thames barrier trip

THAMES BARRIER EXPERIENCE ITINERARY

Thames barrier experience route.

HOW TO GET TO EMBANKMENT PIER

The nearest train stations to Embankment Pier are Embankment Station and Charing Cross Rail. Embankment Pier is located just beneath the Golden Jubilee Footbridge. Walking thorough Embankment Station towards the River Thames, the Pier is located directly opposite the station exit. As you enter and proceed down the walkway, look to the western end of the pier and you will see our kiosk located there.

GET READY FOR THE TRIP!

All passengers need to be at the pier 15 minutes before their trip departure time. Wearing of life jackets is required to onboard. The 15 minutes prior to you trip involved a necessary safety briefing about how to wear and use the life jackets.

Passengers will not be allowed to touch the life jackets before the safety brief is given. These life jackets are emergency life saving equipment; if a passenger inflates a life jacket in a situation other than an emergency, a £75 fee will be charged.

GUIDED COMMENTARY THROUGH CENTRAL LONDON

The Thames Barrier Experience starts with a cruise along the River Thames, the passengers will be able to view all the iconic landmarks from Westminster to Tower Bridge.

Our guides provide a live guided commentary about the sights. We assure that you will learn a lot about the River Thames and share at least a few laughs and smiles along the way.

During this commentary the boat navigates at an average of 10knots. There is a speed limit in the central area of the river of 12knots; the high-speed can only begin once we pass Tower Bridge.

This guided commentary will last around 20 minutes.

1 – Westminster Abbey

Since 1066, it has been the location of the coronations of 40 English and British monarchs. Gothic architecture of the church is chiefly inspired by French and English styles from the 13th century.

2 – Palace of Westminster (Houses of Parliament)

Gothic-Revival style inspired palace, many themes of 14th–16th century ‘Perpendicular Gothic’ can be seen. Substantially rebuilt after the deviating Parliament fire of 1834. A visit to London in incomplete until viewing this spectacular sight.

3 – London Eye

The London Eye is Europes tallest Ferris Wheel at 443 feet tall, and by far the most successful tourist attraction in the UK, with over 3.5 million tickets are sold for the London Eye every year. A real money spinner!

4 – Royal Horseguards Hotel (Whitehall Place)

Architecturally inspired by a style known as ‘French Chateau,’ this has gained the building listed-status. The hotel is famed for hosting diplomats while conducting their missions in the governance district around Whitehall.

5 – Cleopatra’s Needle

One of two of 3,500 year old Obelisks originating in Ancient Cairo, the pair were separated when the Khedive  of  Egypt  and ruler of  Sudan  Isma’il Pasha decided to offer the artefacts to America and Britain. The other now stands in Central Park, New York.

6 – Somerset House

A Neoclassical complex dating to 1776, built on the site of a Tudor palace “Old Somerset House.” The central arch was designed to allow vessels to pass through, to dock directly at the building’s front, which stood directly on the Thames until the Victoria Embankment was constructed in the late 1860s.

7 – Oxo Tower

An old  power station built to supply electricity to the Royal Mail post office in the late 1800s. The manufacturers of  Oxo  beef stock cubes purchased the building in the 1920s and largely rebuilt to an Art Deco design and famously circumvented then-prohibited advertising on the Thames front, by ‘coincidentally’ including two noughts and a cross in the design of the windows.

8 – St Paul’s Cathedral

An English Baroque, Anglican Cathedral completed in 1710 by architect Sir Christoper Wren, after the Great Fire of London destroyed the original St. Pauls. Considered his masterpiece, across London there are 51 churches and other grand buildings which Wren was commissioned to build.

9 – Tate Modern

Another converted old power-station, the Tate Modern is one of the worlds largest art galleries and has a huge collection of art on display that can be viewed completely for free.

10 – Shakespeare’s Globe

The only building in London today since the Great Fire of 1666 that is allowed by law a thatch roof in its construction. The drive behind the construction of this beautiful replica was Sam Wanamaker, who founded Shakespeare Globe Trust and the International Shakespeare Globe Centre, ultimately leading to the construction of more theatres based on this design around the world.

