliminary viewing corridors of key views.
58. 9. London’s floorspace requirements can be met without high rise
buildings5. But a continuing demand for high buildings is expected -
for branding, prestige, and other reasons. Positive and negative
impacts of high buildings on the public landscape should be assessed
by neutral assessors and taken into account
during the planning and design process.
10. High rise should be composed on an all-London basis. Both
residential and commercial towers should be scenically composed.
The cluster at Canary Wharf, for example, is better than the ‘pepper-
potting’ of tall buildings in other parts of London, and views of The
Shard benefit from being 250m from the Thames foreshore and
being removed from any key Inner London picturesque views.
59. Conclusion
An all-London skyline policy integrated
with an urban landscape policy is an
urgent priority and could begin with a
Thames Policy Area study. The study
should deal with the issues raised above
and with the issues illustrated and
questioned below. London’s skyline
policy should draw up, and integrate,
existing policies issued by the GLA, the
Boroughs, English Heritage and other
bodies.
References:
1. Quoted in the Dictionary of National Biography (from
Egmont Diary, 2.138)
2. Rasmussen, Steen Eiler, London, the Unique City (1937)
3. Abercrombie, Patrick Town and country planning (1933,
1959)
4. Corbusier, Le, La Ville Radieuse (The Radiant City) (1935) 5
Tall buildings: Report and proceedings of the House of
Commons Transport, Local Government and the Regions
Committee.
Sixteenth report of Session 2001-02 (The Stationery
Office:2002)
60. THE RIVER AS TOURIST SPACE AND VISITOR
EXPERIENCE
• The Thames has been a recreational resource for centuries,
even if this role was undermined at the height of the city’s
industrialization. With the global development of urban
tourism in recent decades, and by virtue of the plethora of
tourist attractions and sights, the river has become a thriving
tourist space. This is immediately evident when standing on
any of the central London bridges and surveying the river
craft which pass by. Boats and vessels now predominantly
carry sightseers and river piers are cluttered with tourist
infrastructure.
• A walk across these bridges is inevitably interrupted by
visitors posing for photographs. Pedestrianized riverside
promenades (especially along the South Bank) are almost
permanently inhabited by buskers, performers and pop-up
retailers.
61. • Walking
• Boating
• Canoeing
• Rowing
• Sailing
• Cycling
• Fishing
• Visiting a Riverside Restaurant
• Sitting in a Riverside Pub
Things To Do At The River...
62. A HIGHWAY OF ATTRACTIONS
• A remarkable number of London’s major tourist attractions are either on or just beyond the river. The list
of the ten most visited UK attractions in 2017, produced by the Association of Leading Visitor
Attractions (all of which are in London) reveals that five are located on the city’s river banks (indicated
in Table 8.1 in italics). Two further riverside attractions (Kew Gardens, Tate Britain) were the 14th and
15th most visited in the UK in 2017.
63. The Port of London Authority estimated that over £2 billion of GDP was generated by tourism in 2015 in the wards
immediately adjacent to the river (Port of London Authority 2016) and that there were 23.4 million visitor trips to
attractions beside the Thames in 2015, of which 4.7 million had a direct maritime connection. This reaffirms the
significance of the River Thames and riparian territory in London’s visitor economy.
London’s four World Heritage Sites (the Royal
Botanic Gardens in Kew, the Palace of
Westminster and the Abbey, the Tower of London
and Maritime Greenwich) all flank the riverside
and are symbolic of the role the river played in
establishing London and Britain’s maritime,
scientific and global supremacy during the
Empire period. As the Mayor of London wrote in
2013
The river’s vital role as both an artery for
transporting people through the heart of London
and as a playground for people to explore the
wonders of the city are on show for the world to
see. A trip along the Thames reveals 2,000 years
of riparian history; from the Roman walls at Tower
Hill, and the Victorian wharves and warehouses to
the soaring peak of The Shard – providing a
stunning vista of London’s past and present.
(Mayor of London, 2013)
64.
