VIDEOS OF THE THAMES
A collection of links to 62 nostalgic videos about the Thames and the places along its banks. You can travel up and down the Thames, and through time, from a bench in Beckett Wharf Park. Or you can do so from the home comfort of your own armchair.
OUR FAVOURITE VIDEOS
Life Afloat. (54 minutes). Interviews with people living in the floating villages on London’s Tidal Thames. It includes contributions by two houseboat residents at Hammersmith Mall. One (at 13 minutes) is botanical artist Diana Everett, who lives at and owns Dove Pier. There is also a contribution (at 12 minutes) by architect Clive Wren, who lives on a houseboat at Hope Pier.
London Docks: an Oral History. (54 minutes). A history of working life in the London Docks before the days of containers.
London Lightermen: an Oral History. (44 minutes). Interviews with lightermen who towed barges carrying butter, tea, and general cargo from the crowded docks to the Thames-front warehouses.
Engineering the Shard. (5 minutes). A video produced by the Shard’s consulting engineers WSP.
Queen visits Bankside Power Station. (1 minute). Pathe newsreel of the Queen visiting Bankside Power Station in 1962. A pleasant and informative afternoon.
The opening (and wobbling) of the Millennium Bridge. The story of the Millennium Bridge, including discussion with the engineers on correcting the wobble. Explained by engineer Chris Wise.
The Story of the London Eye. (28 minutes). Celebration of the London Eye, built to mark the millennium. Includes interviews with the architects and promoters of the London Eye - Julia Barfield and the late David Marks.
Mudlarking in the Thames. (25 minutes). Nicola White takes us mudlarking on the Thames foreshore. She finds some interesting things including a bottle stopper and a very small horse’s leg.
Amphibious Scooter. (1 minute). Gent in bowler hat takes to the Thames on an amphibious scooter.
Amphicar on the Thames. (2 minutes). 1963 film of a family trip on the Thames in an Amphicar. Father in a suit; mother in a headscarf.
JetPack flight over the Thames. (7 minutes). Chief Test Pilot David Mayman flies by JetPack over the Thames in October 2016. He lands safely.
ALL VIDEOS
BRIDGES
Norman Foster talks about the Millennium Bridge. (3 minutes). Foster explains how he wanted the slim profile of the bridge to disappear into the sky.
The opening (and wobbling) of the Millennium Bridge. The story of the Millennium Bridge, including discussion with the engineers on correcting the wobble. Explained by engineer Chris Wise.
Watch Tower Bridge lifting. (6 minutes). Shows how traffic lights stop the traffic, gates close, and Tower Bridge lifts.
Ocean liner passes through Tower Bridge. (4 minutes). A large ocean liner passes through the lifted London Bridge.
Lego Tower Bridge. (6 minutes). Animation showing how a Lego model of Tower Bridge can be made with 4287 pieces of Lego.
BUILDINGS
Building the Skylon. (19 minutes). Building the 300 foot high Skylon, which was designed by architects Powell and Moya.
Opening County Hall. (2 minutes). King George V opening County Hall, the new headquarters of the London County Council, in 1922. Silent black and white film.
Capital County. (20 minutes). An introduction to the London County Council, with film of County Hall - its headquarters beside Westminster Bridge on the South Bank.
Designing City Hall. (2 minutes). An explanation of the process of designing City Hall. Key factors were sustainability and community involvement.
Sia Moore on City Hall. (3 minutes). Architect Sia Moore takes us on a guided tour of City Hall.
Engineering the Shard. (5 minutes). A video produced by the Shard’s consulting engineers WSP.
Constructing the Shard. (3 minutes). Explains the use of the giant slip form rig which moved up 3 metres a day to create the concrete core.
Queen visits Bankside Power Station. (1 minute). Pathe newsreel of the Queen visiting Bankside Power Station in 1962. A pleasant and informative afternoon.