11 – London Bridge

Slightly underwhelming in appearance, the London Bridge crossing cannot be overlooked as an important feature of the city’s historical and contemporary infrastructure. Bridges of varying designs have stood in this area consistently for approximately 2000 years. An important place to visit in London, if not only to discover that the attention-grabbing bridge further down river, is not in fact the one often assumed to be called London Bridge!

12 – The Shard

Inspired by the masts of sailing ships, Renzo Piano designed The Shard as a spire-like sculpture emerging from the River Thames and completed construction in 2012. The building features 11,000 panes of glass, with a total surface area of 56,000.0 m 2 equivalent to the area of almost eight Wembley football pitches.

13 – HMS Belfast

Built in the same shipyard as the Titanic, HMS Belfast was present during the D-Day landings of 1944. Now part of the Imperial War Museums and proves a very interesting day out.

14 – The Gherkin

St Mary’s Axe, more commonly known as ‘The Gherkin’, was opened at the end of May 2004. Designed to reduce the need for artificial light, the architect Norman Foster built this with the environment in mind.

15 – The Tower of London

What’s the most famous date in British history? 1066. The race for the English Crown after the death of the childless Edward the Confessor came to a head at the Battle of Hastings, where William the Conqueror became the last person to ever successfully invade Britain.

16 – Tower Bridge

Officially known as His Majesty’s Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London. The White Tower, which gives the entire castle its name, was built by William the Conqueror in 1078 and was a resented symbol of oppression.

We will take onboard pictures with Tower Bridge and the City of London in the background. These pictures will be available to purchase at the kiosk later.

It’s time for High Speed!

After the photo stop at Tower Bridge, the high-speed adventure starts. Our 740HP twin V8 engines, will power the vessel up to a maximum of 30 knots (35mph)! During this exciting high-speed journey you will see the following sights.

The High-Speed will last around 30 minutes.

17 – Canary Wharf

The West India Docks, once the busiest port in the world, were left near to derelict after the inland waterways docking industry suffered a heavy and rapid demise following the containerisation of cargo ships. One Canada Square, at 235 metres is the tallest building in the area and stood as the tallest in the UK from 1991 to 2012.

18 – Maritime Greenwich

Greenwich is a royal borough, with many sights to behold such as the Old Royal Naval College and the Royal Observatory. The White House positioned through the towers of the Naval College is the site on which Henry VIII was born.

19 – The O2

The Millennium Dome opened to the public on time on 1st January 2000 with a huge exhibition. Built around the theme ‘Time’ by Richard Rogers, it represents the divisions of the year; 12 support beams, the marquee stands 52 metres in height, and 365 metres across.

20 – Thames Barrier

An ever increasing threat to London, when the Thames floods it is more than just the river banks that are broken. The 1953 storm surge cost London an estimated £1 billion.

Now we are going back to Embankment

Once the Thames Barrier is crossed, we will slow down and get ready to make the journey all the way back to Embankment.

This time our guides will not make the live commentary and you will enjoy music until we reach the pier. If you are celebrating a special occasion, this is the best moment to let your guide know!

Returning back to the pier will last around 20 minutes, enjoy the sights and remember to take a look at your photos at the kiosk!

SOUVENIRS AVAILABLE

We have limited edition merchandise available at our kiosk, as well as hard-copy and digital photos which capture the moment you & your crew embark on the invigorating, full-throttle speed section of your trip. Have a look what we have on offer!

BOOK YOUR EXPERIENCE NOW!

Please Call: 020 3245 1177 or Book Online

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EXPERIENCES

Canary Wharf Experience

Thames Barrier Experience

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Ultimate RIB Blast at the O2

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Tower to Embankment Transfer

Embankment to Tower Transfer

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• Environment
• River maintenance, flooding and coastal erosion

The Thames Barrier

How the Thames Barrier works, and when it is scheduled to close.

Applies to England

The Thames Barrier is one of the largest movable flood barriers in the world. The Environment Agency runs and maintains the Thames Barrier as well as London’s other flood defences.

