Upper Thames
April 7, 2022
7 April 22. HM 176. The "Upper Thames" overflowed my notebook with facts.
I was lucky enough to be given a guided tour from Tower Bridge to Hammersmith Bridge by Deputy HM Darren Knight on his powerful launch.
Darren has worked on the Thames all his life and is a proud member of the The Company of Watermen (those who carry passengers) and Lightermen (those who carry cargo). Founded in 1514 by Henry VIII to regulate and train those who work on the river, it is one of the reasons there are generations of the same families who still operate the working boats on the Thames.
As Deputy Harbour Master he is responsible for major events like the Boat Race (where it is an HM who holds the tip of boat at the start), filming licences (one Netflix river stunt requires four days of river closure), any building works which encroach the water, bridge inspections, navigation assessments and enforcement of speed limits. It is a huge job but luckily Darren knows every inch of the river like the back of his hand. It is no surprise he was the River Manager for the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant.
Darren had so much knowledge about the river, its banks and the buildings along the 16 miles of my tour, that my pen could not keep up. The stats about the Tideway "super sewer" project alone, (a huge tunnel the height of 3 london buses being invisibly constructed under the river bank), filled at least one page.
As we passed repairs taking place on Wandsworth Bridge, he explained that the bale of straw hanging underneath (Photo 6) indicated the span was closed. Its origin is that the first boats of the day would have been "hay barges" to feed horses. If the clearance was reduced, hay would get caught, and be a warning to other vessels not to use that span.
Darren pointed out that Westminster Bridge is painted green to match the colour of the House of Lords benches, whereas Lambeth Bridge is painted red as it is closest to the Commons and numerous other facts.
Thank you Darren for a very personal insight into what is takes to be the "Master" of this incredible river!
I was lucky enough to be given a guided tour from Tower Bridge to Hammersmith Bridge by Deputy HM Darren Knight on his powerful launch.
Darren has worked on the Thames all his life and is a proud member of the The Company of Watermen (those who carry passengers) and Lightermen (those who carry cargo). Founded in 1514 by Henry VIII to regulate and train those who work on the river, it is one of the reasons there are generations of the same families who still operate the working boats on the Thames.
As Deputy Harbour Master he is responsible for major events like the Boat Race (where it is an HM who holds the tip of boat at the start), filming licences (one Netflix river stunt requires four days of river closure), any building works which encroach the water, bridge inspections, navigation assessments and enforcement of speed limits. It is a huge job but luckily Darren knows every inch of the river like the back of his hand. It is no surprise he was the River Manager for the Thames Diamond Jubilee Pageant.
Darren had so much knowledge about the river, its banks and the buildings along the 16 miles of my tour, that my pen could not keep up. The stats about the Tideway "super sewer" project alone, (a huge tunnel the height of 3 london buses being invisibly constructed under the river bank), filled at least one page.
As we passed repairs taking place on Wandsworth Bridge, he explained that the bale of straw hanging underneath (Photo 6) indicated the span was closed. Its origin is that the first boats of the day would have been "hay barges" to feed horses. If the clearance was reduced, hay would get caught, and be a warning to other vessels not to use that span.
Darren pointed out that Westminster Bridge is painted green to match the colour of the House of Lords benches, whereas Lambeth Bridge is painted red as it is closest to the Commons and numerous other facts.
Thank you Darren for a very personal insight into what is takes to be the "Master" of this incredible river!