89-747: The River Rom , also known as the River Beam below its confluence with the Ravensbourne, is a tributary of the River Thames in England that flows through the east London suburbs around Romford before joining the Thames at Dagenham. Part of the river forms a section of the boundary between the London boroughs of Barking and Dagenham and Havering . The Rom is culverted as it passes through
178-562: A municipal borough in 1931, at which point the name was changed from Barking Town to Barking. Dagenham was a rural parish with a parish council from 1894, subordinate to the Romford Rural District Council . In 1926 the parish council was replaced when Dagenham was made an urban district; it was made a municipal borough in 1938. The council changed the London borough's name from 'Barking' to 'Barking and Dagenham' with effect from 1 January 1980. In 1994,
267-617: A beam of wood. Throughout the northern section, where the Rom starts, in the north western part of the London Borough of Havering its valley has been designated as a Site of Importance for Nature Conservation The river contains unbranched bur-reeds ( Sparganium erectum and Sparganium emersum ) and fool's watercress ( Apium nodiflorum ), and supports water voles , kingfishers and reed buntings . Surrounding farmland has lapwing and Eurasian golden plover in winter. Apart from
356-609: A car or van, 1.7%; work mainly at or from home, 1.3%. Barking and Dagenham is served by both the London Underground and National Rail networks. On the London Underground, the Borough is served by both Hammersmith & City Line , and District Line trains. National Rail c2c trains call at Dagenham Dock and Barking railway stations. Most c2c trains terminate at London Fenchurch Street , whilst to
445-444: A command unit. The support units that are operated here will cover a large selection of station grounds and areas. Dagenham fire station operates two pumping appliances and a 64M turn table Ladder. The Turntable ladder is one of 3 that are in use in london and are the tallest ladders in use in the uk fire and rescue service. Of the two stations; Dagenham is the busier, attending over 2,000 incidents in 2006/2007. The coat of arms of
534-406: A drop of 24 metres (79 ft) in elevation before it enters the ringroad enclosed town centre of Romford where it becomes underground in a culvert , a man-made tunnel, at 16m AOD . To the south of the town centre it regains green banks and adjoins the retail park on Rom Valley Way, passes under Roneo Corner, divides two residential estates at 8m AOD and enters Eastbrookend Country Park where it
623-541: A large part of south-eastern and a small part of western England; the river is fed by at least 50 named tributaries . The river contains over 80 islands . With its waters varying from freshwater to almost seawater, the Thames supports a variety of wildlife and has a number of adjoining Sites of Special Scientific Interest , with the largest being in the North Kent Marshes and covering 20.4 sq mi (5,289 ha). According to Mallory and Adams,
712-508: A network of creeks. Lying below sea level, it is prone to flooding at exceptional tides, but has nevertheless been inhabited since Roman times. The usually quoted source of the Thames is at Thames Head (at grid reference ST980994 ). This is about 1.5 mi (2.4 km) north of the village of Kemble in southern Gloucestershire , near the town of Cirencester , in the Cotswolds . However, Seven Springs near Cheltenham , where
801-544: A population of 187,000. The borough's three main towns are Barking , Chadwell Heath and Dagenham . The local authority is the Barking and Dagenham London Borough Council . Barking and Dagenham was one of six London boroughs to host the 2012 Summer Olympics . The London Borough of Barking (as it was originally called) was created in 1965 under the London Government Act 1963 , covering the combined area of
890-408: A range of courses leading to recognised qualifications. It also includes a library with free public internet access, the council's first One Stop Shop, conference and meeting space, a gallery and a café. A study in 2017 found that nearly half of Barking & Dagenham's 19 year olds lack Level 3 qualifications (A Level equivalent) which was the highest figure in London. Barking & Dagenham College
979-586: A summer venue for organised swimming, which is prohibited on safety grounds in a stretch centred on Central London . After the river took its present-day course, many of the banks of the Thames Estuary and the Thames Valley in London were partly covered in marshland , as was the adjoining Lower Lea Valley . Streams and rivers like the River Lea , Tyburn Brook and Bollo Brook drained into
SECTION 10
