Updates

The annual Eel Pie Island summer open day is this weekend Saturday 4 and Sunday 5 July. Access is by bridge from the Twickenham bank between 11am and 6pm. Note that the artists’ studios will be selling items but will only accept cash or cheques.  

This Friday 3 July 2015 there are celebrations to mark the  300th anniversary of St Mary’s Church at Rotherhithe which opened in 1715. There had been a church there before. The present one stands on medieval foundations incorporating Roman bricks. The Thames Path passes along the north side of the church and churchyard which has the tomb […]

Monday 15 June 2015 is the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta being sealed by King John on Runnymede next to the River Thames. In the morning the Queen is attending a ceremony on the meadow which now has a marquee erected in case of bad weather. Her Majesty is being joined by Prince Philip, the […]

The diversion at Reading looks likely to remain in place until the autumn. Not only is the towpath closed for building of a new bridge across to Christchurch Meadows but the passage under Reading Bridge remains close whilst the structure is repaired. Traffic is crossing the river again as reported on the regional TV stations […]

Tuesday 2 June 2015 sees the issue of a special postage stamp to mark the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta being agreed on the banks of the Thames at Runnymede. The place to get the ‘authentic’ postmark, rather than the official one, must be Egham Post Office. The stamp is issued on the 62nd anniversary of the […]

This may be the last summer to enjoy the grass and trees on the Thames Path as it passes along the South Bank in front of the ITV studios between Blackfriars and Waterloo Bridges. Here the path is under a lovely canopy of trees but this is the very spot where the Garden Bridge is […]

There are moves to find the body of Henry I who is buried in Reading. The main report is in The Daily Telegraph. Henry I was the son of William the Conqueror and brother of William II. Henry died in France on 1 December 1135 and his body was buried a month later, on 4 […]

The Sunday Times list of 20 top teashops complied by baker Louise Johncox includes two on the Thames Path. The feature in the magazine recommends The Maids of Honour at Kew, famous for its secret recipe Tudor tarts. Also highlighted is Burgers at Marlow which for many is the natural place for tea after a day’s walk.

Thames Path pioneer David Sharp has died at the age of 89. David Sharp, a superb draughtsman, artist and writer, lived yards from the River Thames in Barnes. He was responsible for the look of Ramblers’ Association (as The Ramblers was known) and Open Spaces Society publications but his lasting legacy is the Thames Path. […]

The Tudor Pull today Saturday 16 May 2015 will see Thames Watermen’s cutters rowed down the Thames from Hampton Court Palace to the Tower of London.  Craft include the Royal Barge. More details on the London SE1 website.