The River Thames flows through southern England. While it is best known for flowing through London, the river also flows alongside other towns and cities, including Oxford, Reading, Henley-on-Thames, and Windsor.
The Thames is the longest river entirely in England and the second longest in the United Kingdom, after the River Severn. It rises at Thames Head in Gloucestershire, and flows into the North Sea via the Thames Estuary. On its way, it passes through London, the country's capital, where the river is deep and navigable to ships; the Thames drains the whole of Greater London. Its tidal section, reaching up to Teddington Lock, includes most of its London stretch and has a rise and fall of some 7 metres (23 ft). The etymology of its name is much debated, though the modern English form derives from the Latin 'Tamesis'.
Appearances[]
- Parts of the novel The Sign of Four takes place around the River Thames.
- In the 1944 film The Pearl of Death, The Hoxton Creeper is shot and killed by Holmes, where upon his body falls into the Thames.
- In the 1985 film Young Sherlock Holmes, Holmes duels Professor Rathe in a long battle on the thin ice of the River Thames.
- In the 1986 animated film The Great Mouse Detective, Ratigan throws Fidget off the side of his flying machine and he falls into the Thames.
- In the 2009 Guy Ritchie film Sherlock Holmes, the Thames features in several scenes, including when Sherlock Holmes escapes the mass killing at Westminster Palace by jumping out of a window into the river.
- In the Sherlock episode "The Great Game", Alex Woodbridge's body is discovered on the south bank of the Thames.
- In the Unaired Pilot episode of Sherlock John throws his gun in the Thames after shooting Jeff Hope.
- In the computer game Sherlock Holmes: The Awakened, Holmes and Watson investigate several disappearances which have occurred at docks near the River Thames.
Locations[]
- Westminster Palace is located on the bank of the Thames.
- Tower Bridge is a large suspension drawbridge spanning the Thames.
- The Tower of London is a historic castle on the north bank of the Thames.
- Woolwich Arsenal is an arms manufacture and military base located on the south bank of the Thames.