65. INTRODUCTION 1. London has always viewed the Thames Valley Corridor as its most
important natural, cultural, recreational and aesthetic resource. It has
been called the gem of South-western Ontario with its multi-functional
role that has formed London’s history and crafted its unique identity. It is
a place of stories and a place of memories. It is a place of natural
heritage and beauty, of recreation and leisure, of tourism and of
servicing the City. It is many things to many people
2. The goal of the Thames Valley Corridor Plan (TVCP) is to protect and
enhance the environmental features of the River Valley while
accommodating the multi-functional role of the river valley system over
the long-term. The Plan represents an integrated product that illustrates,
through a series of maps and supporting documentation, how the
protection and enhancements of the valley corridor will be realized
through:
• natural heritage protection, including species-at-risk
• new park pathways to complete system gaps, and improved trails
• focused recreational activity areas and facilities along the Valley
• open space areas for stewardship initiatives and ecological restoration
• park enhancements at the Forks that support Downtown initiatives
• land use guidelines and related polices
• built and natural heritage interpretation possibilities
• adjacent urban redevelopment opportunities and constraints
• key land acquisition recommendations
3. The Plan further provides a number of recommendations and action items
to achieve this goal. The recommendations and action items have been
categorized into 4 key theme areas;
• Natural Heritage, Stewardship, and Protection;
• Celebration, Recreation, Leisure and Tourism;
• Land Use Planning and Management; and
• The Working River.
74. Source
A cost-effectiveness analysis of water security and water quality: impacts of climate and land-use change on the River
Thames system
The river is eutrophic with significant algal blooms (kaali) ( with phosphorus assumed to
be the primary chemical indicator of ecosystem health. In the Thames Basin,
phosphorus is available from point sources such as wastewater treatment plants and
from diffuse sources such as agriculture
THAMES RIVER IS ILL…🤐
75. The river is eutrophic with significant algal blooms with phosphorus assumed to be the primary chemical
indicator of ecosystem health. In the Thames Basin, phosphorus is available from point sources such as
wastewater treatment plants and from diffuse sources such as agriculture
In the UK, a wide range of measures have been proposed and evaluated to achieve the required status .Many
of these measures, such as source control of pollutants, enhanced effluent treatment or changed agricultural
practices, are expensive and require cooperation from a wide range of stakeholders. Phosphorus is
considered to be the key parameter controlling ecology and hence eutrophic status in the UK and worldwide ,
although Barker et al. have raised the issue of nitrogen being of concern, especially in terms of biodiversity.
Bowes et al. have identified water residence time as a factor controlling algal growth, but there are many other
factors such as flow, light intensity, suspended solids, nutrient concentrations that affect algal growth as well as
shading by riparian vegetation
Source
A cost-effectiveness analysis of water security and water quality: impacts of climate and land-use change on the River
Thames system
A COST-EFFECTIVENESS ANALYSIS OF WATER SECURITY
AND WATER QUALITY: IMPACTS OF CLIMATE AND LAND-
USE CHANGE ON THE RIVER THAMES SYSTEM
76. ONE OF THE MAJOR RESOURCES PROVIDED BY THE
Thames is the water distributed as drinking water by Thames Water,
whose area of responsibility covers the length of the River Thames. The Thames Water Ring
Main is the main distribution mechanism for water in London, with one major loop linking the
Hampton, Walton, Ashford and Kempton Park Water Treatment Works with central London. In
THE PAST, COMMERCIAL ACTIVITIES ON THE THAMES
included fishing (particularly eel trapping), coppicing willows and osiers which provided wood,
and the operation of watermills for flour and paper production and metal beating.
These activities have disappeared. A screw turbine hydro-electric plant at Romney Lock to
power Windsor Castle using two Archimedes' screws was opened in 2013 by the Queen.[56]
This followed the first installation of such a screw at Mapledurham Watermill in 2011.
