The River Thames is only about two hundred and fifteen miles (346km) long. It happens to be the longest river in England and of course, the second longest river in the whole of the United Kingdom. The River Thames was initially an offshoot of the Rhine long before Great Britain was separated from the Continental Europe. The Channel was formed around seven thousands years ago towards the end of the last Ice Age. And when talking about the route of the River Thames, the river rises in the hills of the Cotswold in Gloucestershire and flows roughly eastward through Oxford, where the river is popularly known as the River Isis. It flows through the Chilterns and goes on through London and then to the North Sea. The River Thames has been an integral part of trade and transport of the area throughout historic times and up until today. As a matter of fact, the fortune and fame of London is as a result of the river.

Throughout the Middle Ages, the River Thames was one of the major highways of London and also the route by which most commodities were brought into the country. For instance, river boats and barges brought fish through this avenue, whilst wool and wood were also shipped into the city through this passage. And in addition to this, hundreds of watermen could be seen in small rowing boats transporting people from one end of the river to the other. By the middle of the 1700s, trading ships started arriving in the city with different kinds of goods for sale in the city. Such goods included silk, tea, spices and so on. Spices were being brought from the East and sugar was shipped in from the Caribbean. Iron ore was brought in from Sweden and timber was shipped in from Norway.

A lot of activities were going on through the river during this period of time. At times the River Thames was so busy that traffic could hardly move. In fact, sometimes, a good number of ships queued for several days along the bank, waiting for their time so as to get to a dock and unload their goods. Apart from the trade aspect of the River Thames, there are also some royal palaces along the river. It was discovered that about seven palaces, past and present, have lined the banks of the River Thames at Richmond, Westminster, Hampton Court, Greenwich, Kew, and the Tower of London. Another aspect of the river is that it is prone to tidal surges. Whenever there is a high tide blowing up, the water level rises swiftly and can spill out over the banks.