#17327731703461068-547: A total population of 1,937; and the area was characterised by farming, woodland and the fishing fleet at Barking . This last industry employed 1,370 men and boys by 1850, but by the end of the century had ceased to exist; replaced by train deliveries of fresh fish from the East Coast ports. The population rose slowly through the 19th century, as the district became built up; and new industries developed around Barking. The population rose dramatically between 1921 and 1931, when
1157-576: Is Barking and Dagenham Council, which meets at Barking Town Hall . For elections to the Greater London Council , the borough formed the Barking electoral division, electing two members. In 1973 it was divided into the single-member Barking and Dagenham electoral divisions. The Greater London Council was abolished in 1986. Since 2000, the borough is within the City and East London Assembly constituency, returning Unmesh Desai as
1246-657: Is a London borough in East London . It lies around 9 miles (14 km) east of Central London . The borough was created in 1965 as the London Borough of Barking ; the name was changed in 1980. It is an Outer London borough and the south is within the London Riverside section of the Thames Gateway ; an area designated as a national priority for urban regeneration . At the 2011 census it had
1335-687: Is a tributary which rises to the NNE in Ardleigh Green (part of the Hornchurch post town) and flows through two green suburbs of Romford and Hornchurch viz. Emerson Park and Harrow Lodge Park , before joining the Beam at Eastbrookend Country Park . River Thames The River Thames ( / t ɛ m z / TEMZ ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis ,
1424-759: Is a general further education college offering courses for leaners 16+. It has four campuses across the borough with their main campus being located in Rush Green less than a mile from the Romford town centre. Their other campus is located in Barking town center at the Technical Skills Academy, The Broadway Theatre and Barking Learning Centre. CU London , a Higher Education institute owned and governed by Coventry University, started offering courses to students in September 2017. Situated in
1513-471: Is a landmark on the Boat Race course, while Glover's Island forms the centre of a view from Richmond Hill . Islands of historical interest include Magna Carta Island at Runnymede , Fry's Island at Reading, and Pharaoh's Island near Shepperton. In more recent times Platts Eyot at Hampton was the place where Motor Torpedo Boats (MTB)s were built, Tagg's Island near Molesey was associated with
1602-437: Is a mixture of woodlands, acid grassland, ponds and marsh areas, a habitat for many types of wildlife. The London Boroughs of Barking and Dagenham and of Havering plan to develop the area to improve the conservation interest and to create new opportunities for recreation and education. The River Beam is home to the rare water vole, while the grassland in the valley includes certain rare and endangered plants. The Ravensbourne
1691-667: Is a river that flows through southern England including London . At 215 miles (346 km), it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom , after the River Severn . The river rises at Thames Head in Gloucestershire and flows into the North Sea near Tilbury , Essex and Gravesend , Kent, via the Thames Estuary . From the west, it flows through Oxford (where it
1780-402: Is an important water source, especially in the drier months, so maintaining its quality and quantity is extremely important. Groundwater is vulnerable to surface pollution, especially in highly urbanised areas. Brooks, canals and rivers, within an area of 3,842 sq mi (9,951 km ), combine to form 38 main tributaries feeding the Thames between its source and Teddington Lock . This
1869-649: Is believed that Tamesubugus' name was derived from that of the river. Tamese was referred to as a place, not a river in the Ravenna Cosmography ( c. AD 700 ). The river's name has always been pronounced with a simple t /t/ ; the Middle English spelling was typically Temese and the Brittonic form Tamesis . A similar spelling from 1210, "Tamisiam" (the accusative case of "Tamisia"; see Kingston upon Thames § Early history ),
SECTION 20
#17327731703461958-604: Is formed for much of its length for shipping and supplies: through the Port of London for international trade, internally along its length and by its connection to the British canal system. The river's position has put it at the centre of many events in British history, leading to it being described by John Burns as "liquid history". Two broad canals link the river to other rivers: the Kennet and Avon Canal ( Reading to Bath ) and
2047-417: Is formed from 'rūm' and 'ford' and means "the wide or spacious ford". The name of the river is first recorded in the 13th century as le Markediche , meaning 'boundary ditch' and referring to the ancient boundary between the parishes of Dagenham and Hornchurch which later gained borough status . A more recent name for part of the river of the Beam originated from an early bridge over the river, consisting of
