Pub History along the River Thames.
The pub history site now covers all of England, except large
parts are still missing!
I thought a little amble along the River Thames may be of interest. The River
Thames appears to have a source about five kilometres west of Lechlade, in
Gloucestershire. According to Google maps, there appear to be feeder rivers,
i.e. the river Rey and river Key at this point, just south of Marston Meysey.
According to my sources the first pub along the river is the
Red Lion,
Castle Eaton, in Wiltshire; then a short distance to the
George inn, Kempsford, in Gloucestershire; and then onwards to
Lechlade,
Gloucestershire.
# I have completed some research on the Red Lion, in Castle Eaton. The first
clear entry is in 1871 for a licensed premises (probably the Red Lion); and
before this the area is marsh and pit grounds, i.e. not navigable. I still think
it it is the pub at the source of the Thames. I am often wrong, terll me about
it, or send me pictures for the pub history site.
The Thames winds along through a series of Locks, past the
Anchor
at Eaton Hastings, in Berkshire; and past the
Trout,
Tadpole Bridge, Berkshire; then starts heading northwards, passing the Ferry,
Bablock Hythe, Oxfordshire; and heading towards
Eynsham, in Oxfordshire; and then
Oxford itself.
I am yet to confirm which pub the Ferry refers to at Bablock Hythe; and am now
certain it was in fact later called the
Chequers.
The River Thames then takes a southern passage down to
Abingdon, in
Berkshire' and then eastwards past
Appleford,
Long
Wittenham, including the
Barley
Mow, at Clifton; meandering around
Dorchester and
Warborough, we are again back
in Oxfordshire, past Shillingford and
Benson; then southwards past
Moulsford,
in Berkshire; and
Wallingford. Through South Stoke,
Goring on Thames, and
Whitchurch , which is opposite
Pangbourne.
We skirt north of Purley on Thames, and
Reading; then
through Sonning.
The next stop along the river Thames is
Wargrave,
Shiplake, and
Henley on Thames, Hambledon,
Hurley, and
Marlow,
in Buckinghamshire; and Cookham, Berkshire - e.g. the
Ferry
Hotel.
Then south via
Taplow
and Maidenhead
on either side of the Thames; past
Bray, and then
Windsor and
Old Windsor.
After passing through Runnymede, we arrive at
Egham, Surrey,
quickly followed by
Staines, in
Middlesex. In Middlesex, as it is nearing London, we have Laleham,
Chertsey,
Shepperton,
Walton on Thames,
Sunbury,
Hampton, Hurst park, Hampton Court, and
Kingston upon Thames. The Thames
passes
Teddington and into
Twickenham,
and up through
Richmond.
The Thames passes the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, passes
Mortlake,
and through
Chiswick. Under Hammersmith Bridge, and
Hammermsmith,
Putney Bridge and
Putney, Wandsworth Bridge and
Wandsworth,
Battersea Bridge with
Battersea and
Chelsea on
either side.
London gets a bit mad, and includes Lambeth, Vauxhall, etc; and I will spend a
little more time on this area; and update this page properly at a later date....
....
The River Thames passes
Deptford, and
then
Greenwich on the south bank of the river, whilst we have Millwall and the
Isle of dogs, on the northern side; and then Blackwall. As the Thames passes
over the current Blackwall Tunnel, we pass
Silvertown
on the northern bank and
Woolwich
to the south.
Beckton (north) and Thamesmead to the south, before we pass through
Dagenham
marsh area,
Barking Reach, and Erith to the south. Next comes the
Rainham
marshes, a conservation area, and originally a river side resort for Londoners,
then Purfleet and its marshes and industry just before reaching the Dartford
river crossing.
The River Thames continues towards the North Sea, and English Channel; passing
Thurrock to the north and Greenhithe to the south. It reaches Tilbury Docks, and
the newly constructed Ebbsfleet area, passes Gravesend (south); and finally
before the sea, there is the brand new gateay to Europe and the World - the DP
World London Gateway Port.
Probably the last land before the sea is Canvey Island in Essex, and Sheerness
in Kent.
Here is a good
cross-reference site for riverside pubs.