Southwark Cathedral. (5 minutes). A guided tour of Southwark Cathedral, once the tallest building in London, including the belfry, the roof, and the cathedral cat.
The Story of the London Eye. (28 minutes). Celebration of the London Eye, built to mark the millennium. Includes interviews with the architects and promoters of the London Eye - Julia Barfield and the late David Marks.
Making the London Eye. (3 minutes). Film showing how the London Eye was manufactured, and how it was transported to site.
The Story of the National Theatre. (58 minutes). Discussion with Daniel Rosenthal, biographer of the National Theatre. Celebrates 50th anniversary of the National Theatre.
Starting Construction of the Royal Festival Hall. (2 minutes). Prime Minister Clement Atlee lays the foundaiton stone for the Royal Festival Hall in 1949.
Frank Sinatra. (4 minutes). Frank Sinatra sings My Way at the Royal Festival Hall in 1970. It celebrated the 50th anniversary of its original recording.
DAREDEVILS
Free climbing the Shard. (1 minute). George King-Thompson free climbs up the outside of the Shard.
Free climber looks back on the climb and his prison sentence. (8 minutes). George King-Thompson and his parents interviewed. He says it was worth it.
Maverick RAF pilot flies through Tower Bridge. (3 minutes). RAF pilot Alan Pollock talks about his 1968 protest flight in a Hunter jet fighter at 400 mph through the span of Tower Bridge.
ECCENTRIC RIVER TRANSPORT
Amphibious Scooter. (1 minute). Gent in bowler hat takes to the Thames on an amphibious scooter.
Amphicar on the Thames. (2 minutes). 1963 film of a family trip on the Thames in an Amphicar. Father in a suit; mother in a headscarf.
Amphicar history. (8 minutes). The story of the Amphicar, developed in Germany by industrial designer Hans Trippel. It was produced from 1961 to 1965.Two crossed the Channel in 1962. Trippel also designed the Mercedes gull wing doors.
Duck Tours. (2 minutes). Since 2002 you could ride an amphibian bus on the Thames. The were suspended in 2017 when their ramp was needed for the Thames Tideway sewer project.
Floating House. (2 minutes). Airbnb created a surreal house floating down the Thames. It has a garden with a bird table and does not look like a boat. Its appearance has been aged by experts.
JetPack flight over the Thames. (7 minutes). Chief Test Pilot David Mayman flies by JetPack over the Thames in October 2016. He lands safely.
EVENTS
Canary Wharf Winter Lights 2020. (75 minutes). More than 30 spectacular light installations by an international roster of artists. Second half of January each year. A walking tour of extraordinary installations. It is as if you are there.
Deptford Jack. (4 minutes). A man inside a nine foot high mock tree parades each May Day through south London. He is accompanied by Morris Dancers.
Doggett's Coat & Badge Race. (35 minutes). A rowing race, run every year since 1715, running between London Bridge and Chelsea. Starts at 4pm.
Greenwich & Docklands International Festival. (3 minutes). Over 200 intriguing free street performances, some highly acrobatic, by international artists. Two weeks in June & July
Oxford & Cambridge Boat Race. (3 minutes). Races (men's & women's) between rowing eights from the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge.
Swan Upping. (66 minutes). Swans on the River Thames are all owned by the Queen or by one of two livery companies. This colourful annual ceremony has the practical purpose of counting the swans and checking their health.
Thames Fireworks 2019. (16 minutes). A spectacular fireworks display along the river on New Year’s Eve.
Totally Thames 2017. A festival running throughout September each year, which celebrates the River Thames with surprising, diverse, and accessible arts events.
HISTORY
Winston Churchill funeral. (3 minutes). A flotilla carries Churchill’s coffin up the Thames in 1965.
City Airport. (4 minutes). The story of London Docks and City Airport. One of 200 videos made by the Institution of Civil Engineers to mark its bicentenary.