2136-697: Is found in Magna Carta . The Thames through Oxford is sometimes called the Isis . Historically, and especially in Victorian times, gazetteers and cartographers insisted that the entire river was correctly named the Isis from its source down to Dorchester on Thames and that only from this point, where the river meets the Thame and becomes the "Thame-isis" (supposedly subsequently abbreviated to Thames) should it be so called. Ordnance Survey maps still label
2225-536: Is joined by a tributary, The Ravensbourne that has flowed through Emerson Park (a residential area) and then a park, Harrow Lodge Park , from its source in Ardleigh Green . The Rom then continues under the name of the Beam and forms the boundary between the London Borough of Havering and the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham before reaching the River Thames in the Dagenham industrial estate which included
2314-452: Is responsible for managing the flow of water to help prevent and mitigate flooding, and providing for navigation: the volume and speed of water downstream is managed by adjusting the sluices at each of the weirs and, at peak high water, levels are generally dissipated over preferred flood plains adjacent to the river. Occasionally, flooding of inhabited areas is unavoidable and the agency issues flood warnings. Due to stiff penalties applicable on
2403-654: Is segregated from other road traffic. TfL plan to extend the cycle network to Barking Riverside in the future, for which the first consultations closed in winter 2019. Two major A-roads cross the Borough: the A12 and A13 . The A12 has one junction in the Borough, to the north of Chadwell Heath . To the west, the A12 carries traffic through Newbury Park towards the North Circular , Stratford and Central London . To
2492-948: Is shared by many other river names in Britain, such as the River Tamar at the border of Devon and Cornwall , several rivers named Tame in the Midlands and North Yorkshire , the Tavy on Dartmoor , the Team of the North East, the Teifi and Teme of Wales , the Teviot in the Scottish Borders and a Thames tributary, the Thame . Kenneth H. Jackson proposed that the name of
2581-558: Is sometimes called the Isis), Reading , Henley-on-Thames and Windsor . The Thames also drains the whole of Greater London . The lower reaches of the river are called the Tideway , derived from its long tidal reach up to Teddington Lock . Its tidal section includes most of its London stretch and has a rise and fall of 23 ft (7 m). From Oxford to the estuary, the Thames drops by 55 metres (180 ft). Running through some of
2670-404: Is the usual tidal limit ; however, high spring tides can raise the head water level in the reach above Teddington and can occasionally reverse the river flow for a short time. In these circumstances, tidal effects can be observed upstream to the next lock beside Molesey weir , which is visible from the towpath and bridge beside Hampton Court Palace . Before Teddington Lock was built in 1810–12,
2759-811: The Berwyn Mountains in North Wales . About 450,000 years ago, in the most extreme Ice Age of the Pleistocene , the Anglian , the furthest southern extent of the ice sheet reached Hornchurch in east London, the Vale of St Albans, and the Finchley Gap . It dammed the river in Hertfordshire , resulting in the formation of large ice lakes, which eventually burst their banks and caused
River Rom - Misplaced Pages Continue
2848-541: The British Geological Survey from the banks of the tidal River Thames contain geochemical information and fossils which provide a 10,000-year record of sea-level change. Combined, this and other studies suggest that the Thames sea-level has risen more than 30 m during the Holocene at a rate of around 5–6 mm per year from 10,000 to 6,000 years ago. The rise of sea level dramatically reduced when
2937-570: The Churn (which feeds into the Thames near Cricklade ) rises, is also sometimes quoted as the Thames' source, as this location is farthest from the mouth and adds some 14 mi (23 km) to the river's length. At Seven Springs above the source is a stone with the Latin hexameter inscription "Hic tuus o Tamesine pater septemgeminus fons", which means "Here, O Father Thames, [is] your sevenfold source". The springs at Seven Springs flow throughout
3026-505: The Ford Motor Company works. The Beam Valley comprises 182 acres (0.74 km) of land running the entire stretch of the river. The valley also includes various historical features including tank traps, pillboxes and a section of the old Romford Canal . Rom is a back-formation from the name of the town of Romford , which is located on a crossing of the river. The name 'Romford' is first recorded in 1177 as Romfort , which