• follow us on X (formerly Twitter) @AlanBarrierEA
• read our gov.uk blog posts.
• like our Facebook page

Forthcoming scheduled closures

Planned tests of the thames barrier 2024.

The Barrier is operated once a month for maintenance and test purposes. Details of the next planned closures are listed below:

• Thursday 14 March 2024, 09:40 to 12:10
• Thursday 11 April 2024, 09:40 to 12:10
• Wednesday 8 May 2024, 07:55 to 10.25
• Monday 10 June 2024, 09:40 to 12:10
• Tuesday 9 July 2024, 09:35 to 12:05
• Thursday 8 August 2024, 09:50 to 12:20
• Monday 9 September 2024, 10:50 to 13:20
• Sunday 6 October 2024, 09:30 to 19:30

The annual closure of the Barrier is scheduled on Sunday 6 October 2024, from 9.30am to 7.30pm.

Note these times may change as a result of a particular experiment or test that engineers need to carry out or because of the weather. The closure and reopening of the gates may start up to an hour before the listed times. Occasionally, closures may be cancelled at short notice due to the Thames Barrier being closed in that month for flood defence purposes or navigational reasons. If you plan to come and watch a test closure, call us the day before to check it is going ahead.

You can call us on 0208 305 4161 or email [email protected] for our opening times, packages prices and conference details.

Forecasting closures

The Environment Agency receives information on potential tidal surges from:

• weather satellites
• weather ships
• coastal stations

They can forecast dangerous conditions up to 36 hours in advance. The barrier will close just after low tide, or about 4 hours before the peak of the incoming tide surge reaches the barrier.

Information comes from a range of mathematical computer models that forecast expected sea and river levels. This is supplemented by data from the Met Office and real-time information provided by the UK National Tidegauge Network . This hydrological and meteorological data is fed into the control room every minute from a wide network of tide and river pressure and wind gauges.

The decision to close, or not, is based on a combination of 3 major factors:

• the height of the tide (usually a spring tide) measured at the Thames Estuary
• the height of the tidal surge, which naturally accompanies each tide
• the river flow entering the tidal Thames, measured as it passes over Teddington Weir

Find up to date data for river and sea levels at the Thames Estuary and Teddington Weir .

The barrier has no individual trigger level for closure. The closing process is guided by a mathematical matrix that considers the river flow, tide and surge at the time. The final decision for closure lies with the Thames Barrier Duty Controller.

How the Thames Barrier works

The Thames Barrier:

• spans 520 metres across the River Thames near Woolwich
• protects 125 square kilometres of central London from flooding caused by tidal surges

It has 10 steel gates that can be raised into position across the River Thames. When raised, the main gates stand as high as a 5 storey building and as wide as the opening of Tower Bridge. Each main gate weighs 3,300 tonnes.

The barrier is closed under storm surge conditions to protect London from flooding from the sea. It may also be closed during periods of high flow over Teddington Weir. This is to reduce the risk of river flooding in some areas of west London including Richmond and Twickenham.

The Thames Barrier will then remain closed over high water until the water level downstream of the Thames Barrier has reduced to the same level as upstream. This is a managed process to provide for different circumstances, and takes about 5 hours. The Thames Barrier is then opened, allowing the water upstream to flow out to sea with the outward bound tide.

You can watch a video that shows how the Thames Barrier works:

a video of how the Thames Barrier works

Thames Barrier closures

The Thames Barrier has been closed 219 times for flood defence purposes, since it became operational in 1982 - correct as at 1 April 2024. Of these closures:

• 119 were to protect against tidal flooding
• 100 were to protect against combined tidal/fluvial flooding

If you have an enquiry about the Thames Barrier, or would like to receive a project pack, email: [email protected] .

The future of the Thames Barrier

The Thames Estuary 2100 plan sets out how flood risk will be managed in the Thames estuary to the end of the century and beyond. It also recommends what actions the Environment Agency and others will need to take in the:

• short term (the next 25 years)
• medium term (the following 15 years)
• long term (to the end of the century)

The plan is based on current guidance on climate change, but is adaptable to changes in predictions for sea level rise and climate change over the century.

