River Thames : Source to Sea

VISITORS to Tower Bridge will have the chance to travel the full 215 miles of the River Thames in just 200 feet when they visit the new photographic exhibition River Thames: Source to Sea this summer. 

Opened in June and running until the autumn, a stunning range of 30 large-scale contemporary photographs of the most significant villages, towns and structures along the River Thames will be displayed in the West Walkway of Tower Bridge.

This pictorial trip down the river provides visitors with a unique insight into the important role the river plays in both tourism and industry, from the peaceful picturesque villages to the commercial engine room of Canary Wharf and the City at the heart of the nation’s economy.

Many of the photographs are by professional environmental photographer Ronnie Israel who has established himself as one of the foremost photographers of the River Thames and Docklands redevelopment.

This fascinating journey starts at the source of the river, Thames Head near Cirencester, where an engraved stone is the only clue to the magnitude of this location, and ends in the open waters of the Thames Estuary and the triffid-like structures of the WWII Maunsell Sea Forts.

Along the way, the exhibition takes the viewers past a series of spectacular images of places that have fascinating associations, past and present, with the River Thames.

In contrast to the deep and fast-flowing waters of the river most people associate with the Thames as it cuts through London, the waters at the picturesque village of Ashton Keynes just past Thames Head is only a few inches deep and just six feet wide. Israel’s stunning photograph shows some of the 20 bridges within the village that cross the water, each leading to a small house.

The exhibition then takes visitors gently downstream through Cricklade, the first town upon the River Thames, to Lechdale where the four counties of Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Wiltshire and Berkshire meet. Here, the statue of Old Father Thames marks the spot where the river’s role in commerce began as a loading point for goods en-route to London.

As the river meanders through the countryside the exhibition takes in Oxford, the city of dreaming spires where the romantic allure of punting on the Thames draws the crowds; Mapledurham which boasts the river’s oldest working mill and is the fictional home of Soames Forsyte and Mr Toad; Henley, world-famous for its Regatta and association with rowing, and on through Marlow, Cookham and Maidenhead to the majesty of Windsor.

As the river becomes wider and deeper on its journey to the North Sea the exhibition focuses on the increasing size and stature of the buildings and activities it supports. Battersea’s iconic Power Station, Lambeth Palace and Fortress Wapping – aka News International – are amongst the significant structures lining the riverbanks that are displayed in glorious detail in Israel’s dramatic photographs.   

The changing role of the river in industry and trade can be tracked from the images of Rotherhithe and Deptford docks, the Isle of Dogs and Canary Wharf, now the focus of the UK’s world trading operation, to the wasteland of Dagenham where the former Ford works is in a phase of major redevelopment.

By the time the river reaches the Thames Barrier it expands to one mile wide as it sweeps onwards and under the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, past vast areas of factories and refineries on its way to the open sea.

This watery journey ends with a striking image of the four World War II Maunsell Sea Forts in the Thames Estuary, constructed in 1942 to protect against German air raids - a powerful symbol of the importance of the River Thames as the gateway to the nation.

River Thames: Source to Sea is included in the Tower Bridge Exhibition experience which allows visitors to enjoy the breathtaking views over London from the high-level East and West Walkways, the Engine Rooms where Victorian steam-powered machines can be seen in action, and the multi-media exhibition full of fascinating facts about the construction and operation of the Bridge.

Admission prices are adults £7, concessions £5, child £3. Joint tickets for admission to Tower Bridge and the beautifully restored Monument nearby are available at £8, £5.50 and £3.30. More information on group tickets can be found on the website.

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