3115-684: The Grand Union Canal (London to the Midlands). The Grand Union effectively bypassed the earlier, narrow and winding Oxford Canal which remains open as a popular scenic recreational route. Three further cross-basin canals are disused but are in various stages of reconstruction: the Thames and Severn Canal (via Stroud ), which operated until 1927 (to the west coast of England), the Wey and Arun Canal to Littlehampton , which operated until 1871 (to
3204-658: The London County Council developed the Becontree Estate . This public housing development of 27,000 homes housed over 100,000 people, split between the then urban district councils of Ilford , Dagenham and Barking . People were rehoused from the slums of the East End . In 1931, the Ford Motor Company relocated to a 500 acres (2.0 km ) site at Dagenham , and in 1932 the District line
3293-489: The River Lea can be considered another boundary. Most of the local riverside was also marshland. The land was drained and became farmland; it was built on after the Industrial Revolution . Canvey Island in southern Essex (area 18.45 km , 7.12 sq mi; population 40,000 ) was once marshy, but is now a fully reclaimed island in the Thames estuary, separated from the mainland of south Essex by
3382-662: The Royal Academy , London , in 1785. They are now on show at the River and Rowing Museum in Henley). Richard Coates suggests that while the river was as a whole called the Thames, part of it, where it was too wide to ford, was called * (p)lowonida . This gave the name to a settlement on its banks, which became known as Londinium , from the Indo-European roots * pleu- "flow" and * -nedi "river" meaning something like
3471-504: The Thames Barrier , which protects central London from flooding by storm surges . Below the barrier, the river passes Woolwich , Thamesmead , Dagenham , Erith , Purfleet , Dartford , West Thurrock , Northfleet , Tilbury and Gravesend before entering the Thames Estuary near Southend-on-Sea . The sea level in the Thames estuary is rising and the rate of rise is increasing. Sediment cores up to 10 m deep collected by
3560-549: The Thanetian stage of the late Palaeocene epoch. Until around 500,000 years ago, the Thames flowed on its existing course through what is now Oxfordshire , before turning to the north-east through Hertfordshire and East Anglia and reaching the North Sea near present-day Ipswich . At this time the river-system headwaters lay in the English West Midlands and may, at times, have received drainage from
3649-571: The Barking and Dagenham Archive Service, Valence House Museum. There are a total of 52 listed buildings located within the borough's boundaries. The Grade I and Grade II* listed buildings in the borough include Eastbury Manor House , the Church of Peter and Paul, Dagenham and Valence House . The borough borders the London Borough of Havering to the east with the River Rom forming part of
River Rom - Misplaced Pages Continue
3738-425: The Borough. Some services terminate at Dagenham East. Several London Buses serve the Borough. Night buses 128, EL1, N15 and N86 travel into Central London , Stratford , Romford and Harold Hill every night. Cycle Superhighway 3 begins in Barking , to the south of Greatfields Park , linking the Borough to Canary Wharf , the City of London and the City of Westminster via a bike freeway , most of which
3827-576: The Longbridge ward (79.8% in 2001 to 35% in 2011), and the Abbey ward, which contains the main Barking area (from 46.2% to 15.8%). The smallest decrease was in the Eastbrook ward. The largest minority communities were of Black and Asian heritage. Barking and Dagenham had by far the largest decrease of the 65+ population, having dropped almost 20% between 2001 and 2011. There were 69,700 households in
3916-413: The M25 before traffic heads into south Essex. Other A-roads cross the Borough, including the A118 , A123 , A124 , A1083 , A1112 , and A1306 , although these roads are smaller and generally carry less traffic. Time 107.5 FM broadcasts local news from nearby Romford . Bedrock is the local Hospital radio service available on-line and broadcasts a range of health related information focused around
4005-411: The North Sea, and the Thames Barrier was built in the 1980s to protect London from this risk. The Nore is the sandbank that marks the mouth of the Thames Estuary , where the outflow from the Thames meets the North Sea . It is roughly halfway between Havengore Creek in Essex and Warden Point on the Isle of Sheppey in Kent. Until 1964 it marked the seaward limit of the Port of London Authority. As