More information can be found on the Thames Estuary 2100 page .

Visiting the Thames Barrier

The View and Information Centre (Thames Barrier Estate)

The Thames Barrier Information Centre is a small exhibition where you can learn about the construction of the Thames Barrier and how it works. There is a working model of the Thames Barrier and virtual technical tour along with other films and displays about flooding and the environment.

Each package has a personal guide for your group who will show you around the Thames Barrier Estate.

Our guides will cover topics including the history of the river and the risk of flooding in London, the environment and wildlife of the Thames.

Packages for group talk – available every day – need to book in advance:

• Economic package – up to 15 people, all ages - £175.00
• Child group talk – up to 30 children - £201.00
• Child luxury group talk – with activities, up to 30 children - £225.00
• Adult group talk – up to 30 people - £225.00
• Technical presentation – over 16 years old, up to 30 people - £250.00

Note there is no access on to the Barrier.

If you would like to book one of our packages, send an email to [email protected] . Note we need at least a week to process any booking form, as our guides are available just when requested.

The Thames Barrier Information Centre will be open only on Saturdays from 6 April to 26 October 2024. There is no need to book in advance to visit it. The ticket can be bought at the entrance, from 10:30 to 15:30hours.

Tickets prices:

Adult: £6.00

Senior/Student: £5.50

Child: £4.80 – Child under 5 years old is free.

Disabled: £4.50

Family ticket: £16.00 (2 adults + up to 3 children)

Our outside toilets downstairs, disabled lift and car parks will continue to be open 7 days a week between 9am and 5pm.

For further enquiries, telephone 0208 305 4161 or email [email protected] .

Conference room hire

The Thames Barrier View Conference Centre also has rooms to hire that offers spectacular views of the Thames Barrier and River Thames. The rooms are light and spacious and offer various room layouts to suit all occasions:

• conferences

For prices, e-mail us: [email protected] .

Getting to the Thames Barrier

Charlton station is situated on Woolwich Road and is approximately a one mile walk from the Thames Barrier Site. Woolwich Dockyard station is situated near Church Street and is within walking distance. Woolwich Arsenal station is the most convenient station to take a taxi to the Barrier Site.

London Underground North Greenwich (Jubilee Line)

The station is approximately 2 miles from the Thames Barrier and only 5 minutes by taxi or bus (161 and 472).

Bus No’s 177 and 180 via Greenwich (stop at the top of Eastmoor Street). 161 and 472 from North Greenwich tube station.

London City Airport

The City Airport is situated in North Woolwich only a short distance from the North Woolwich Ferry crossing.

Updated graphics, number of times the Thames Barrier has been closed as at 1 April 2024 and added the reason 'for flood defence purposes'.

Updated Barrier closure dates and when the Thames Barrier Information Centre will be opened between April and October 2024. Also updated ticket prices for individuals and group bookings.

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Changes to opening times and test closures, additional information about full test closure added 30 August 2019. Additional information about disabled lift not working added 04/09/19 Additional information and link added 13/09/19 Opening times and information about disabled lift added 06/09/19

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In summer 2015, the Information Centre is open 7 days a week during the school holidays.

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The Thames Barrier

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Well done! Reaching the Thames Barrier is nearly the end of the 185.2 miles of the Thames Path National Trail if you started from the source of the Thames in Trewsbury Mead.

The Thames Barrier was the start/finish of the Thames Path National Trail, but in January 2022 it moved to the Woolwich Foot Tunnel where it links with the England Coast Path National Trail.

Follow the Thames Path National Trail for another 1.2 miles through Barrier Park and along the riverside towards Woolwich Foot Tunnel, and the new official Start and Finish of the Thames Path National Trail.

Thames Barrier Visitor Centre: toilets and car parks open 7 days a week between 9am and 5pm. Pre-booked visits to the Centre https://www.gov.uk/guidance/the-thames-barrier#visiting-the-thames-barrier

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The Thames Barrier Information Centre

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THE THAMES BARRIER INFORMATION CENTRE: All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

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What is the Thames Barrier & what exactly does it do?

