Where In England Is The River Thames? Find Out More Here

The Thames is one of the longest rivers not only in England but the whole world, flowing from Gloucestershire to central London before flowing into the vast North Sea through the Thames Estuary.

It has a significant rise and fall as it is the drainage basin for all of London. This river is also the source of many tributaries and is home to several islands.

River Thames, also known as Tamesis or Tamesa in ancient times and as Isis in Oxford, is the principal river in the southern region. Its basin comprises around 3417.5 mi2 (5,500 km2). The Thames is a tidal river in and around London.

The river's upper course drains a generally triangular region bounded on the east and south. The Thames is a confluence of four rivers. These rivers are the Isis, the Churn, the Coln, and the Leach.

Numerous royal homes of former and present English kings, including Hampton Court, Windsor Castle, and Richmond Park, are located along the river banks. There are also many renowned towns along the river, including Oxford, Henley, Eton, London, and Greenwich. Greenwich is home to the Prime Meridian of Longitude.

Though they are currently in disrepair, the docks in the southern part of London formerly saw ships from all over the globe deliver exotic products from all over the world or foreigners rowing in to visit and experience quintessential England and to learn about the history.

King John met a group of barons on Magna Carta Island at Runnymede about 800 years ago. Early villages were located near the junction of the River Cherwell which served as a boundary between the Dobunni to the west side and the Catuvellauni to the east.

The Berkshire Downs meet the Chiltern Hills in the Goring Gap, forming the Thames valley's narrowest section.

Dorney Lake, the Eton College Rowing Center, is an artificial canal adjacent to the river that hosts games and popular activities, including canoe races and rowing regattas. When the glacier melts virtually finished, the rise in sea level was significantly slowed.

Since the beginning of the new century, the rate of sea-level rise has ranged between 0.05 in (1.2 mm) per year to 0.08 in (2.1 mm) per year.

A visit along the river by boat is the best experience. It has both saltwater and freshwater, making it suitable for both saltwater and freshwater fish. Clifton Hampden is a lovely village located on the river banks and it this village is known for it thatched-roof homes.

If you enjoy your time reading this article, why not also know about the oldest river in the world and why do plants need water here on Kidadl?

River Thames, England Facts

The River Thames, known as the River Isis in some areas, is a water flow in southern England that flows through London. It is a lengthy watercourse and is the second-longest in all of the United Kingdom. Continue reading for more fun facts!

This river runs through Oxford, Reading, Windsor, and Henley-on-Thames. The River Thames is also known as the Isis in some areas.

The tideway refers to the river's lower portions, which are named for the river's long tidal stretch up to Teddington lock. This river rises near Gloucestershire's Thames Head and flows further into the North Sea through the Thames Estuary. Greater London is drained by the Thames.

The Thames is crossed by over 200 bridges, some of which include Tower Bridge and the Millennium Bridge. These are some of London's most well-known landmarks, but the great majority are simply a bridge to cross the watercourse such as road bridges or wooden footpath bridges.

The name Thames is believed to be derived from the Latin word 'tamesis', which is possibly derived from the old Celtic word 'tamesas', meaning 'black'.

Lewis Pugh was the first to swim the full length of the watercourse in 2006 to raise awareness about global warming, but he had to run rather than swim the initial portion because the headwater had dried up.

The 1,706 ft (520 m) wide Thames barrier was constructed to protect against dangerous and devastating surge tides.

In the past, the Thames in London would freeze, and Londoners took advantage of this situation by skating on it. Even frost fairs were hosted on its surface in the past, although this has not happened for a long time.

How to pronounce Thames River in London?

The Thames is the UK's second-longest river, but it is one of the most famous because it runs through the center of London. 

Most English speakers outside of the UK pronounce the 'H' in 'Thames'. The watercourse was dubbed Tamesis by the early Romans, who spoke a language without a name. The letter 'H' is commonly silent in many words, similar to how Americans do not pronounce the 'H' in 'herb'. 

The name Thames is possibly derived from the river's Brittonic Celtic name, Tamesas. The exact origins of the name are unknown, but it could have meant 'black' or 'muddied'.  

For non-native speakers, the pronunciation of Thames is often perplexing because it is counter-intuitive. There are two guidelines to follow for its pronunciation.

First, unlike in the word 'thought', the 'th' is not pronounced as it is in English. Instead, the 'th' is simply pronounced as a 'T'. As a result, 'Tems' is the phonetically accurate way to pronounce 'Thames' in English.

