From the earliest days until the mid-18th century the Thames was the preferred route for travelling east-west across London, and a barrier which had to be crossed by boat to travel north-south. By boat, because the roads were very poor and there was only one bridge. In 1510 Henry VIII set up a licencing system for watermen, or wherrymen, and in 1555 the watermen were incorporated to control tariffs and impose safety regulations. In 1700 the watermen joined forces with the lightermen (who carried cargo rather than passengers) to form the Company of Watermen and Lightermen. See also Doggett's Coat and Badge.
This section lists the memorials where the subject on this page is commemorated:
Thames watermen
Commemorated ati
wherrymen seat
{On the modern plaque above:} The Ferryman's seat located on previous buildin...
Other Subjects
Bawley fishing boat
Whitebait were caught by this type of craft in the River Thames, until 1950. The picture source website tells us that the Bawley is a variation of the 'smack' type of ship. The name "is probably de...
City Road Basin
Part of the Regent's Canal. Built in 1820 to allow boats to moor and unload cargo, initially brought long distance but it soon became used primarily to transport local coal and building materials. ...
Hansom cab
Invented and patented by Joseph Hansom. This horse-drawn carriage, or cabriolet, had larger wheels and a lower cab,with the driver sitting behind, giving it greater stability and increased speed, w...
Comments are provided by Facebook, please ensure you are signed in here to see them