Thames Collection

Cleopatras Needle and Shell Mex House, London. Date: circa 1940

Greenwich Reach

View of a frost fair on the River Thames, London, 1814. Three Cranes Wharf is on the left. 1814 saw the last frost fair to be held on the Thames in London

Swan Upping Flags
Swans on the Thames are chiefly the property of the companies of Dyers and Vintners, and of the Queen. Here the boats fly the flags of those companies. Date: 1930s

HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, 1845
Engraving showing HMS Erebus (left) and HMS Terror, pictured on the River Thames, 1845. In 1845 the British Admiralty sent two polar exploration ships, HMS Erebus and HMS Terror

HMS Belfast moored near Tower Bridge on the Thames, London, England, United Kingdom, Europe

Isambard Kingdom Brunel Standing Before the Launching Chains of the Great Eastern, 1857, printed 1863-64

England, Oxfordshire, Henley-on-Thames, Boathouses and Rowers on River Thames

Boulter's Lock, River Thames, Maidenhead, Berkshire
Entrance to Boulter's Lock, River Thames, Maidenhead, Berkshire - Painted by landscape artist Alfred Robert Quinton for the Sevenoaks based publishing and printing company J

A Dalek emerges from the river Thames at the jetty near Battersea Church Road
in a scene from Daleks Invasion Earth 2150 AD

Tate & Lyle Refinery
A coastal barge sailing by the famous Tate and Lyle sugar refinery works, Plaistow Wharf, off Silvertown, North Woolwich, east London

Folly Ditch, Jacobs Island, (c1878). Creator: Unknown
Folly Ditch, Jacobs Island, (c1878). Jacobs Island, a notorious slum on the south bank of the River Thames in Bermondsey, London, was made famous in Charles Dickenss novel Oliver Twist

One of the Famly - a horse joins a family meal
One of the Family by Frederick George Cotman (original in the Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool). Cotman painted this romantic scene of rustic domestic life at the Black Boy Inn at Hurley on Thames

Krakatoa sunsets, 1883 artworks
Krakatoa sunsets. Artwork of the spectacular red and orange sunsets caused in London, England, by the August 1883 eruption of Krakatoa, a volcano thousands of kilometres away in Indonesia

Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire, England, United Kingdom, Europe

Thames Mudlarks
Barefoot mudlarks scavenging in the Thames at low water

Battersea Power Station
The chimneys of Battersea Power Station, view across the River Thames, from Chelsea Reach, London

Marlow, Buckinghamshire, England, United Kingdom, Europe

Westminster Bridge and St Thomas Hospital, London Date: circa 1885

LCC-LFB fireboat Massey Shaw, Westminster, London
A publicity photograph of the Massey Shaw fireboat with the Houses of Parliament in the background, used by the London County Council to promote the London Fire Brigade in its publications

THAMES BARGE SARA
Calm waters, a fine impression of the sailing barge Sara on the River Thames, England. Date: 1960s

River Thames and Windsor Castle, Windsor, Berkshire, England, United Kingdom, Europe

View over the Thames from Richmond Hill, Richmond, Surrey, England, United Kingdom, Europe

Henley on Thames, Bridge and River Boat, Oxfordshire, England

Thames Sailing Barge
A Thames sailing barge is a type of commercial sailing boat once common on the River Thames in London. The flat-bottomed barges with a shallow draught and leeboards

Royal Hospital, Chelsea - The Colonnade Date: circa 1910s

Old London Bridge, about 1630, (c1900-1920). A print after a model constructed by John B Thorpe, from Art History and Literature Illustrations, by Jessie Noakes, Virtue and Co, (London, c1900-1920)

Henley Regatta
A stylised illustration of a view at Henley Regatta, started in 1839 by a local solicitor and one of the highlights of the summer social calendar being the most famous rowing event of the year

Cookham Dean / Berks / 1920
Cookham Dean, Berkshire: Thames ferry Date: 1920

The Prospect of Whitby
Painting of the famous old down river inn in Shadwell whose door opens onto Wapping Wall. Said to have a long history, it was claimed that pirates were hanged there. The pub still exists today

River Thames at Abingdon, Oxfordshire, England, United Kingdom, Europe

Kingston-Upon-Thames
The Market Place, Kingston- upon-Thames, Surrey, England, on a busy market day

Thames / Wapping Old Stair
A busy scene at Wapping Old Stairs

Punch cartoon: Faraday Giving His Card to Father Thames (engraving)
6034701 Punch cartoon: Faraday Giving His Card to Father Thames (engraving) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Punch cartoon: Faraday Giving His Card to Father Thames)

London, The Shard and Tower Bridge
UK, England, London, River Thames, The Shard and Tower Bridge