Dome of Discovery and Skylon. (4 minutes). The King and Queen tour the Dome of Discovery and the 300 foot high Skylon.
Festival of Britain Opening. (5 minutes). The Festival of Britain was opened by King George VI. The King and Queen drive to St. Paul's for the Service and afterwards on the steps of the Cathedral, the King opens the Festival.
Demolishing the Festival of Britain. (1 minute). The incoming Conservative government makes short work of demolishing the Festival of Britain - which they saw as a socialist event. Only the Festival Hall remains.
Looking Back at the Festival of Britain. (53 minutes). A celebratory documentary, made 60 years after the Festival of Britain. Includes contemporary film footage, and later interiviews with key figures.
Henley Regatta 1920. (9 minutes). Silent film of the Henley Regatta.
Henley Regatta 1963. (3 minutes). A brisk account of the Henley Regatta in 1963. It rained.
London Docks: an Oral History. (54 minutes). A history of working life in the London Docks before the days of containers.
London Lightermen: an Oral History. (44 minutes). Interviews with lightermen who towed barges carrying butter, tea, and general cargo from the crowded docks to the Thames-front warehouses.
No Cash, No Splash; An Oral History of Boatyards on the Tidal Thames. Produced by the Thames Festival trust made by arts and education charity Digital Works.
PEOPLE
Chick Knight. (11 Minutes). Commemorated with a plaque on one of the Beckett Wharf Park benches, professional wrestler Chick Knight saved the lives of two people by diving off Hammersmith Bridge. An interview with his great nephew and biographer, Andy Scott.
Joseph Bazalgette. (5 minutes). The work of Joseph Bazalgette, London’s great Victorian civil engineer, and designer of Hammersmith Bridge.
Life Afloat. (54 minutes). Interviews with people living in the floating villages on London’s Tidal Thames. It includes contributions by two houseboat residents at Hammersmith Mall. One (at 13 minutes) is botanical artist Diana Everett, who lives at and owns Dove Pier.There is also a contribution (at 12 minutes) by architect Clive Wren, who lives at Hope Pier.
Tony Hancock. (13 minutes). Comedian Tony Hancock recorded his Hancock’s Half Hour programme at Riverside Studios in the 1960s. The Blood Donor is his most celebrated performance.
PLACES
Eel Pie Island. (55 minutes). Clinging to a Mud Flat. A documentary about the strange history and distinctive communites of Eel Pie Island. Includes (at 4 minutes) an interview in his workshop with resident Trevor Baylis, inventor of the clockwork radio.
SEEING THE THAMES
Helicopter flight over London. (14 minutes). Helicopter flight over London by AB Helicopters. A training film explaining the complex flight restrictions.
Mudlarking in the Thames. (25 minutes). Nicola White takes us mudlarking on the Thames foreshore. She finds some interesting things including a bottle stopper and a very small horse’s leg.
Thames River Bus. (4 minutes). Travel from Westminster to Greenwich on a river bus. See the Tower of London, Tower Bridge, and HMS Belfast.
Woolwich Ferry. (3 minutes). The captain of the ferry gives a guided tour of the free Woolwich car ferry across the Thames.
SHIPS
HMS Belfast and D-Day. (4 minutes). Describes the role of HMS Belfast as the flagship of the fleet supporting the D-Day invasion. An Imperial War Museum film.
Veterans Remember HMS Belfast. (3 minutes). Those who served on HMS Belfast recall their memories of the ship.
Tour of HMS Belfast. (19 minutes). A narrated tour of the museum ship HMS Belfast, moored in the Pool of London.
The Golden Hinde replica. (20 minutes). A faithful replica of the origial Golden Hinde was constructed in 1973. It is now berted, as a tourist attraction, on the South Bank of the Thames, west of London Bridge.
UNDER THE THAMES
Greenwich Foot Tunnel. (2 minutes). George Maier gives a guided tour of the 370 metre long Greenwich Foot Tunnel, completed in 1902.