We are all familiar with modern locks of the sort found on canals and rivers today. Two sets of gates, and a space between from which, or into which, water can be removed or added by mechanical means. Once the water level has risen or fallen (as required) the vessel can proceed. Medieval (and early… Continue reading Medieval locks – the sort found on rivers, not doors.
Tag: Thames
The many wonders of medieval Caversham
Caversham is just across the Thames from Reading. The present bridge carrying the main road between the two places is modern, but it is more or less on the site of a medieval stone and timber bridge, dating from between 1163 and 1231. Sources vary as to whether it had one, two or three chapels,… Continue reading The many wonders of medieval Caversham
The mouth of the Fleet River once looked like this….?
Well, it’s hard to imagine now, because the Fleet is underground for most of its lower length, but Henry VIII once had a palace here, where the Fleet flows into the Thames. Bridewell Palace was favoured by him early in his reign, but later became the notorious Bridewell Prison, on account of which many institutions… Continue reading The mouth of the Fleet River once looked like this….?
The coronation of Elizabeth of York….
Here is a description of the coronation of Elizabeth of York, which took place on 25 November 1487:- “….Another magnificent procession was that in which Elizabeth, Henry VII.’s Queen, and, in the minds of many, the lawful heiress of the Crown, received her Coronation, when the King perceived that there would be discontent until that… Continue reading The coronation of Elizabeth of York….
Oh, to be a mudlark on the Thames foreshore, and find a priceless Richard III artefact….
As Ricardians, we know only too well that moment when we were first inspired by Richard III’s story. It just happens, out of nowhere, and remains forever as strong as that first second. The thought of becoming a detectorist and finding something exciting from Richard’s time is enticing, but (to me) what is even more… Continue reading Oh, to be a mudlark on the Thames foreshore, and find a priceless Richard III artefact….
The Walbrook – river of mystery…!
Ah, what a romantic picture the title of this post conjures. It is certainly not descriptive of the now invisible Walbrook , which had to be covered because it stank so much. Well, the smell was one of the reasons for it being enclosed. I have recently been researching the Walbrook’s exact course. Or, at… Continue reading The Walbrook – river of mystery…!
London: 2000 years of history (channel 5)
Who let Dan Jones out? At least, as in his last outing, he is accompanied both by a historian (Suzannah Lipscomb) and an engineer (Rob Bell), narrating and illustrating almost two millennia of the city’s past. In the first episode, we were taken through the walled city of “Londinium” being built and rebuilt after Boudicca’s… Continue reading London: 2000 years of history (channel 5)
Dick Turpin and his contemporaries
Inspired by this Kindred Spirits post, I began by reflecting on the fact that Richard (Dick) Turpin and Richard Neville, Earl of Salisbury and thus Richard III’s uncle, were both executed in York. Turpin had relatively few connections in the north, but many with Essex, from his education near Saffron Walden to his nefarious activities… Continue reading Dick Turpin and his contemporaries
Not just the Thames; London has many hidden rivers….
This article begins: “London is usually seen as a one-river city, just big old Father Thames. The city breathes with the rise and fall of its tide, and for centuries the Thames has posed patiently for tourist drawings, etchings and photos. But what of London’s other rivers, the capital’s unseen waterways? Twenty-one tributaries flow… Continue reading Not just the Thames; London has many hidden rivers….
Where at Sheen was Richard II’s private pavilion at La Neyt…?
The above is the only illustration I can find that might be part of the original palace at Sheen. Or, it could be part of Richmond Palace. Tracing details of the original royal palace at Sheen, on the banks of the Thames, is not an easy task, because its Tudor replacement, Richmond Palace, rather steals the… Continue reading Where at Sheen was Richard II’s private pavilion at La Neyt…?
murreyandblue 