4094-489: The River Thames on the Tideway include the rivers Crane , Brent , Wandle , Ravensbourne (the final part of which is called Deptford Creek ), Lea (the final part of which is called Bow Creek ), Roding (Barking Creek), Darent and Ingrebourne . In London, the water is slightly brackish with sea salt, being a mix of sea and fresh water. This part of the river is managed by the Port of London Authority . The flood threat here comes from high tides and strong winds from
4183-416: The Thames Estuary), the river is subject to tidal activity from the North Sea . Before the lock was installed, the river was tidal as far as Staines, about 16 mi (26 km) upstream. London, capital of Roman Britain , was established on two hills, now known as Cornhill and Ludgate Hill . These provided a firm base for a trading centre at the lowest possible point on the Thames. A river crossing
4272-470: The Thames as "River Thames or Isis" down to Dorchester. Since the early 20th century this distinction has been lost in common usage outside of Oxford, and some historians suggest the name Isis is nothing more than a truncation of Tamesis , the Latin name for the Thames. Sculptures titled Tamesis and Isis by Anne Seymour Damer are located on the bridge at Henley-on-Thames , Oxfordshire (the original terracotta and plaster models were exhibited at
4361-439: The Thames is not Indo-European (and of unknown meaning), while Peter Kitson suggested that it is Indo-European but originated before the Britons and has a name indicating "muddiness" from a root *tā- , 'melt'. Early variants of the name include: Indirect evidence for the antiquity of the name "Thames" is provided by a Roman potsherd found at Oxford, bearing the inscription Tamesubugus fecit (Tamesubugus made [this]). It
4450-511: The Thames, from Middle English Temese , is derived from the Brittonic name for the river, Tamesas (from * tamēssa ), recorded in Latin as Tamesis and yielding modern Welsh Tafwys "Thames". The name element Tam may have meant "dark" and can be compared to other cognates such as Russian темно ( Proto-Slavic * tĭmĭnŭ ), Lithuanian tamsi "dark", Latvian tumsa "darkness", Sanskrit tamas and Welsh tywyll "darkness" and Middle Irish teimen "dark grey". The origin
4539-404: The area, mostly escaping slum conditions in the East End of London , occurred during this period when the new motor and chemical industries such as the Ford Motor Company plant at Dagenham were set up. Since the decline of these industries in the 1980s, employment has shifted towards service sector jobs. There are large areas of logistics and warehouse development around the A13 road. Much of
SECTION 50
#17327731703464628-448: The borough are designated as part of the Metropolitan Green Belt . See List of areas of London The borough's major districts include Barking , Becontree and Dagenham . It borders five other London boroughs: Newham, Redbridge, Havering, and Greenwich and Bexley to the south of the Thames. Much of the housing of the borough was constructed by the London County Council during the interwar period of 1921–1939. Major settlement of
4717-443: The borough in 2011, up 3.6% from 2001. The borough also had the largest proportion of school-age (5-19) population of all the local authorities in England and Wales, 21.4%, at the 2011 census. The borough's pre-school (0-4) population rose by 49.1% from 2001 to 2011, by far the largest increase in London. The following table shows the ethnic group of respondents in the 2001 and 2011 census in Barking and Dagenham. The local authority
4806-410: The borough is within the London Riverside area of the Thames Gateway zone and is the site of considerable house building and other development, such as Beam Park. A £500 million budget has been earmarked for redevelopment of the borough's principal district of Barking . Religion in London Borough of Barking and Dagenham (2021 census) In 1801, the civil parishes that form the modern borough had
4895-429: The borough was expanded to cover the part of the Becontree estate that until then had been within the Borough of Redbridge and other areas. The area covered by Mayesbrook Park in the Borough was once part of the historic Manor of Jenkins , seat of the Fanshawe family. Historic records of the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham and predecessor bodies the Borough of Barking and the Borough of Dagenham are held at
4984-427: The boundary. It borders the London Borough of Newham to the west with the River Roding forming much of the border. To the south is the River Thames which forms the borough's boundary with the London Borough of Bexley and the Royal Borough of Greenwich . To the north the borough forms a thin protrusion between Havering and the London Borough of Redbridge in order to encompass Chadwell Heath . 530 hectares within
5073-423: The case of the Colne ), and man-made distributaries such as the Longford River . Three canals intersect this stretch: the Oxford Canal , Kennet and Avon Canal and Wey Navigation . Its longest artificial secondary channel (cut), the Jubilee River , was built between Maidenhead and Windsor for flood relief and completed in 2002. The non-tidal section of the river is managed by the Environment Agency , which
