Another Visit to The Thames Barrier

Once upon a time, the River Thames flowed gently through the city, slow and wide, or wider, according to the weather. At various points in the 19th century and particularly when Joseph Bazalgette was master-minding the critical job of master-minding a sewer network , the Thames was edged with a series of embankments. This had the effect of making the river narrower, deeper, and therefore faster flowing.

By the middle of the twentieth century, this was becoming a problem. A few times a year, high tides were presenting a danger of flooding to London. Something had to be done. That ‘something’ turned into the Thames Barrier at Woolwich.

In 1972, the Thames Barrier Act and Flood Protection Act  was passed by The Greater London Council, and in 1972, work commenced. 

'The gates, each of which are 19 metres high and weigh 3300 tonnes, divide the river into six navigable spans, four of 61metres (200 feet), and two of approximately 30 metres (100 feet). The barrier was designed to be solid, durable (serving London until at least 2030), failure proof and bomb proof. It has so far survived 12 collisions with ships without sustaining any serious damage.'
www.cityoflondon.gov.uk

The barrier was originally designed to protect London from a very large flood (1 in 100 years) up to 2030. By October 2021, it had been closed 200 times – it’s 208 times now. And the barrier has been modernised and improved to take it beyond its original shelf-life.

Much of the science behind it is beyond me. But it’s a beautiful thing in its own right, and I can appreciate that: even if I don’t understand the engineering. This short video may help.

Without the Barrier, all this is at risk.

For Debbie’s Six Word Saturday. And if you haven’t visited this post and voted … please do.

Unknown's avatar

Author: margaret21

I'm retired and live in North Yorkshire, where I walk , write, volunteer and travel as often as I can.

49 thoughts on “Another Visit to The Thames Barrier”

  2. An amazing structure. I keep meaning to go back and see it in action. They publish the opening and closing times but I either forget to look or the times just don’t work for me.
    A lot of the boat trips come up to it too – a RIB trip with the grandchildren wold be good fun if you haven’t done it already, Margaret

    Liked by 1 person

  4. It is an incredible structure. I grew up by the Thames and the Joseph Baguelette bridge crossing from Hammersmith to Barnes! And my playground of marshy reservoirs now the Wetland Centre. So sweet Thames flow softly. Don’t flood!

    Liked by 1 person

    1. It’s only recently that I have Sarah, and I’ll go again. The Thames Barrier and nearby Woolwich are so worth exploring. A possible destination for a future London expedition together?

      Liked by 1 person

  16. Well Margaret, I must admit I felt like an idiot after seeing your post. I’d never heard of nor seen this approach to moderating an area of flooding. Here in nearby Charleston it’s been a major area of focus as the city floods pretty much at every rain or high tide. They’ve gone to incredible measures including building a higher wall at the area of most floods and creating underground piping for the floodwaters to use. It’s an ever-increasing issue with climate change and the remedies are ever-more important. What a beautiful, effective solution for the Thames!

    Like

  18. As someone who works in Canary Wharf, I guess, I ought to appreciate this…. Your writing about the Thames’ history made me think of Mudlark by Lara Maiklem. Have you read it? It is filled with facts and anecdotes from the history of the Thames.

    Like

    1. I loved Mudlark! When I was at school, I had a friend who was a proficient mudlarker, and found lots of interesting objects many years before this pursuit became a ‘thing’.

      Liked by 1 person

  20. Pingback: A Trip on the Thames Clipper – From Pyrenees to Pennines

Comments are closed.