Hammersmith Bridge, west London, was the first suspension bridge over the River Thames. It was designed by noted civil engineer Sir Joseph Bazalgette. Date: completed 1887

UK, London, The City, Waterloo Bridge over River Thames
UK, London, The City and St. Pauls Cathedral, Waterloo Bridge over River Thames

St Pauls Cathedral and the Millennium Bridge, London, England, United Kingdom, Europe

The Sharp Family, 1779-1781, (1942). Creator: Johan Zoffany
The Sharp Family, 1779-1781, (1942). Portrait of the musical and aptly named Sharps aboard their sailing barge Apollo on the River Thames at Fulham in London: Mary Lloyd-Baker (nee Sharp)

Old pub on the River Thames, London, 1926-1927. An old tavern on the riverside at Limehouse. Illustration from Wonderful London, edited by Arthur St John Adcock, Volume I

Eel Pie Island from Twickenham
View of Eel Pie island on the Tideway at Twickenham. Date: 1938

Thames Barges 1907
Thames barges with their masts lowered, on the Medway at Maidstone, Kent. Back of the ancient Palace, the Church and Old College

Festival of Britain
The brand new Royal Festival Hall and South Bank Exhibition with the Dome of Discovery on the right, seen from across the river Thames

GWR Publicity Poster, London, 1946
The poster was produced by the GWR just after the Second World War. It was designed by Frank Henry Mason. The huge dome of St Pauls Cathedral dominates the skyline

Agas Map of London, c1561. Sheet 10, showing part of Southwark, London Bridge, ships on the River Thames, part of the City of London and the Tower of London with its moat

HMS Brazen, passing through Tower Bridge
HMS Brazen, Royal Navy Frigate ship leaving London, passing through Tower Bridge

Maidenhead bridge & Skindles hotel
The riverside town of Maidenhead in Berkshire showing the seven-arched bridge constructed in 1772 and the famous Skindles hotel, known in former days as the Orkney Arms

An Exact Delineation of the cities of London and Westminster and the suburbs (engraving)
XJF2639696 An Exact Delineation of the cities of London and Westminster and the suburbs (engraving) by Faithorne, William (1616-91) (after); Private Collection; (add.info)

LFDCA-LFB Lambeth HQ and Lambeth river station
A modernised Lambeth river fire station and the new fireboat London Phoenix, seen here from the north bank of the River Thames

Tower of London in the late Middle Ages
London during the time of Henry VII (1457-1509). Color lithograph reproduction of an illuminated manuscript: Roy 16F, ii

Tomblesons Panoramic Map of the Thames and Medway (engraving)
587722 Tomblesons Panoramic Map of the Thames and Medway (engraving) by English School, (19th century); Private Collection; (add.info.: Tomblesons Panoramic Map of the Thames and Medway)

Henley Regatta 1903
By the river during the Henley Regatta. Date: 1903

The New Zealander, 1872. Creator: Gustave Doré
The New Zealander, 1872. A figure sits on the banks of the River Thames contemplating the downfall of the city. From, " LONDON. A Pilgrimage" by Gustave Dore and Blanchard Jerrold

View of London, 1926-1927. Artist: Captain Alfred G Buckham
View of London, 1926-1927. A biplane flies over the River Thames. Illustration from Wonderful London, volume I, edited by Arthur St John Adcock, published by Amalgamated Press (London, 1926-1927)

Consequences, illustration by William Heath Robinson
Consequences -- How the thoughtlessness of a butterfly seriously affected a bishops corn, illustration by William Heath Robinson. Credit must appear as: Courtesy of Mrs J. C

Picture No. 10741291
England - Aerial view, Mapledurham and River Thames, Berkshire Date:

LCC-LFB Warehouse fire, Butlers Wharf, Bermondsey
A major docklands fire at Butlers Wharf, Bermondsey, SE London. It happened during a particularly cold spell for March. The attack on the fire by a large number of firefighters

HMS Thunderer at Dagenham, Essex
HMS Thunderer (launched 1911) was the third Orion-class battleship built for the Royal Navy and the last vessel to be constructed by Thames Ironworks

UK, London, The City, Waterloo Bridge over River Thames
UK, London, The City and St. Pauls Cathedral, Waterloo Bridge over River Thames

Pool of London / Shipping
A busy scene on the river Thames in the Pool of London between London Bridge and Tower Bridge; a ship (Cyprian Prince ?) is moored at the riverside

Thames Embankment / Gas
The Thames Embankment, London, on a foggy evening - the lamplighter just lighting the gas lamps

London arms and seals
The Arms and Common Seals of the Metropolitan Boroughs of London and of the City of London, with a block map showing their boundaries