5162-410: The centre of Romford. Starting in Essex , the Rom is the continuation of the Bourne Brook after Bournebridge, Stapleford Abbotts in the Epping Forest district of Essex which rises 3 miles (4.8 km) northeast at Spring Farm by Stapleford Abbotts Golf Course in the Essex Borough of Brentwood . Taking an almost straight south-flowing course, the Rom passes under the London Loop and experiences
5251-405: The combined population of Barking and Dagenham was around 180,000. The pre-1965 borough of Barking had evolved from the Barking Town local government district , which had been created in 1882 covering the central part of the parish of Barking . Such districts were reconstituted as urban districts under the Local Government Act 1894 . The Barking Town Urban District was incorporated to become
5340-423: The confluence, the overall length of the Thames measured from Seven Springs, at 229 mi (369 km), is greater than the Severn's length of 220 mi (350 km). Thus, the "Churn/Thames" river may be regarded as the longest natural river in the United Kingdom. The stream from Seven Springs is joined at Coberley by a longer tributary which could further increase the length of the Thames, with its source in
5429-404: The directly elected Assembly Member. The borough is covered by two parliamentary constituencies: Barking and Dagenham and Rainham . The latter was first contested in 2010 . London Borough of Barking and Dagenham is twinned with: There are many schools and further education facilities in the borough. Situated near the Town Hall, the Barking Learning Centre is a learning facility providing
SECTION 60
#17327731703465518-468: The drier parts of mainland Britain and heavily abstracted for drinking water, the Thames' discharge is low considering its length and breadth: the Severn has a discharge almost twice as large on average despite having a smaller drainage basin . In Scotland , the Tay achieves more than double the Thames' average discharge from a drainage basin that is 60% smaller. Along its course are 45 navigation locks with accompanying weirs . Its catchment area covers
5607-407: The east, the A12 heads through Romford towards the M25 and south and east Essex . The A13 is named Alfred's Way as it enters the Borough to the west. Crossing Barking and Dagenham, the dual carriageway can be accessed via several grade-separated junctions . Leaving the Borough to the west via the A13 will lead to the Docklands and the City of London . To the east, the A13 passes Rainham and
5696-603: The east, trains serve Grays , Southend and Shoeburyness in Essex. Barking and, from summer 2022, Barking Riverside railway stations are served by the London Overground with frequent services to Gospel Oak in the London Borough of Camden . The Elizabeth Line serves Chadwell Heath railway station , which straddles the border between the London Borough of Redbridge and the borough. Hammersmith & City Line services terminate at Barking. Some District Line services terminate at Barking, but many also call at Upney , Becontree , Dagenham Heathway and Dagenham East in
5785-412: The flowing river or the wide flowing unfordable river. The river gives its name to three informal areas: the Thames Valley , a region of England around the river between Oxford and West London; the Thames Gateway ; and the greatly overlapping Thames Estuary around the tidal Thames to the east of London and including the waterway itself. Thames Valley Police is a formal body that takes its name from
5874-550: The former Dagenham Civic Centre , they offer a range of subjects across Foundation, HNC, HND and degree level. The University of East London formerly had a campus in the borough, however this has now closed with all campuses now being located in the neighbouring borough of Newham . In March 2011, the main forms of transport that residents used to travel to work were: driving a car or van, 22.5% of all residents aged 16–74; underground, metro, light rail, tram, 7.5%; bus, minibus or coach, 7.5%; train, 7.3%; on foot, 3.7%; passenger in
5963-403: The former Municipal Borough of Barking and the Municipal Borough of Dagenham , with the exceptions of a small area at Hog Hill from Dagenham which went to Redbridge , and the Gallions Reach area, being the part of Barking west of Barking Creek , which went to Newham . The area was transferred from Essex to Greater London to become one of the 32 London Boroughs. At the time of its creation