If you’ve heard of the Thames Barrier but you’re not exactly sure what it is, or if you know what it is but you’d like to know more about it, you’ve come to the right place.

In this article, discover everything you need to know about the Thames Barrier, how it works, and how to sail through with Uber Boat by Thames Clippers .

The Backstory

Having been built on a floodplain, large parts of London suffered significant flooding a fair few times during the 20th century. In 1928, 14 people drowned when the Thames overflowed and flooded much of central London. During the North Sea flood of 1953, hundreds of people lost their lives in the UK, and thousands were forced to evacuate their flood-damaged homes, including in East London.

Eventually, people began calling for a long-term solution to protect the capital city from future floods, as building higher and stronger walls and embankments would eventually hide the Thames. In 1974, construction of the Thames Barrier began as research had shown that a barrier with movable gates across the Thames would be the best option.

What is the Thames Barrier?

Spanning 520 metres across the River Thames near Woolwich, the Thames Barrier is the second-largest retractable flood defence barrier in the world (the largest is the Oosterscheldekering Barrier in the Netherlands).

The Thames Barrier took 8 years to build, and it became fully operational in 1984 – with the late Queen Elizabeth II presiding over its official opening.

The barrier has 10 steel gates that, when raised, are about as high as a 5-storey building. These 10 gates essentially divide the river into 10 individual flood gates, with each gate weighing approximately 3000 tonnes – a truly remarkable feat of engineering!

What does the Thames Barrier do?

Essentially, the Thames Barrier protects 125 square kilometres of central London from floods caused by high tides and storm surges.

When tides are forecast to be high enough to pose a potential threat (often during springtime), all 10 of the barrier’s steel gates are raised (closed) so that they can hold back the excess tidal flow and reduce the risk of flooding.

The barrier is usually closed about 8 or 9 hours before high tide, while traffic signals and online updates are used to notify river traffic of the closure.

How does the Thames Barrier work?

Each of the 10 gates that make up the Thames Barrier is designed to withstand an overall load of about 9,000 tonnes of water.

When the barrier is fully raised, it creates a solid steel wall that stops water from flowing upstream toward the city.

Each individual gate can be closed within about 10 minutes, but it takes about an hour and a half to completely close the entire barrier.

Once the water level upstream of the barrier matches the water level downstream, the barrier can then be reopened, allowing river traffic to pass through once again.

A test closure of the Thames Barrier is scheduled every month.

Visit the Thames Barrier with Uber Boat by Thames Clippers

Want to know how to get to the Thames Barrier so you can see it up close and personal? Uber Boat by Thames Clippers pass through the Thames Barrier on services to/from Woolwich (Royal Arsenal) and Barking Riverside piers. However, when the barrier is closed to prevent flooding or for tests, our services are unable to go through but you can take the boat to Royal Wharf Pier, from there or from the Thames Barrier Park you will get a great view of the Thames Barrier.

As well as being able to see the Thames Barrier when travelling with Uber Boat by Thames Clippers, the barrier itself has an information centre , where you can find out more about the past, present and future of this iconic blockade.

Be sure to check out the Thames Barrier’s scheduled closures before planning your trip.

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Travel With A Dog

Thames Barrier Park & Royal Docks – London Day Trip

I spotted Thames Barrier Park while reading a guidebook of parks in London. The guide book sold me, thus I had to visit. I chose a sunny blue sky day to make my move and head from home in Westminster in central London to Thames Barrier Park. I packed my bag for the day, camera fully charged, and the adventure was on. First, an introduction to the barrier and associated parkland.

What is Thames Barrier Park?

The Thames Barrier Park is a 7 acre park on the north bank of the River Thames . It is in the London Borough of Newham, near to Pontoon Dock DLR station. They name it after the Thames Flood Barrier, which is visible from the public open space.

What is the Thames Flood Barrier?

