River Thames

From Dittopedia

The strategic importance of Thames Ditton

The Thames was and is a royal highway, and much of England's history is connected to it. We know that primitive boats were used on it. Communities grew up at crossings and at convenient points along its banks. Social and commercial traffic must always have been important at the Thames near Thames Ditton. The river also satisfied the human needs of drinking, fishing, and getting rid of dirt and mess. ^[2]

Thames Ditton, with its proximity and access to the river, had advantages in these respects:

• It had landing stages and up to three ferries
• The hard by The Swan was especially busy.
• There was good fishing to be had.
• Hostelries were set up on or near its banks.
• People lived on islands in the river. ^[2]

History

Henry VIII lived at Hampton Court Palace long before there were any locks. The River Thames was then tidal, at least as far as Sunbury, and there were no bridges. Back then, the usual way from Surrey to the King's residence and the surrounding district was by carriage or cart, down the Thames Ditton High Street, over what is now the slipway and, at low tide, straight through the ford to the other side. With the tide in, the ferryman would take you over for a groat or two. At that time, the king would be rowed up from Westminster to his place in the country. The last mile or so would have been on a narrowing, twisting creek, especially at low tide. ^[1]

To effect a grander arrival, he had the river dug out straight, thus leaving the islands separated from their home county, Middlesex. Indeed, the islands were thereafter still treated as being in Middlesex and only moved into Surrey at the county upheaval in 1972. Before there were locks and weirs to control the levels, Summer Road in Thames Ditton would flood at most high tides, and be barely passable at all in the winter months, hence its name. ^[1]

The first wooden bridge over the river at Hampton Court opened in 1753, but there was a toll and the ferries remained -- they were cheaper, and it was quite a way to walk just to reach the bridge from the village. The first, rather rickety, bridge was replaced first by a more substantial timber one, in 1778, and by another, in steel and brick, in 1865; this one lasted until the concrete structure we have today was built in 1933. The Thames locks began to appear late in the 18th century, the last to be built being that at 'Moulsey' (today called Molesey), in 1815. ^[1]

River traffic along the Thames is not quick, particularly given Thames Ditton's notorious bends. Sailing barges made their way successfully, and performed their collections and deliveries. But gradually less attractive craft took over. ^[2]

In 1843, the passenger steamer 'Locomotive' aroused the anger of aristocratic riverside owners such as the de Ros and Bligh families, through her dangerous speed and violent wash, which damaged the banks. About 40 years later, Richard Jefferies complained that noisy tugs pulled dirty great barges. The damage to the river banks necessitated boarding and piling. ^[2]

References

• 1. Wikipedia
• 2. Burchett, P. 1984. A Historical Sketch of THAMES DITTON. Surrey: Thames Ditton and Weston Green Residents' Association. ISBN 0-904-81120-4.

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