Which river flows through London?
The River Thames flows through London. At about 346 kilometers long, it is the longest river entirely in England, running from the Cotswolds to the North Sea.
The Thames begins in the Cotswold Hills of Gloucestershire and flows east through Oxford, Reading and Windsor before reaching London. In London, it is a tidal river, rising and falling by several meters twice a day. It meets the North Sea through a wide estuary east of the city.
London grew up around the Thames after the Romans founded Londinium around AD 47, building a bridge near today's London Bridge. Famous landmarks along the river include the Houses of Parliament, the London Eye, the Tower of London, Tower Bridge and Shakespeare's Globe Theatre.
A cleaner river
In 1858, the Thames smelled so bad from sewage that the summer became known as the Great Stink, which led to the building of London's sewer system. The river was declared biologically dead in 1957, but it has since recovered, and seals and porpoises are now seen in it.
Did You Know?
The Thames Barrier, completed in 1982, is one of the largest movable flood barriers in the world and protects London from storm surges.