6052-533: The grounds of the National Star College at Ullenwood . The Thames flows through or alongside Ashton Keynes , Cricklade , Lechlade , Oxford , Abingdon-on-Thames , Wallingford , Goring-on-Thames and Streatley (at the Goring Gap ), Pangbourne and Whitchurch-on-Thames , Reading , Wargrave , Henley-on-Thames , Marlow , Maidenhead , Windsor and Eton , Staines-upon-Thames and Egham , Chertsey , Shepperton , Weybridge , Sunbury-on-Thames , Walton-on-Thames , Molesey and Thames Ditton . The river
6141-404: The ice melt nearly concluded over the past 4,000 years. Since the beginning of the 20th century, rates of sea level rise range from 1.22 mm per year to 2.14 mm per year. The Thames River Basin District, including the Medway catchment, covers an area of 6,229 sq mi (16,130 km ). The entire river basin is a mixture of urban and rural, with rural landscape predominating in
6230-416: The impresario Fred Karno and Eel Pie Island at Twickenham was the birthplace of the South East's R&B music scene. Westminster Abbey and the Palace of Westminster (commonly known today as the Houses of Parliament ) were built on Thorney Island , which used to be an eyot . Researchers have identified the River Thames as a discrete drainage line flowing as early as 58 million years ago, in
6319-400: The local Hospitals; King George Hospital and Queen's Hospital . Barking & Dagenham News , a hyperlocal news service distributes news, weather, travel, sport and entertainment updates on Facebook Watch . The London Borough of Barking and Dagenham has two fire stations within its boundary: Barking and Dagenham. Barking fire station operates two pumping appliances, a bulk foam unit and
6408-426: The non-tidal river, which is a drinking water source before treatment, sanitary sewer overflow from the many sewage treatment plants covering the upper Thames basin should be rare in the non-tidal Thames. However, storm sewage overflows are still common in almost all the main tributaries of the Thames despite claims by Thames Water to the contrary. Below Teddington Lock (about 55 mi or 89 km upstream of
6497-510: The river environs, the Site of Importance for Nature Conservation also includes Foreberry Wood through which the river runs. This contains both pedunculate oak and hornbeam coppices . Also in the upper parts of the river is another Site of Importance for Nature Conservation where the river flows through King George Playing Fields in Romford . Further downstream, the Beam Valley
6586-637: The river passes Pimlico and Vauxhall , and then forms one of the principal axes of the city, from the Palace of Westminster to the Tower of London . At this point, it historically formed the southern boundary of the medieval city, with Southwark , on the opposite bank, then being part of Surrey . Beyond central London, the river passes Bermondsey , Wapping , Shadwell , Limehouse , Rotherhithe , Millwall , Deptford , Greenwich , Cubitt Town , Blackwall , New Charlton and Silvertown , before flowing through
6675-543: The river to divert onto its present course through the area of present-day London. The ice lobe which stopped at present-day Finchley deposited about 14 metres of boulder clay there. Its torrent of meltwater gushed through the Finchley Gap and south towards the new course of the Thames, and proceeded to carve out the Brent Valley in the process. London Borough of Barking and Dagenham The London Borough of Barking and Dagenham ( pronunciation )
6764-439: The river was tidal at peak spring tides as far as Staines upon Thames . In descending order, non-related tributaries of the non-tidal Thames, with river status, are the Churn , Leach , Cole , Ray , Coln , Windrush , Evenlode , Cherwell , Ock , Thame , Pang , Kennet , Loddon , Colne , Wey and Mole . In addition, there are occasional backwaters and artificial cuts that form islands, distributaries (most numerous in
6853-596: The river, covering three counties . In non-administrative use, the river's name is used in those of Thames Valley University , Thames Water , Thames Television , publishing company Thames & Hudson , Thameslink (north–south rail service passing through central London ) and South Thames College . An example of its use in the names of historic entities is the Thames Ironworks and Shipbuilding Company . Marks of human activity, in some cases dating back to Pre-Roman Britain , are visible at various points along
6942-517: The river, while some islands, e.g. Thorney Island , formed over the ages. The northern tip of the ancient parish of Lambeth , for example, was marshland known as Lambeth Marshe , but it was drained in the 18th century; the street names Lower Marsh and Upper Marsh preserve a memory. Until the middle of the Victorian era, malaria was commonplace beside the River Thames, even in London, and
7031-519: The river. These include a variety of structures connected with use of the river, such as navigations, bridges and watermills , as well as prehistoric burial mounds . The lower Thames in the Roman era was a shallow waterway winding through marshes. But centuries of human intervention have transformed it into a deep tidal canal flowing between 200 miles of solid walls; these defend a floodplain where 1.5 million people work and live. A major maritime route