Panorama of the City of London, 1710. Artist
Panorama of the City of London, 1710. View of the City of London from the south bank of the River Thames with the Royal arms in the top left and the City arms in the top right

The Thames Tunnel between Wapping and Rotherhithe, designed and constructed by Marc Isambard Brunel. circa 1840s

Frost Fair / London 1814
LONDON - Frost fair on the River Thames. Date: 1814

Tower Bridge jams in summer heat
Tower Bridge, London, jams when the metal expands in the summer heat on 2 July 1968. The bridge is closed for two hours while firefighters cool it down with their hoses

The Cutty Sark in dry-dock, Falmouth, 1938
Photograph showing the clipper ship Cutty Sark in dry-dock at Falmouth in 1938. The ship was being prepared for what was predicted to be her last journey - under tow

Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, Westminster Bridge, Thames, London, England, United Kingdom

TURNER: BURNING PARLIAMENT. The Burning of the Houses of Lords and Commons, 16th October 1834. Oil on canvas, 1834-35, by Joseph Mallord William Turner

London in fog - a real Pea Souper. The statue of Queen Boudicca of the Iceni on the banks of the River Thames at Westminster at is rended into dramatic silhouette

London and the Thames (15th c. ). Gothic art
London and the Thames (15th c.). Gothic art. Miniature Painting

Frost Fair on the Thames by Pauline Baynes
Illustration painted for Holly Leaves by Pauline Baynes showing Londoners in 1683-4 enjoying the delights of the Frost Fair on the frozen River Thames

PUTNEY, London
The Star & Garter, a riverside pub at Putney

Gravesend / Milton C1840?
Gravesend, Kent: proposed development at Milton-on-Thames at the Royal Terrace Pier and Gardens

River Thames, Tower Bridge and HMS Belfast, London, England, UK, Europe

Dawn over Battersea Power Station and Chelsea Bridge, London, England, United Kingdom, Europe

Coxless fours on the course, Henley Royal Regatta, Oxfordshire, England, United Kingdom, Europe

A Flood at Staines
Flood water from the river Thames at Staines in Surrey, threatens the premises of Ws Biffen Boat Builder and the gasometer, one of the largest in the world

Silent Highwayman
Death - The Silent Highway-Man of the polluted River Thames

The War of the Worlds
THE WAR OF THE WORLDS The Martian fighting-machines in the Thames Valley

Small boats used in the Dunkirk evacuation, WW2
A convoy of small boats which had been used in the Dunkirk evacuation, seen here on 9 June passing Lambeth Bridge, on the River Thames in London. Date: 1940

Lonsdale Road, Barnes, south-west London, with the River Thames on the left and two pubs on the right -- the Bulls Head and the Watermans Arms. circa 1910

The Harbour Masters office at 74 Narrow Street, Limehouse, London, c1905. Artist
The Harbour Masters office at 74 Narrow Street, Limehouse, London, c1905

For sale as Licensed Images

Choose your image, Select your licence and Download the media

"Exploring the Rich History and Beauty of the Thames" Step back in time to 1845, as HMS Erebus and HMS Terror set sail on their ill-fated Arctic expedition. The Thames witnessed their departure, forever etching their names into its storied waters. Marvel at Isambard Kingdom Brunel's genius as he stands proudly before the launching chains of the Great Eastern. This engineering marvel would go on to revolutionize maritime travel, leaving an indelible mark on the history of the Thames. Travel downstream to Henley-on-Thames in Oxfordshire, where boathouses line its banks and rowers gracefully glide across its shimmering surface. Here, tradition meets athleticism in a picturesque setting that epitomizes English charm. Transport yourself to post-war London with a GWR publicity poster from 1946. Promoting travel along the Thames, it captures a moment of hope and rebuilding after years of turmoil. Delve into Victorian London's underbelly with Folly Ditch and Jacobs Island. These haunting images transport us to a bygone era when poverty-stricken neighborhoods lined the riverbanks – a stark reminder of both hardship and resilience. Discover another side of life along the Thames with mudlarks – individuals who scavenge for treasures amidst its muddy shores. Their stories offer glimpses into centuries past, connecting us intimately with this iconic waterway's heritage. Witness elegance personified aboard THAMES BARGE SARA as it glides effortlessly through choppy waters. A symbol of trade and commerce throughout history, these barges were vital lifelines for transporting goods along this majestic river. Immerse yourself in industrial grandeur at Tate & Lyle Refinery – an architectural masterpiece rising above the riverbank skyline. Its towering presence reminds us how industry has shaped not only London but also our relationship with this mighty watercourse. Ascend Richmond Hill in Surrey for breathtaking views over the meandering Thames.