LYCOS RETRIEVER 
River Thames: History
built 269 days ago
The barge that bore the body of British World War Two leader Winston Churchill down the River Thames during his state funeral 40 years ago failed to sell at auction. "Havengore" had been expected to fetch over 1 million pounds ($1.8 million), but bidding ran aground at 780,000 pounds and it was withdrawn from sale. Havengore, 87 feet long and 17 feet wide, entered the annals of history on January 30, 1965 when it carried Churchill's flag-draped coffin past dock cranes with their jibs lowered in tribute to the nation's war hero.
Source:
The River Thames travels 215 miles through southeast England. When compared with other rivers, such as the mighty Mississippi or the mysterious Nile, the River Thames may appear small. However, what it lacks in size, it makes up for in history.
Source:
Many conservationists hope that the world-wide attention given to the Thames River whale will help bolster support for the marine mammals. Once tests are completed, the whale's body will be given to the Natural History Museum, which will clean the bones and preserve them for scientific research. See "What will happen to the whale now?," BBC News, 1/23/06.
Source:
Poet John Burns describes the River Thames as 'liquid history' because of all the important figures in England's past who have lived nearby. The famous river is captured in classic black and white, with the Big Ben clock tower glowing in the distance.
Source:
Where Two Rivers Meet by Adam Stout , ISBN 0 9523701 0 7 :31 pages, Published by Two Rivers Press 1994 A history of the area where the Kennet joins the Thames. Order now from .
Source:
It is sad that the Severn, Britain's longest navigable river, has so few reminders of its trading history afloat, or even in existence. The shallow river barges that once sailed over 170 miles upriver beyond Shrewsbury to Welshpool all disappeared back in the 1890's, whilst the local style of down-river sailing barge, the Severn 'Trow' is now only represented by the restored 'Spry' preserved at the Ironbridge Gorge Museum, and a few rotting wrecks. A few of the handsome steel barges that replaced them survive as dredging lighters, but it is difficult to imagine that the Severn Navigation was busy until well after the second world war.
Source:
MORE ABOUT
History