7120-661: The sandbank was a major hazard for shipping coming in and out of London, in 1732 it received the world's first lightship . This became a major landmark, and was used as an assembly point for shipping. Today it is marked by Sea Reach No. 1 Buoy. The River Thames contains over 80 islands ranging from the large estuarial marshlands of the Isle of Sheppey and Canvey Island to small tree-covered islets like Rose Isle in Oxfordshire and Headpile Eyot in Berkshire. They are found all
7209-541: The south coast), and the Wilts & Berks Canal . Rowing and sailing clubs are common along the Thames, which is navigable to such vessels. Kayaking and canoeing also take place. Major annual events include the Henley Royal Regatta and the Boat Race , while the Thames has been used during two Summer Olympic Games : 1908 ( rowing ) and 1948 ( rowing and canoeing ). Safe headwaters and reaches are
7298-427: The time of the 2011 census, 49.5% of the borough's community identified themselves as white British. Barking and Dagenham has been strongly influenced by immigration, with the white British population having dropped 30.6% from 2001 to 2011 - the second largest decrease in the country, behind neighbouring Newham . The population of non-UK born residents increasing by 205%. The largest decrease of White British occurred in
7387-756: The way from Fiddler's Island in Oxfordshire to the Isle of Sheppey in Kent. Some of the largest inland islands, for example Formosa Island near Cookham and Andersey Island at Abingdon, were created naturally when the course of the river divided into separate streams. In the Oxford area the river splits into several streams across the floodplain ( Seacourt Stream , Castle Mill Stream , Bulstake Stream and others), creating several islands ( Fiddler's Island , Osney and others). Desborough Island , Ham Island at Old Windsor and Penton Hook Island were artificially created by lock cuts and navigation channels. Chiswick Eyot
7476-412: The western part. The area is among the driest in the United Kingdom. Water resources consist of groundwater from aquifers and water taken from the Thames and its tributaries, much of it stored in large bank-side reservoirs . The Thames itself provides two-thirds of London's drinking water, while groundwater supplies about 40 per cent of public water supplies in the overall catchment area. Groundwater
7565-580: The year, while those at Thames Head are seasonal (a winterbourne ). With a length of 215 mi (346 km), the Thames is the longest river entirely in England. (The longest river in the United Kingdom, the Severn , flows partly in Wales .) However, as the River Churn, sourced at Seven Springs, is 14 mi (23 km) longer than the section of the Thames from its traditional source at Thames Head to
7654-479: Was built at the site of London Bridge . London Bridge is now used as the basis for published tide tables giving the times of high tide . High tide reaches Putney about 30 minutes later than London Bridge, and Teddington about an hour later. The tidal stretch of the river is known as "the Tideway ". Tide tables are published by the Port of London Authority and are available online. Times of high and low tides are also posted on Twitter. The principal tributaries of
7743-489: Was extended to Upminster ; bringing further development to the area. After World War II , further public housing projects were built to rehouse the many Londoners made homeless in the Blitz . As industry declined during the 1960s, the population entered a long decline, but has now begun to rise again with new housing developments on brownfield sites. In 2013 Barking and Dagenham has England's highest fertility rate: 2.58. At
7832-408: Was frequently lethal. Some cases continued to occur into the early 20th century. Draining of the marshes helped with its eradication, but the causes are complex and unclear. The East End of London , also known simply as the East End , was the area of London east of the medieval walled City of London and north of the River Thames, although it is not defined by universally accepted formal boundaries;
7921-617: Was subject to minor redefining and widening of the main channel around Oxford, Abingdon and Marlow before 1850, when further cuts to ease navigation reduced distances further. Molesey faces Hampton , and in Greater London the Thames passes Hampton Court Palace , Surbiton , Kingston upon Thames , Teddington , Twickenham , Richmond (with a famous view of the Thames from Richmond Hill), Syon House , Kew , Brentford , Chiswick , Barnes , Hammersmith , Fulham , Putney , Wandsworth , Battersea and Chelsea . In central London ,
#345654