Since Roman times, London has been a problem for the city, thus a solution was required to protect the city from high tides. The solution to the problem was to create what we now know as the Thames Barrier.

It is a retractable system that they designed to prevent the floodplain of the city from being flooded. Mainly by abnormally high tides and storm surges. The Barrier has been fully operational since 1982. When the authorities feel the need, they close it during the predicted high tides, thus protecting the city.

Day-Trip to Thames Barrier Park & Royal Docks

The day started with a tube ride from Lancaster Gate station and navigated the underground to Embankment station. I had a quick mooch here, then google maps suggested the water taxi from Westminster Bridge to get near where I planned to be.

River Bus From Westminster Bridge

This trip was my first time on the TFL River Bus. Getting on the river bus was pretty simple. A case of find the right boat on Westminster Pier, then it’s just like the tube. You tap on with a payment card and tap off at the destination. I ended up heading the wrong way on the river, but hey ho, I got to pass Big Ben and houses or Parliament twice.

I finally got on the correct River Bus and back past Parliament, Big Ben and The London Eye. It was. It was a glorious day in London and passing all the sights on the river was fantastic. Next up was passing under Milenium Bridge, which opened up views to the iconic St Pauls Cathedral. This was a superb view of the cathedral and surrounding architecture.

Onwards, the boat chugged and passed under the even more iconic Tower Bridge. The views from the open water were fantastic and a glorious sport to take photographs of Tower Bridge.

Heading downstream, the boat passed Canary Wharf and the skyscrapers that dominate the skyline. Then onwards to North Greenwich Pier. The Pier was where I had alighted the boat and continue onwards.

Cable Car across the River Thames

From the pier, it was a quick walk to Emirates Greenwich Peninsula for a cable car ride across the River Thames. This was, again, pretty simple to use, tapping in and off using the payment card. Once paid, visitors have to await the next gondola, climb aboard, then enjoy the ride.

The ride takes you high above the river and opens up some fantastic views of the London skyline. The views were spectacular, although over quickly as the journey across doesn’t take long. At the other end, getting off was easy too, except my legs were like jelly. It triggered my mild vertigo, caused by looking down too much.

Walk Through the Royal Docks London

The next part of the adventure was a delightful walk through The Royal Docks, then past the Excel Arena. There were some nice big boats moored up here and looked great. Google maps took me on to the high footbridge called the Royal Victoria Dock Footbridge. This involved lots of steps, then some more views from the walkway, then back to ground level. A short hike through some housing took me to the intended eventual destination, Barrier park..

Exploring Thames Barrier Park in London

On arrival, the entry to the parkland was pretty easy to find. It is a public space thus free to enter. Climbing a few steps from the little car park at the park brought me out onto a balcony overlooking the park. The views from here were splendid. You could see the Thames barrier and the landscaping from above.

I then descended into the park to have a proper look around and enjoy seeing the centrepiece from many angles. They interestingly landscaped the park to frame the Thames Barrier’ views with greenery. Plants in the gardens included shrubs like lavender, various flower types, and hedgerows. The scent of the park is distinct and nice on the nose, thus a haven for pollinators.

Walking up and then down the designated walkways brought out many glorious views. Towards the river end of the park, there is a grass verge and slopes up to the riverside promenade.

The riverside area had benches, ideal for me to sit and watch the world go by with a unique view. There were Egyptian geese below on a shale beach on the Thames and a nobody else for company.

On the top level is a walkway overlooking the park and is a brilliant spot for photographers to capture the scenery. This is well worth walking around and exploring down in the gardens.

DLR back to Central London.

After enjoying this quiet and beautiful space in the capital, it was time to head back home. This was pretty simple compared to the adventurous options on the way. Catching the DLR from Pontoon Wharfe into Central London, then hopping on the tube home.

Review of London Day Trip to Thames Barrier Park

This adventure was a fantastic day out in London and got to see lots of the key sites and the lesser known Barrier Park. All using public transport and on foot. The views were well worth the journey. As a bonus, the park is dog friendly , so it’s a fantastic area for walkies.

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