Maritime London gallery

This large facsimile of an illustration from 1845 shows a view from Vauxhall Bridge to Greenwich as seen from the south bank of the river. Points of interest show the rich variety of activity on the River Thames at the time, from the Palace of Westminster to the Lion Brewery, Greenwich Hospital to Millbank Penitentiary.  

Until the 19th century, the easiest way to get around London was by boat. This is a model of a waterman's skiff, a small open wooden boat for carrying people.

Once a common sight on the River Thames, a waterman's skiff was like a taxi. You could hire one, and the waterman rowed you to the river stairs closest to where you wanted to go. 

As new and larger docks were built, more and more big ships used the river. The river got very busy and it became risky for people to travel in small rowing boats. All these things meant that the watermen's work changed: instead of rowing passengers in skiffs, they took lighters full of cargo up and down the river.

The Pool of London is a stretch of the River Thames downstream from London Bridge. Traditionally the centre of activity on the river, it was always crowded with ships, barges and lighters.

Sometimes though, shipping was trapped in the Pool when the Thames froze over. The river has remained largely free of ice since the 'Great Frost' of February 1895.