Updates

Poet Percy B Shelley was drowned at sea and cremated on an Italian beach 200 years ago. The anniversary of his death is Friday 8 July. Shelley was more used to the waters of the River Thames and places associated with him can be found in the upper and lower reaches. He first lived with […]

The Royal Barge Gloriana is part of the Tudor Pull on Saturday when cutters take part in a 25 mile row down the Thames from Hampton Court Palace to the Tower of London.

Music before the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee service of thanksgiving at St Paul’s Cathedral included First Suite in E flat for Military Band by Gustav Holst. This was composed upstream in 1909 at Barnes where the Thames Path passes the house with the blue plaque recording that composer ‘Gustav Holst lived here 1908-1913’. He was also […]

The path diversion at Greenwich, announced last year and postponed in April, is suddenly in place until October. DIVERSION On passing the Cutty Sark (left) go left inland towards the town centre. On reaching Welland Street (right; flanked by toilets and M&S Food) go right. Walk to the end of this road and continue ahead […]

This year is the 800th anniversary of the Synod of Oxford held at Osney Abbey which stood by the Thames next to today’s Osney Lock. The gathering at Oxford in 1222 was a special church council for all England with Archbishop of Canterbury Stephen Langton, of Magna Carta fame, in the chair. It has been […]

North Meadow alongside the Thames Path at Cricklade has the largest number of the rare Snakeshead fritillary. Now is suddenly peak time for seeing the flowering. Most of the fritillaries are purple although in the last fifty years there has been an increase in the number of white flowers. Within living memory the flowers were […]

After the surprise approval for the high buildings on London’s South Bank TV studio site there is news of another possible change downstream. Bankside’s ancient Anchor pub could be overshadowed by LandSec’s Red Lion Court plan. The redevelopment would have the former Financial Times building on its upstream side. The original riverside Anchor inn existed […]

The former London Television Centre on London’s South Bank is due to be replaced by high buildings. ITV has vacated the existing building although the river backdrop still appears on ITV London news programmes. London Television Centre was home to Carlton, LWT and GMTV. ITV’s This Morning also had a live river backdrop when broadcasting […]

You can now expect to find the St Saviour’s Dock Bridge open during the day. The bridge takes the Thames Path from Bermondsey Wall to Butler’s Wharf just downstream of Tower Bridge. There has been four years of on and off closure with a two month diversion announced last autumn. FM Conway, the infrastructure services […]

This year is the 150th anniversary of William Morris signing the tenancy of Kelmscott Manor which makes it appropriate for the V&A to publish a new edition of its William Morris exhibition catalogue. It is 25 years since the exhibition was staged for the William Morris centenary but interest has only increased with new discoveries […]