THE THAMES IS POPULAR FOR A
wide variety of riverside housing, including high-rise flats in central London and chalets on the
banks and islands upstream. Some people live in houseboats, typically around Brentford and
Tagg's Island.
Source
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/River_Thames
77. Substantial growth is planned through ‘Thames Gateway’, a regeneration initiative of the
United Kingdom government. These new developments will fundamentally change the
developed footprint in the Thames Estuary flood-plain, and will be in place for at least the
next 100 years. This presents a challenge of planning future defence against a background of
uncertainty over climate and other environmental change, while ensuring that correct
decisions are made concerning the nature and location of new building in the tidal flood-
plain.
Through its ‘Thames Estuary 2100’ project, the Environment Agency is developing a long-
term strategy for flood risk management in the estuary. Implementation of major construction
works on the River Thames could commence from around 2015. Alternatively, it may be
decided that minimum works are undertaken to provide security and major investment is
delayed until uncertainties over climate change have abated. Whatever long-term option is
chosen, this must be preceded by a period of collaboration with the Thames Gateway
developments to ensure appropriate and sustainable flood defenses are incorporated in new
riverside construction.
SOLUTION FOR FLOOD RISK MANAGEMENT
Source
Flood risk management in the Thames Estuary looking ahead 100 years
Sarah Lavery and Bill Donovan https://doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2005.1579
78. The River Thames
tidal defenses have
provided protection
against the increasing
threat of tidal flooding
from the North Sea
for more than 2000
years. The flood of
1953 was the catalyst
for the construction of
the current system of
River Thames tidal
defenses, which
includes the Thames
Barrier, and has
provided one of the
best standards of
flood defense in the
UK for over 20 years.
Flood Risk Management In The Thames Estuary Looking Ahead 100 Years
Source
Flood risk management in the Thames Estuary looking ahead 100 years
Sarah Lavery and Bill Donovan https://doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2005.1579
79. FLOOD BARRIER COMBATS
The flooding is caused by the reversal of water flow in the River Thames when levels rise in
the North Sea Flood control downstream of London: the Thames Barrier.
(Source: Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc.)
The average flow at the upper limit of the tideway, at Teddington,
is 1,856 cubic feet (53 cubic meters) per second, rising to 4,640
cubic feet (130 cubic meters) per second after winter rain. In
extreme floods (e.g., March 1947) the discharge at Teddington
Weir may be as much as 20,900 cubic feet (590 cubic meters) per
second. Reputedly, an average of 31,310 cubic feet (887 cubic
meters) per second passed over it one day after heavy storms in
1894.
The river in spate can upset tidal flows for some distance below Teddington, overpowering the incoming
tide and causing the stream to run seaward continuously for days on end. Conversely, high spring tides can
overtop the weir and affect the river flow as far as 2 miles (3.2 km) upstream of Teddington. The
catastrophic potential of tidal surges for London’s underground infrastructure, buildings, and population
prompted the construction of the Thames Barrier at Silvertown (completed 1982) and extensive
complementary flood defenses along the entire tideway.
80. The Thames Barrier consists of 10 movable gates
separated by 9 piers. Each gate has a curved face that lies
in a recessed chamber in the riverbed when the barrier is
fully open. When the signal is given, the gates rotate 90°
to a closed position, blocking the path of the surge tide in
less than 30 minutes.
Source:
Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.
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81. APARTMENTS BUILDING NEAR RIVER THAMES
• Riverside apartments
• Admiralty building
• Perpetual house ‘the Royal Apartment’
• Elder House
• Clarendon apartments- Docklands Canary Wharf
• Granite Apartments
• Queenshurst Square
• Clarendon Serviced Apartments- Steward Street
• Clarendon Serviced Apartments- serviced Apartment in artillery lane, London
• Cardamom Building
• Marina Place
• The Heart Apartments
• Roomspace Serviced Apartment- River House
• 3 Lotus Park
• Parliament View apartments
• Urban Stay Shard View Serviced Apartments Monument
• Hill View Apartments
• Notting Hill Apartments Ltd.
• Verona Apartments