At 4am on Thursday morning the Thames was flooding over the towpath at Richmond. At midday it was still muddy and wet despite the sun but the tide was very low.
Teams were out exploring the riverbed for rubbish and anything interesting.
Each November Richmond enjoys tides experienced in early days, before the invention of locks, when tidal waters reached as far as Staines. These are the low tides seen by Henry VII and Elizabeth I when they stayed at Richmond Palace.
Richmond Lock will remain open for essential annual work on the lock, weirs and sluices until maybe Friday 18 December.
The period, which is known as Draw-off, this year began on Thursday 5 November leaving much of the riverbed on Horse Reach, between Richmond and Teddington, exposed at low water.
Moorings have been checked and some vessels moved for the month due to the unusual fall in water.
The college barge upstream of Richmond Bridge is beached at low tide.
Tide times are posted outside the White Cross which is sometimes reached by a plank bridge. On Wednesday lunchtime the popular pub was some distance from the river trickle as the tide turned.
Glovers Island, opposite Petersham, has ceased to be surrounded by water.