History Of Thames River, England

The Thames was a name derived from the earlier-used Brittonic name for the watercourse, 'tamesas' which in Latin was 'tamesis' and gave rise to the contemporary term 'Thames'. It is possible that the name means 'dark'.

The Isis is the name that is given to the Thames when it passes through Oxford. Outside of Oxford, the difference in name has been lost in widespread usage since the early 20th century, and some historians believe the name Isis is just a shortened version of Tamesis, the Latin name for the Thames.

Anne Seymour Damer's Tamesis and Isis sculptures are located on the bridge in Henley-on-Thames. The name Londinium was given to a town on its opposite bank, which derived from the Indo-European word meaning 'large flowing wind stream'.

The Thames Valley, a region of England centered on the river between Oxford and west London, the Thames Gateway, and the vastly overlapping Thames Estuary, which encompasses tidal Thames to the east of London and includes the canal itself, are all named after the waterway.

There is also the Thames path. The Thames path is a common tourist spot.

It flows past Greenwich, a south London area, to investigate a roughly 600-year-old waste dump at the former site of Placentia Palace, the principal house belonging to King Henry VIII, devastated in the 17th century, and the birthplace of Queen Mary I and her half-sister, Queen Elizabeth I.

Walton On Thames, Surrey, England

Walton-on-Thames is a market town, located in the Elmbridge borough in Surrey, England, on the south banks of the Thames. The town itself is primarily made up of upscale suburban streets, with a medieval Celtic town center.

Along with Weybridge, it is one of the major towns in the Elmbridge borough. Walton is situated between the towns of Weybridge and Molesey, 15.3 mi (24.6 km) south of Charing Cross. To the north, the town is bordered by the River Thames.

The ancient settlement was located in the north, while later expansion took place near the railway station in the south. The settlement is located between the famous Sunbury Lock and the equally famous Shepperton Lock on a watercourse that also includes a big loop around the Desborough Island.

Five bridges have crossed the watercourse at Walton, with plans for a sixth in the works. Before the construction of the first bridge, there was a ferry dating back to 15th century.

The redevelopment of Walton town has been dubbed 'The Heart of Walton'. The original town center was erected in the '60s and had grown dilapidated as a result of neglect. Several well-known brands are represented in the center's main area, which is a covered walkway. The public library has been relocated to the heart of the city.

Health Education England, Thames Valley

Health Education England (HEE) serves a single purpose. This is to support the delivery of best healthcare and health improvement to England's patients. Workforces make the concerted effort at the right time and in the right place.

Local providers and commissioners work together to create sustainability and transformation plans to assist and ensure health and care services. They are developed around the needs of people in the Thames Valley area.

These plans indicate how local services are to change and become more sustainable over the next five years, achieving the future ambition of enhanced health, patient care, and NHS efficiency. The STP plans indicate how local services are to change and become sustainable over the upcoming years.

The professional support and well-being program is dedicated to helping aspiring doctors, dentists, and chemists in the Thames Valley achieve their full potential. They are a team of case managers and coaches that prioritize trainee support and well-being.

Enhanced exam support, well-being services, personal coaching and mentoring to meet career and performance development requirements, and workshops and information to promote career choices are just a few of the services they provide.

The Thames Valley region has a significant contribution to vocational training in the United Kingdom and through the training and employment options in the Thames Valley.

NHS England, Thames Valley

The Thames Valley local NHS office handles post-graduate medical and dental education delivery and finance in many places.

It comes under the Health Education England to assist training and development for the multi-professional NHS workforce in the Thames Valley area of England and provide medical and dental trainees.

Its vision is to ensure the implementation of efficient workforce planning and good education and training to produce a highly-skilled, adaptable, and motivated workforce that improves and maintains the health of the Thames Valley population.

The local office is trying to increase the quality of patient care by producing educated and trained doctors and dentists who are motivated to contribute to a first-rate modern health care system.

Being a member of health education, England enables the local offices to benefit from economies of scale and eliminate duplication of effort in order to make the most use of money, also creating a variety of larger regional projects that will boost both the quality of education and training as well as patient care throughout the region.

The local office has kept its own identity and has close ties with the University of Oxford, with whom they have established a clinical academic school. It also includes a well-established and highly renowned professional support and well-being service that takes after doctors who want additional assistance.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy! If you liked reading all these facts about the River Thames, England, then why not take a look at why do we need to conserve water, or learn about the major rivers in Argentina!